Falling from Grace (film): Difference between revisions
Inflation adjusted figures are unnecessary. If a comparison to a 2023 film was being made then maybe but include inflation adjusted figures here is overcomplicated and unnecessary. Just because you can does not mean you should. |
Better reference. Use the official RogerEbert.com full text copy of the review instead of newspaper.com to syndicated version as an IMAGE file. (Ebert wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times which would be reprinted in publications such as The South Bend Tribune.) |
||
Line 58: | Line 58: | ||
''[[The New York Times]]''{{'}} [[Janet Maslin]] was not impressed with Mellencamp's performance nor direction, but complimented the assembled cast and the film's "folksy, collaborative feeling that works well with Mr. McMurtry's rueful ideas about guilt, redemption and the impossibility of recapturing the past."<ref name="1992-02-21 NYT" /> Film critic [[Peter Travers]] from ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'' praised the film saying, the movie is as "sexy, comic, sad and precise as a Mellencamp song" and in his directorial debut his "vibrantly funny and touching film plays as an extension of his music without his singing a note". Travers complimented the "fine performances" of Lenz, Hemingway and O'Connell, and overall said Mellemcamp made an "admirably unfussy movie that sneaks into your heart with the hypnotic power of a song".<ref name="travers"/> |
''[[The New York Times]]''{{'}} [[Janet Maslin]] was not impressed with Mellencamp's performance nor direction, but complimented the assembled cast and the film's "folksy, collaborative feeling that works well with Mr. McMurtry's rueful ideas about guilt, redemption and the impossibility of recapturing the past."<ref name="1992-02-21 NYT" /> Film critic [[Peter Travers]] from ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'' praised the film saying, the movie is as "sexy, comic, sad and precise as a Mellencamp song" and in his directorial debut his "vibrantly funny and touching film plays as an extension of his music without his singing a note". Travers complimented the "fine performances" of Lenz, Hemingway and O'Connell, and overall said Mellemcamp made an "admirably unfussy movie that sneaks into your heart with the hypnotic power of a song".<ref name="travers"/> |
||
[[Roger Ebert]] liked the film as well, saying that Mellencamp has a "real filmmaking gift", and that the film is "perceptive and subtle, and doesn't make the mistake of thinking that because something is real, it makes good fiction". Ebert was also impressed with McCurty's "uncommonly good original screenplay" and the characters he created being "three-dimensional", noting that Lenz "has many of the best scenes".<ref |
[[Roger Ebert]] liked the film as well, saying that Mellencamp has a "real filmmaking gift", and that the film is "perceptive and subtle, and doesn't make the mistake of thinking that because something is real, it makes good fiction". Ebert was also impressed with McCurty's "uncommonly good original screenplay" and the characters he created being "three-dimensional", noting that Lenz "has many of the best scenes".<ref>{{cite web |date=May 15, 1992 |last1=Ebert |first1=Roger |author1-link=Roger Ebert |title=Falling From Grace movie review (1992) |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/falling-from-grace-1992 |website=RogerEbert.com }}</ref> |
||
''[[Billboard Magazine]]'' writer [[Chris Morris (music writer)|Chris Morris]] wasn't impressed with the film or Mellencamp's acting, stating the film "suffers greatly from Mellencamp's presence in the leading role". Morris criticized his directing as well, arguing that Mellencamp "has problems staging McCurty's talky, high literary script", and that "long, dialog-filled scenes meander along without effect". Morris ends his review by harshly stating the film is a "noble failure", and while the movie is "serious in intent and execution, the film is a sleepy, murky exercise that never engages the emotions".<ref name="morris"/> |
''[[Billboard Magazine]]'' writer [[Chris Morris (music writer)|Chris Morris]] wasn't impressed with the film or Mellencamp's acting, stating the film "suffers greatly from Mellencamp's presence in the leading role". Morris criticized his directing as well, arguing that Mellencamp "has problems staging McCurty's talky, high literary script", and that "long, dialog-filled scenes meander along without effect". Morris ends his review by harshly stating the film is a "noble failure", and while the movie is "serious in intent and execution, the film is a sleepy, murky exercise that never engages the emotions".<ref name="morris"/> |
Revision as of 05:09, 29 November 2023
Falling from Grace | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | John Mellencamp |
Written by | Larry McMurtry |
Produced by | Harry Sandler |
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Victor Hammer |
Edited by | Dennis Virkler |
Production company | Little B Pictures |
Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $3,000,000 (US)[1] |
Box office | $231,826 (US) |
Falling from Grace is a 1992 American drama film directed by and starring John Mellencamp; it was met with more positive reviews than not.
Plot summary
![]() | This article needs an improved plot summary. |
Larry McMurtry's story closely follows one of Mellencamp's own: country-music celebrity[2] Bud Parks returns to Indiana with his wife Alice, but cheats with his hometown lover and sister-in-law, P. J.,[3] repeating the spiraling lifestyle of his father.[2]
Cast
The starring cast of Falling from Grace includes:[4][3]
- John Mellencamp as Bud Parks, Prodigal country-music star
- Mariel Hemingway as Alice Parks, Bud's beautiful Californian wife
- Claude Akins as Speck Parks, Bud's father and bully
- Dub Taylor as Grandpa Parks, Speck's "randy" father
- Kay Lenz as P. J. Parks, Bud's sister-in-law, former girlfriend, and secret lover
- Larry Crane as Ramey Parks
Production
Filmed in Mellencamp's hometown of Seymour, Indiana, the 100-minute drama film is the on-screen and directorial debut rock singer John Mellencamp,[2] with Victor Hammer as director of photography, Dennis Virkler as editor, George Corsillo as production designer, and Harry Sandler as producer.[3]
Release
Falling from Grace premiered in Mellencamp's hometown of Seymour, Indiana at the Jackson Park Cinema on February 18, 1992,[1] and was then released on February 21, 1992 to 22 theaters in the United States.[5] At 96 minutes, the film was released in the United Kingdom on October 1, 1992.[4]
The movie only had a short run in theaters, which Mellencamp blamed on a lack of advertising from Columbia, and American movie audience's "indifference to small-scale movies with complex, introspective themes". Mellencamp thought it was a "good little movie", but "it wasn't a racehorse ... that could come out of the chute real strong and finish real quick, and make millions for the company".[6] Dave Loncao, Mellencamp's co-manager, said that when film critics Siskel and Ebert appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show and gave the movie a thumbs up, that "theater owners began calling Columbia, and if they asked [for the film], Columbia would then give it to them".[7]
Reception
I couldn't say [making the film] was the greatest thing that ever happened to me, but it wasn't one of the worst things. Sometimes I watch the film and I think, It's not too bad. Sometimes I watch it and can't stand to look at it.
— John Mellencamp[8]
In the US, the film earned US$49,708 at the box office on opening weekend, with an overall 45-week return of $231,826.[2] As of October 2023[update], review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes showed a 78-percent positive view of the film, based on nine film critics.[9] Upon the home video's release, it debuted on the Billboard video rental chart in October 1992, peaking at number 30, while only remaining on the chart for 3 weeks.[10]
The New York Times' Janet Maslin was not impressed with Mellencamp's performance nor direction, but complimented the assembled cast and the film's "folksy, collaborative feeling that works well with Mr. McMurtry's rueful ideas about guilt, redemption and the impossibility of recapturing the past."[3] Film critic Peter Travers from Rolling Stone praised the film saying, the movie is as "sexy, comic, sad and precise as a Mellencamp song" and in his directorial debut his "vibrantly funny and touching film plays as an extension of his music without his singing a note". Travers complimented the "fine performances" of Lenz, Hemingway and O'Connell, and overall said Mellemcamp made an "admirably unfussy movie that sneaks into your heart with the hypnotic power of a song".[11]
Roger Ebert liked the film as well, saying that Mellencamp has a "real filmmaking gift", and that the film is "perceptive and subtle, and doesn't make the mistake of thinking that because something is real, it makes good fiction". Ebert was also impressed with McCurty's "uncommonly good original screenplay" and the characters he created being "three-dimensional", noting that Lenz "has many of the best scenes".[12]
Billboard Magazine writer Chris Morris wasn't impressed with the film or Mellencamp's acting, stating the film "suffers greatly from Mellencamp's presence in the leading role". Morris criticized his directing as well, arguing that Mellencamp "has problems staging McCurty's talky, high literary script", and that "long, dialog-filled scenes meander along without effect". Morris ends his review by harshly stating the film is a "noble failure", and while the movie is "serious in intent and execution, the film is a sleepy, murky exercise that never engages the emotions".[13]
The Hartford Courant's film critic Malcolm Johnson gave the film a rating of 1.5 out of 4 stars. Johnson says that Mellencamp's debut with his film, is "more than a musician's vanity effort", but it "proves oddly lacking muscle and bite". Johnson criticized Mellencamp's acting as "unmannered, even true, but a little dull". He singles out Lenz's performance though as "charging the film with its most tense and provocative moments".[14]
Soundtrack
The movie's 13-track soundtrack is 49 minutes and 43 seconds long, was recorded at the Belmont Mall Studio, and released in 1991. AllMusic rated the album at 4.5 out of 5 stars.[15] The single "Sweet Suzanne" by the Buzzin' Cousins debuted on the Billboard Country Singles chart in February 1992, and was on the chart for 5 weeks, achieving a peak position of 68.[10]
Don McCleese of Austin American-Statesman said that Larry Crane's performance of "Whiskey Burnin'" makes him "sound too much like a Mellencamp wannabe", but that the other material he wrote "holds its own", especially the pieces sung by Mellencamp. He also called the Buzzin' Cousins a "poor man's" Traveling Wilburys, and that "collaborations [like this] only work if they establish some camaraderie; these performances sound like they were phoned in from various parts of the country".[16]
The Dallas Morning News Michael Corcoran had a different take on the Buzzin' Cousins, opining they are the "heartlands answer to the Traveling Wilburys". He says their single "Sweet Suzanne" basically sounds like a "rollicking Wilburys tune". He also compliments Yoakam's performance of "Common Day Man" as one of his "most passionate vocals yet".[17]
No. | Title | Music | Performer | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Bud's Theme" | Lisa Germano | Lisa Germano | 2:22 |
2. | "Cradle of the Interstate" | Nanci Griffith | Nanci Griffith | 3:29 |
3. | "Whiskey Burnin'" | Larry Crane | Larry Crane | 4:48 |
4. | "Common Day Man" | George Green and John Mellencamp | Dwight Yoakam | 3:52 |
5. | "It Don't Scare Me None" | Larry Crane | John Mellencamp | 3:31 |
6. | "Searchin' for the Perfect Girl" | Bentley Austin, Craig Austin, Eric Austin, and John Mellencamp | Pure Jam | 3:13 |
7. | "All the Best" | John Prine | John Prine | 4:02 |
8. | "Hold Me Like You Used to Do" | Dale Fisher and Joey Karsten | Qkumbrz | 3:06 |
9. | "Sweet Suzanne" | John Mellencamp | Buzzin' Cousins (Joe Ely, James McMurtry, Mellencamp, Prine, and Yoakam)[18] | 4:01 |
10. | "Nothing's for Free" | Larry Crane | John Mellencamp | 3:30 |
11. | "Little Children" | Lisa Germano | Lisa Germano | 4:55 |
12. | "Days Like These" | Janis Ian | Janis Ian | 3:48 |
13. | "Falling from Grace" | Larry Crane | Larry Rollins | 5:06 |
References
- ^ a b Britton, Bonnie (February 21, 1992). "'Grace' is amazing for $3 million film". The Indianapolis Star. p. B1. ProQuest 240002882.
Falling From Grace cost only $3 million ... Scott Dillman Jr. turned on a searchlight at the Midwest premiere of [John Mellencamp]'s movie, Falling From Grace, Tuesday at Seymour's Jackson Park Cinema.
- ^ a b c d "Falling from Grace". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Maslin, Janet (February 21, 1992). "Mellencamp Goes Home For a Tale on Going Home". The New York Times. p. C16. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
- ^ a b "Falling from Grace (1992)". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ^ Gleiberman, Owen (March 13, 1992). "Falling From Grace (1992)". Entertainment Weekly. ISSN 1049-0434. OCLC 21114137. Archived from the original on July 31, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ^ Harris, Paul A. (June 22, 1922). "Renaissance Rocker". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. p. 40.
- ^ Britton, Bonnie (May 24, 1992). "`Natural Reaction' is to like movie, but no one at Cannes festival is buying". The Indianapolis Star. p. G2. ProQuest 240076978.
- ^ Cromelin, Richard (November 10, 1991). "10 Questions: John Mellencamp". Los Angeles Times – via Rock's Backpages.
- ^ "Falling from Grace". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1998). 1992 Billboard Music Yearbook. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. pp. 47, 222.
- ^ Travers, Peter (March 5, 1992). "Falling from Grace written by Larry McMurty and starring John Mellencamp". Movies. Rolling Stone Magazine. No. 625. p. 78. ProQuest 220158631.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (May 15, 1992). "Falling From Grace movie review (1992)". RogerEbert.com.
- ^ Morris, Chris (March 14, 1992). "Falling from Grace directed by John Mellencamp and starring John Mellencamp and Mariel Hemingway". On Screen. Billboard Magazine. Vol. 104, no. 11. p. 76. ProQuest 226981257.
- ^ Malcolm, Johnson (May 16, 1992). "Mellencamp too mellow in first film". The Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. p. 13.
- ^ a b "Falling from Grace Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- ^ McLeese, Don (March 5, 1992). "Mellencamp music 'falling from grace'". For the Record. Austin American-Statesman. Austin, Texas. p. 20.
- ^ Corcoran, Michael (March 3, 1992). "One record, for one time only". Arts. Philadelphia Daily News. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Dallas Morning News. p. 34.
- ^ Hudak, Joseph (April 8, 2020). "That Time John Prine Joined the Supergroup the Buzzin' Cousins". Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
Little-known collab featured John Mellencamp, Dwight Yoakam, Joe Ely, and James McMurtry on the song 'Sweet Suzanne'
External links
- 1992 films
- 1990s American films
- 1990s English-language films
- 1992 directorial debut films
- 1992 drama films
- American drama films
- Columbia Pictures films
- Country music films
- English-language drama films
- Films directed by John Mellencamp
- Films set in Indiana
- Films shot in Indiana
- Films with screenplays by Larry McMurtry