The Ice Storm (1997)

In suburban New Canaan, Connecticut, 1973, middle class families experimenting with casual sex and substance abuse find their lives beyond their control.

Director:

Ang Lee

Writers:

Rick Moody (based upon the novel by), James Schamus (screenplay by)

Stars:

Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 5 wins & 31 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Kline	...	Ben Hood
Joan Allen	...	Elena Hood
Sigourney Weaver	...	Janey Carver
Henry Czerny	...	George Clair
Tobey Maguire	...	Paul Hood
Christina Ricci	...	Wendy Hood
Elijah Wood	...	Mikey Carver
Adam Hann-Byrd	...	Sandy Carver
David Krumholtz	...	Francis Davenport
Jamey Sheridan	...	Jim Carver
Kate Burton	...	Dorothy Franklin
William Cain	...	Ted Shackley
Michael Cumpsty	...	Philip Edwards
Maia Danziger	...	Mrs. Gadd
Katie Holmes	...	Libbets Casey

Storyline

In the weekend after thanksgiving 1973 the Hoods are skidding out of control. Benjamin Hood reels from drink to drink, trying not to think about his trouble at the office. His wife, Elena, is reading self-help books and losing patience with her husband's lies. Their son, Paul, home for the holidays, escapes to the city to pursue an alluring rich girl from his prep school. And young, budding nymphomaniac, Wendy Hood, roams the neighborhood, innocently exploring the liquor cabinets and lingerie drawers of her friends' parents, looking for something new. Then an ice storm hits, the worst in a century. Things get bad.

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Plot Keywords:

ice storm | virgin | swinging | wife swapping | sexual awakening | 

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Taglines:

It was 1973, and the climate was changing.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality and drug use, including scenes involving children, and for language

Details

Official Sites:

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 November 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

La tormenta de hielo

Filming Locations:

581 Laurel Rd, New Canaan, Connecticut, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$75,183, 28 September 1997

Gross USA:

$8,038,061

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,038,061

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, Good Machine, Canal+ Droits Audiovisuels

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Natalie Portman turned down the role of Wendy Hood.

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Goofs

The zipper on Mikey's coat as he prepares to go out in the storm.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Train Conductor: Good morning ladies and gentlemen. This train, originating from New York's Grand Central Station, is back in service. Next stop will be New Canaan, Connecticut. New Canaan, Connecticut next stop.
Paul Hood: [narration] In issue 141 of the Fantastic Four, published in November, 1973, Reed Richards had to use his anti-matter weapon on his own son, who Aannihilus has turn into the Human Atom Bomb. It was a typical predicament for the Fantastic Four, because they weren't like other superheroes. ...

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Connections

Features The Time Tunnel (1966)

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Soundtracks

Coconut
Written by Harry Nilsson
Used by permission of EMI Blackwood Music Inc. (BMI)
Performed by Harry Nilsson
Courtesy of the RCA Records Label of BMG Entertainment

User Reviews

A subtly sardonic look inside middle-class Americana.

"Ice Storm" not only describes the weather in the Connecticut countryside but is also a metaphor for the pall which hangs over a pallid and dysfunctional middle-class suburban family of four in the 1970s. Sporting a stellar cast with Ang Lee at the helm, this well crafted, sensitive, artful production takes the audience into four lives outwardly living the "American Dream" while inwardly existing in a state of empty unfulfillment and quiet desperation. The tedious and laconic nature of the film may lose the less patient audience while those with a taste for psychodrama should enjoy it.