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Plot

With his trademark emphasis on character development and dialogue, writer/director John Sayles tells the story of May-Alice Culhane (Mary McDonnell), a New York soap opera actress left paralyzed by a car accident. As the film opens, she lies in a hospital bed, confused and scared, watching her own show on TV and shrieking, "That was supposed to be my closeup!" With no other options, she returns to her family's old and empty Southern home, where she drinks hard, offends every caregiver, and wallows in self-pity. Her outlook begins to changes with the arrival of Chantelle (Alfre Woodard), a nurse with her own life problems. The two gradually find a heartfelt connection with one another, and, as a result, their lives subtly change. McDonnell's work in Passion Fish earned her an Oscar nomination as Best Actress.
MPAA Rating:
R for language.
Genre(s):
Drama
Run Time:
136min.
Theatrical Release Date:
11/11/1992
DVD Release Date:
03/30/1999
Director(s):
John Sayles
Starring:
Mary McDonnell , Alfre Woodard , David Strathairn , Vondie Curtis-Hall , Nora Dunn
Themes:
Starting Over,Women's Friendship,Unlikely Friendships,Servants and Employers,Living With Disability
Tone:
Compassionate,Intimate,Reflective,Talky,Understated,Wry
Keywords:
actor,alcoholism,bitterness,car-crash,friendship,hometown,nurse,paralysis,paraplegic,self-discovery,self-pity,soap-opera,stars [celebrities],substance-abuse
Country of Origin:
USA (12-09-1992)
Language:
English