She's So Lovely (1997)

After being released from a psychiatric institution, a man tries to redeem himself in the eyes of his now-ex wife from the events that led up to his incarceration.

Director:

Nick Cassavetes

Writer:

John Cassavetes

Stars:

Sean Penn, Robin Wright, John Travolta

3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robin Wright	...	Maureen Murphy Quinn (as Robin Wright Penn)
James Gandolfini	...	Kiefer
Susan Traylor	...	Lucinda
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Tony 'Shorty' Russo
Debi Mazar	...	Georgie
Bobby Cooper	...	Cooper
John Marshall Jones	...	Leonard
Chloe Webb	...	Nancy Swearingen
Sean Penn	...	Eddie Quinn
James Soravilla	...	Avi
Jamie Bozian	...	Intern #1 (as James Bozian)
Paul Johansson	...	Intern #2
Justina Machado	...	Carmen Rodriguez - Lady Ticket Taker
Tito Larriva	...	Lead Singer
Tony Marsico	...	Band Member

Storyline

Maureen is pregnant and her husband Eddie is missing. Nervous, Maureen shares a couple of drinks with neighbor Kiefer, who tries to rape her and then beats her. When Eddie returns and finds his wife bruised, he goes ballistic, shoots a paramedic and is put in a psychiatric institution. Ten years later, Eddie is released and finds that Maureen has divorced him and is remarried with three children, one of whom is his little girl Jeanie. Eddie goes to reclaim his wife.

---

Plot Keywords:

rape | protective male | claim in title | half sister | stepfather | 

---

Taglines:

The story of one outrageous woman. Caught between two men. Both of them certain of one thing...

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language and some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax

Country:

France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 August 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

She's De Lovely

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,036,081, 1 September 1997, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$7,221,836, 5 October 1997

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax,Clyde Is Hungry Productions,Sheen/Michaels Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Cassavetes was going to direct the film in the 1980s with 'Sean Penn' in the lead but the project could not be completed before Cassavetes died.

---

Goofs

Joey gets out of his Cadillac holding his car keys, but the car's warning beeper signifies that the keys are still in the ignition.

---

Quotes

Eddie: Do you have hair on your nails?

---

Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Leave It to Beaver/Money Talks/Mimic/Masterminds/Gabbeh (1997)

---

Soundtracks

The Toughest Whore in Babylon
(1997)
Performed and produced by David Baerwald
Written by David Baerwald (as Baerwald), Bill Bottrell (as Bottrell), Roger Hedden (as Hedden) and David Jeffery Ricketts (as Ricketts)
Published by Almo Music Corp. / Zen of Iniquity / Ignorant Music
Recorded and mixed at Palindrome Studios
David Baerwald appears courtesy of EMI Records

User Reviews

CASSAVETES DOES IT AGAIN!

As a filmmaker John Cassavetes was always challenging his audience. He wanted to shake people out of their traditional patterns of the way people watch movies. He wanted to constanly stay one step ahead of viewers and challenge them to keep up. If you know this, any Cassavetes movie is a rewarding viewing experience. If you are unaware of this, you will surely be lost like so many reviewers I've read here are. SHE'S SO LOVELY is Nick Cassavetes paying tribute to his father's unique and often misunderstood style. The characters, like real people, do not know what they are going to do from one moment to the next. This is what makes the movie so funny, unpredictable - and so honest and true to life - that it makes some uncomfortable. Alot of critics have stated that it is unrealistic that a mother would ever leave her family under the circumstances presented here, but until you've been in a similar situation how can you really say? At any rate, one thing you can never accuse this movie of being is predictable. John Cassavetes often recut his movies even when people liked them. If he were still alive, he would probably be delighted to read all the negative reviews here, because they all point to one thing: Cassavettes has done it again. He has shaken people out of their set ways of watching movies and no one seems to be hip to it - yet. Like any great jazz artist, the work of John Cassavetes may be misunderstood at first, but finds it's audience eventually. He is somewhere laughing, knowing he has done his job. If you don't agree, keep this review in mind and watch this movie again/for the first time. Like all of his films, SHE'S SO LOVELY improves with repeat viewings.