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Plot

Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Beth Henley (who also penned the screenplay), Crimes of the Heart stars three high-powered actresses as three high-strung sisters. Lenny (Diane Keaton), Meg (Jessica Lange) and Babe (Sissy Spacek) gather at Lenny's deep-South home for her birthday. Lenny, the oldest, can't seem to sustain a relationship with a man. Meg is an aspiring actress who hasn't progressed beyond commercial voice overs. And Babe is released on bond from jail after shooting her senator husband. Add to this information the fact that the girls' mother killed herself in Lenny's house, and that when Meg offhandedly expresses the wish that grouchy grandfather Hurd Hatfield would slip into a coma, he does, whereupon the sisters, despite every effort to treat the situation with proper sobriety, burst into helpless laughter over her "psychic" powers.
MPAA Rating:
PG-13
Genre(s):
Comedy,Drama
Run Time:
105min.
Theatrical Release Date:
12/12/1986
DVD Release Date:
02/03/2004
Distributor(s):
De Laurentiis Entertainment Group
Director(s):
Bruce Beresford
Starring:
Diane Keaton , Jessica Lange , Sissy Spacek , Sam Shepard , Tess Harper
Themes:
Eccentric Families,Sibling Relationships
Tone:
Gentle,Literate,Talky,Warm,Witty
Keywords:
actor,birthday,coma,family,grandfather,reunion,shooting [crime],sister,suicide
Country of Origin:
USA (12-12-1986)
Language:
English