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The Woman Chaser

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The Woman Chaser
Directed byRobinson Devor
Written byRobinson Devor
Charles Willeford
Based onThe Woman Chaser
by Charles Willeford
Produced bySoly Haim
StarringPatrick Warburton
Ron Morgan
Emily Newman
Paul Malevich
Marilyn Rising
CinematographyKramer Morgenthau
Edited byMark Winitsky
Music byDaniele Luppi
Jeff McDonough
Distributed byTarmac Films
Release dates
  • October 8, 1999 (1999-10-08) (NYFF)
  • June 16, 2000 (2000-06-16) (United States)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$700,000[1]

The Woman Chaser is a 1999 film directed by Robinson Devor and starring Patrick Warburton, Ron Morgan, Emily Newman, Paul Malevich, and Marilyn Rising. The screenplay is based on the novel of the same name by Charles Willeford.[2]

Plot

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Set in Los Angeles in 1960, Richard Hudson is a shrewd car dealer who moves from San Francisco and sets up a used-car dealership. Tiring of this job, he turns the lot over to an assistant Bill and starts writing his first film, The Man Who Got Away. It turns out to be an uncommercial picture, chronicling the story of a truck driver who goes berserk, runs over a little girl and dies fending off a platoon of police officers.

In making his film, Richard enlists the help of his father-in-law, Leo, a washed-up former film director whose notable possession is a Rouault painting of a clown. Through Leo, Richard pitches his idea to The Man, the unnamed chief executive of Mammoth Pictures who green-lights the project. Conflict inevitably arises when Richard's obsession for making the movie his way clashes with The Man's. Other kooky characters include Richard's mother, a former ballerina who lures her hirsute lug of a son into a comically eccentric pas de deux; Richard's sexually curious stepsister, Becky, who seduces him; and his secretary, Laura, whom he impregnates with a boorish indifference.

Cast

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  • Patrick Warburton as Richard Hudson
    • Josh Hammond as young Richard
  • Eugene Roche as Used Car Dealer
  • Ron Morgan as Bill
  • Emily Newman as Laura
  • Paul Malevich as Leo
  • Lynette Bennett as Mother
  • Joe Durrenberger as Chet
  • Ernie Vincent as The Man

Release

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The Woman Chaser premiered at the 1999 New York Film Festival[3] and went on to play at top film festivals including the Sundance Film Festival,[4] South By Southwest,[5] the Florida Film Festival,[6] the Seattle International Film Festival,[6] Stockholm Film Festival,[1] and Athens Film Festival.[1]

On June 16, 2000, it was given a limited theatrical release in North America.[7] It was also broadcast on the Sundance Channel and Showtime, becoming a cult movie.[8][9]

The film went unreleased on DVD for many years due to music rights issues.[1][9] In 2014, the film was released digitally with half of the music replaced by an original score written by Hollywood film and television composer, Jeff McDonough. All the music in the film is now original, with the other half being written by original composer Daniele Luppi.[10] This updated version is available on film streaming services.

Reception

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Clay Smith of The Austin Chronicle wrote, "The Woman Chaser is far from being a hollow genre exercise. At once hilarious, jagged, and nostalgic in all the best ways, The Woman Chaser is a refreshing breath of smoke-tinged, deadpan air. "[5] Merle Bertrand of Film Threat called it "by turns ludicrously funny...and vaguely disturbing".[11] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "For all of Warburton’s prowess and Devor’s energy and zeal, The Woman Chaser lacks the slam-bang style and authority of Samuel Fuller’s Shock Corridor and The Naked Kiss, two films that The Woman Chaser brings immediately to mind. The Woman Chaser is very much a first film, but a venturesome start for Devor as well as a splendid launch for Warburton."[12]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, The Woman Chaser has an approval rating of 71% based on 14 reviews.[8]

Awards

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SXSW Film Festival, 2000[13]

  • Winner, Audience Award for Narrative First Film - Robinson Devor

Florida Film Festival, 2000[14]

  • Winner, Special Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature - Robinson Devor
  • Nominee, Grand Jury Award Best Narrative Feature - Robinson Devor

Sundance Film Festival, 2000[4]

  • Nominee for American Spectrum

Golden Trailer Awards, 2001[15]

  • Nominee, Golden Trailer Best Comedy - Tarmac Films

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Warburton on his iconic roles, toons & more". Albuquerque Journal. May 18, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  2. ^ Anderson, Jeffrey M. (July 12, 2000). "Working Hard". Combustible Celluloid. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  3. ^ "NYFF '99 REVIEW: Devor Running for Laughs in Noir Ode "Woman Chaser"". IndieWire. October 8, 1999. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "The Woman Chaser". sundance.org. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Smith, Clay (March 17, 2000). "Reflections: SXSW 2000 Film Festival and Conference - The Woman Chaser". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "The Woman Chaser". Turner Classic Movie Database. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  7. ^ "The Woman Chaser". AllMovie. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  8. ^ a b "The Woman Chaser". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Vasquez, Zach (January 8, 2019). "Home". Crooked Marquee. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  10. ^ Cheshire, Godfrey (October 18, 1999). "The Woman Chaser". Variety. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  11. ^ Bertrand, Merle (July 9, 2000). "The Woman Chaser". Film Threat.
  12. ^ Thomas, Kevin (July 21, 2000). "'Woman Chaser' Makes an Enjoyable Introduction". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  13. ^ "Film Fest Winners". The Austin Chronicle. March 17, 2000. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  14. ^ "Florida's Finest". Film Threat. June 20, 2000. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  15. ^ "Golden Trailer Award Nominees 2001". Golden Trailer Awards. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017.
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