Sordid Lives (2000)

As three generations of a family in a small Texas town gather for a funeral, we learn the hilarious, sad, trashy truth of their "Sordid Lives."

Director:

Del Shores

Writers:

Del Shores (play), Del Shores (screenplay)

Stars:

Delta Burke, Bonnie Bedelia, Olivia Newton-John

10 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Olivia Newton-John	...	Bitsy Mae Harling
Kirk Geiger	...	Ty Williamson
Sarah Hunley	...	Juanita Bartlett
Newell Alexander	...	Wardell 'Bubba' Owens
Beau Bridges	...	G.W. Nethercott
Earl Houston Bullock	...	Odell Owens (as Earl H. Bullock)
Beth Grant	...	Sissy Hickey
Delta Burke	...	Noleta Nethercott
Leslie Jordan	...	Earl 'Brother Boy' Ingram
Mitch Carter	...	Bumper
Bonnie Bedelia	...	Latrelle Williamson
Sharron Alexis	...	Sara Kaufman
Ann Walker	...	LaVonda DuPree
Mary Margaret Lewis	...	Ethel (as Mary-Margaret Lewis)
Rosemary Alexander	...	Dr. Eve Bolinger

Storyline

We become intimate with the "Sordid Lives" of a family in a small Texas town preparing for the funeral of the mother. Among the characters are the grandson trying to find his identity in West Hollywood, the son who has spent the past twenty-three years dressed as Tammy Wynette, the sister and her best friend (who live in delightfully kitschy homes), and the two daughters (one strait-laced and one quite a bit looser).

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Plot Keywords:

male objectification | vomiting | woman wears eyeglasses | funeral | texas | 

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Taglines:

A black comedy about white trash.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 May 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nedza zywota

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,111,273

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,111,273

Company Credits

Production Co:

Daly-Harris Productions, Davis Entertainment Classics, Sordid Lives LLC

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film contains many of the original actors from the long running stage-production, with the actors who originated the Bonnie Bedelia and Beau Bridges roles (Mary Margaret Lewis and Mitch Carter) playing the receptionist Ethel and security guard in the mental institution.

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Goofs

During Brother Boy's therapy session, his fingernails are dark red. Immediately following the session, he performs as Tammy Wynette, and his fingernails are now pale pink.

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Quotes

Latrelle Williamson: I know you're gay, Ty! I've known you're gay since you were five years old and you wanted that doll Suzy Q for Christmas instead of the dump truck that your Daddy wanted to buy you! I know you're gay, Ty, I've always known, but could we just please bury your grandmother and get on with life? Huh? Could we? Because I think I'm gonna explode any minute if *any more shit hits the fan today!*
Ty Williamson: You knew? Since I was five? I've had twenty-seven therapists and you knew?
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The featured cast sings a karaoke type song at the beginning of the final credits. This is frequently interrupted by Juanita making inane comments.

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Connections

References The Bold and the Beautiful (1987)

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Soundtracks

Please Don't Be Gay
Lyrics by Sharyn Leavitt (as Sharyn Lane)
Music by Beverly Nero
Arranged by David Moscoe
Music Recorded by Beverly Nero and David Moscoe
Performed by Sharron Alexis
Published by Zamlama Music Publishing, Inc. (BMI)

User Reviews

worth the wait

My girlfriend and I saw trailers and the great website for Sordid Lives over a year ago and couldn't wait to see it. We kept checking back to see if it had finally made it's way out to us in LA every so often and had begun to figure we'd have to wait for the dvd release. Then driving today we saw it playing at a little house on LaBrea and hit up the next showing.

This film was well worth the wait. It's true that the camera work isn't flashy and it's easy to tell it was adapted from a play. But all the great characters and witty dialogue are so engaging you hardly notice. The whole cast does and excellent job and I honestly haven't laughed during a film this much since Waiting for Guffman. Although I think the film may be more targeted at gay audiences there seems to be something for everyone in this. Rarely have I seen a movie that managed to be this funny while being touching and real at the same time without seeming completely contrived and cheesy.