Details
Movie Description
Michelle Pfeiffer established herself as an adept actress with this colorful comedy from director Jonathan Demme (SOMETHING WILD, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS). The wife of Mafia hitman Frank "Cucumber" De Marco (Alec Baldwin), the irrepressibly brassy Angela (Pfeiffer) finds herself unhappy with their shady lifestyle, and wants out. When Frank is murdered by mob boss Tony "The Tiger" Russo (Dean Stockwell), she uses the opportunity to move to New York, get a job and go straight. But as soon as she thinks she's out, Tony wants her as his next mistress. Tony's jealous wife (Mercedes Ruehl) threatens to kill her, and a master-of-disguise FBI agent (Mathew Modine) follows her every move, and then falls in love with her. Through all the colorful insanity, Demme keeps the action on target, and the emphasis on quirky characters. A game supporting cast includes: Joann Cusack, Oliver Platt, Tracey Walter, and Jamaican singer Sister Carol. Chris Isaak, Todd Solondz, "Grampa" Al Lewis, and David Johansen are some of the many cameos. Pricelessly gaudy costume designs and a spontaneous sense of fun help make this one of the classic comedies of the 1980's.
Synopsis
Jonathan Demme directs this smart comedy in which Michelle Pfeiffer plays Angela DeMarco, the hapless wife of a mobster named Frank. After Angela's husband, the "family's" hit man, is iced, she tries to start a new life. This noble effort becomes practically impossible when Tony the Tiger, the mob boss who killed her husband, falls for her, and the FBI is trying to use her to nail her new admirer.
Film Notes
Theatrical release: August 19, 1988. Screened at the 1988 Deauville Film Festival and the 1988 Fest Rio. Released on video February 23, 1988.
Shot in New York City, New York; Miami, Florida; and New Jersey. Shooting began October 5, 1987.
Production auditor assistant Nancy Savoca made her directorial debut a year later with TRUE LOVE.
The film is dedicated to Brian Hansen.
The final credit sequence includes alternate takes and scenes that were not used in the film.
Estimated budget: $10 million.
Industry Reviews
"...Lovely, skittish farce....Pfeiffer is startlingly touching....[Stockwell] steals the show..." Rating: B+
Entertainment Weekly - pp.130-1 - Ty Burr
"...An entertaining narrative....Demme's natural, streetwise wit has always been a distinctive element of his work, but never has his talent for closely observed satire been so evident..."
Sight and Sound - p.210-11 - Duncan Wu
"...[Pfeiffer's] performance is the picture's linchpin -- warm, delicately timed and utterly infectious..."
Los Angeles Times - p.C1 - Sheila Benson
Quotations
"Look, I fight for what's mine. I make no apologies. You can call me a ballbuster but that's just the way I am."--Connie Russo (Mercedes Ruehl)
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