Up Close & Personal (1996)

An ambitious young woman, determined to build a career in TV 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 1970's, became the "First Woman Anchor". Sally/Tally is taken under the wing of Warren in a Miami newsroom and becomes a news star on TV. 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

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:

$187,067, 19 July 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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robin Wright was considered for the role of Sally Atwater.

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Goofs

When the film was made, in 1996, the idea that a TV crew inside a prison could beam images from a 'portable' transmit unit (let alone return audio to the journalist from the TV truck), was pure imagination. Even modern-day portable units cannot break through concrete and steel - especially the amount that one would find in a prison.

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Quotes

Bucky Terranova: Your voice is full of money.

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Connections

References Hard Copy (1989)

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Soundtracks

Turn It Up
Written and Performed by Tom Kane and Colin Baldry

User Reviews

Good Cast, Mediocre Story

"Up Close and Personal" proves again that charismatic stars and good production values can overcome a weak story. This story of two television journalists (Redford and Pfeiffer) has few surprises, no fresh insights about the news business, and its big moments are both predictable and overblown. Nevertheless, Redford and Pfeiffer provide enough star power to make for a reasonably entertaining couple of hours. There is one particularly funny line, though. When the Pfeiffer character says of a co-worker, "He's so stupid!" her boyfriend, the Redford character, with a quizzical expression on his face, says, "He's an anchorman." 6 out of 10, marginally recommended.