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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

Every Day we Have, is One More Than We Deserve.

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

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:

$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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Original script was based on the life of famed young newscaster Jessica Savitch, who was killed as a passenger in an automobile accident.

---

Goofs

Tally is supposedly in the prison with one camera, yet shots beamed live from her include shots of her camera crew holding a camera. In addition we see cutting of shots between Tally and Fernando as if there were two cameras there.

---

Quotes

Tally Atwater: He's so stupid!
Warren Justice: He's an anchorman.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Nanny: Fair Weather Fran (1997)

---

Soundtracks

A New World
Written by Tim Souster

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.