Up Close & Personal (1996)

An ambitious young woman, determined to build a career in television journalism, gets good advice from her first boss, and they fall in love.

Director:

Jon Avnet

Writers:

Joan Didion, John Gregory Dunne

Stars:

Robert Redford, Michelle Pfeiffer, Stockard Channing

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Redford	...	Warren Justice
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Tally Atwater
Stockard Channing	...	Marcia McGrath
Joe Mantegna	...	Bucky Terranova
Kate Nelligan	...	Joanna Kennelly
Glenn Plummer	...	Ned Jackson
James Rebhorn	...	John Merino
Scott Bryce	...	Rob Sullivan
Raymond Cruz	...	Fernando Buttanda
Dedee Pfeiffer	...	Luanne Atwater
Miguel Sandoval	...	Dan Duarte
Noble Willingham	...	Buford Sells
James Karen	...	Tom Orr
Brian Markinson	...	Vic Nash
Michael Laskin	...	IBS Director

Storyline

This is a telling of the Jessica Savitch story, the newswoman who, in the 1970s, became the "First Woman Anchor". Tally Atwater (Michelle Pfeiffer) is taken under the wing of Warren Justice (Robert Redford) in a Miami newsroom and becomes a news star on television. Despite her love for Warren, she takes the big chance and moves on to Philadelphia, where he follows to rescue her faltering career at the cost of his own - as she rises, he falls.

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Plot Keywords:

mentor protege relationship | journalism | television news | television broadcast | television network | 

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Taglines:

Passion Brought Them Together... Only Success Could Tear Them Apart!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some sensuality and depictions of violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Ballhaus, this movie's original director of photography, had to drop out after becoming ill during pre-production. Producer and director Jon Avnet chose Karl Walter Lindenlaub as the replacement because he was impressed by Lindenlaub's work on Rob Roy (1995).

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Goofs

Tally, said to be reporting for WFIL, holds a Channel 7 microphone. WFIL was actually Channel 6. (Note: WFIL's call letter subsequently changed to WPVI, still channel 6 in Philadelphia.)

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Quotes

Tally Atwater: I'm Sally, and I'm going to be a star.

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Connections

References Hard Copy (1989)

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Soundtracks

I Shall Believe
Written by Sheryl Crow and Bill Bottrell
Performed by Sheryl Crow
Courtesy of A&M Records Inc.

User Reviews

great actors help but not enough

Sally 'Tally' Atwater (Michelle Pfeiffer) is ambitious and green starting out as a local TV reporter in Miami hired by news director Warren Justice (Robert Redford) from her amateur tape. They fall in love as he grooms her rise from weather girl to star reporter in the newsroom. Agent Bucky Terranova (Joe Mantegna) recruits her to a bigger Philadelphia station. She struggles from jabs by jealous anchor Marcia McGrath (Stockard Channing) and unkind public judgment. Warren has been struggling himself. Sensing her despair, he goes to Philadelphia to help her recover.

This is loosely based on the late NBC News anchor Jessica Savitch but it has more in common with the play Pygmalion. It's a bit too broad at first with Pfeiffer stumbling awkwardly to portray inexperience. It's so broad that it actually becomes off-putting. There is also the age difference but Pfeiffer and Redford are great enough to overcome it. The plot has much of the formula of a good romance but it just feels false. The actors' cinematic presence helps a lot. In the end, I don't feel it.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Golden Girl

Filming Locations:

Holmesburg Prison - 8215 Torresdale Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,101,955, 3 March 1996

Gross USA:

$51,088,705

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$100,688,705

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Cinergi Pictures Entertainment, Avnet/Kerner Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1