In the Bedroom (2001)

A New England couple's college-aged son dates an older woman who has two small children and an unwelcome ex-husband.

Director:

Todd Field

Writers:

Andre Dubus (story "Killings"), Robert Festinger (screenplay) (as Rob Festinger)

Stars:

Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek, Nick Stahl

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 39 wins & 70 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Wilkinson	...	Matt Fowler
Sissy Spacek	...	Ruth Fowler
Nick Stahl	...	Frank Fowler
Marisa Tomei	...	Natalie Strout
William Mapother	...	Richard Strout
William Wise	...	Willis Grinnel
Celia Weston	...	Katie Grinnel
Karen Allen	...	Marla Keyes
Frank T. Wells	...	Henry
W. Clapham Murray	...	Carl
Justin Ashforth	...	Tim Bryson
Terry A. Burgess	...	District Attorney
Jonathan Walsh	...	Father McCasslin
Diane E. Hamlin	...	Davis' Assistant
Camden Munson	...	Jason Strout

Storyline

In idyllic Mid-Coast Maine, the Fowler family's only son Frank comes home from his freshman year at college for summer vacation. His mother Ruth, the school choir director, is unhappy with Frank dating soon-to-be divorced mother Natalie who is several years his senior, but Frank's father Matt, the town doctor, doesn't see a problem. While Frank considers holding off his future for Natalie, her jilted husband causes them all problems until an unthinkable tragedy shakes the community to its very core.

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Plot Keywords:

grieving family | dysfunctional family | marriage | vigilantism | school choir | 

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Taglines:

A young man. An older woman. Her ex-husband. Things are about to explode...

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site YoVideo (French)

Country:

USA

Language:

English Serbo-Croatian

Release Date:

8 February 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

In the Bedroom

Filming Locations:

Belfast, Maine, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,700,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$93,972, 25 November 2001

Gross USA:

$35,930,604

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$44,763,181

Company Credits

Production Co:

Good Machine, Standard Film Company, GreeneStreet Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min 138 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (CFI)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The cabin where Ruth (Sissy Spacek) and Matt (Tom Wilkinson) visit the Grinnells belongs to director Todd Field.

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Goofs

In several scenes, the Fowlers are drinking Moxie soda, a brand most people think disappeared in the 1950s. It still exists in Maine and a few other locations around northern New England.

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Quotes

Matt: [greets Frank on the dock] How'd you pull?
Frank Fowler: Not too bad, about 40 pounds.
Matt: I haven't caught sight of you in days.
Frank Fowler: You know where to find me.
Matt: When are you coming home?
Frank Fowler: Has it come to this?
Matt: Come to what?
Frank Fowler: You having to run errands for Mom.
[Matt laughs silently]
Frank Fowler: I'm thinking of building a couple hundred more traps. See if can do better than break even.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

Graham Leader gratefully acknowledges ... Ann, Kira & Saks.

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Connections

Referenced in Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: Dreaming of a New Land (2019)

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Soundtracks

Baby I Love Your Way
(1975)
Written by Peter Frampton
Performed by Peter Frampton
Copyright 1975 Almo Music Corp.
On behalf of itself and Nuages Artists Music Ltd. (ASCAP)
Courtesy of A&M Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterpises

User Reviews

Wanted to like the movie... couldn't.

I wanted to like this movie. But I didn't. That about sums it up. The movie follows a plot, and beats it to death by showing us several hundred shots of Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek in grievance. It's not that these two wonderful actors (although I liked Wilkinson, and not so much Spacek) don't have reason to be upset, but I wish I hadn't been forced to watch several hundred fragmented scenes that were all only about fifteen seconds long. After a certain number of shots of sad faces, I was not sorry for them anymore and became upset that the plot wasn't going anywhere. Then it did, spinning in a direction and ending in a climax that seemed totally unmotivated and unreal. (Note: When Matt Fowler comes into the bedroom the final time, I totally predicted Ruth's line to the word... because I had been thinking, "I would be so mad if she said this..." and then she did. Crazy.) There were maybe three really exciting scenes, one in which the wonderful but under-utilized Marisa Tomei (whose accent may or may not have been a bit unsettled... are you British or southern?) got to act really hard. The rest of the movie was virtually silent, with a lot of shots of wheat-colored New England. Besides being dull to look at and hear, it was dull to watch. With the exception of Wilkinson, whose acting was amazing but character suffered, the cast (for which I had had such high hopes -- hello! Sissy Spacek!) was weak. I'm glad I saw it, but I didn't like it. Too bad, I guess. Rent it if you want, you should always make your own judgments about movies... this could possibly be your favorite movie. Don't let me stop you. :)