Used People Synopsis & Summary

Synopsis

Todd Graff wrote the screenplay for this eccentric romantic comedy in the spirit of Moonstruck that exchanges pasta for matzo balls. The film takes place in Queens in 1969, where Pearl Berman (Shirley MacLaine) has just arrived back from the funeral of her husband. As her dysfunctional family kvetches in the living room, the dapper Joe Meledandri (Marcello Mastroianni) arrives. It seems that Joe has admired Pearl from afar for a number of years, ever since he met her husband in a bar and persuaded him to return to his wife. He invites Pearl for coffee, provoking the wisecrack from her mother (Jessica Tandy): "She got picked up at her own husband's funeral." As Pearl is wooed by Joe, she has to deal with her lonely, overweight daughter Bibby (Kathy Bates) and her prettier daughter Norma (Marcia Gay Harden), who suffers from such a lack of self esteem that she assumes the personalities of Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy, and Bonnie Parker. - Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Movie Info

Starring:
Shirley MacLaine, Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, Marcello Mastroianni, Marcia Gay Harden
Theatrical Release Date:
11/11/1992
Rating:
PG-13
MPAA Reasons:
for elements of sensuality and language.
Run Time:
116 min.
Distributor(s):
20th Century Fox
Production Co.:
20th Century Fox, JVC, Largo Entertainment
Director(s):
Beeban Kidron
Genre(s):
Drama
Themes:
Eccentric Families, Mothers and Daughters
Tone:
Humorous, Poignant, Quirky, Sweet
Keywords:
courtship, death, dysfunctional, family, friendship, funeral, hope, late-bloomers, love, romance, second-chance, slice-of-life, suitor, widow/widower
Country of Origin:
USA (12-16-1992)
Time Period:
1969
Status:

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