Details
Movie Description
Robert Altman produced this evocative portrait of renowned writer and wit Dorothy Parker that chronicles her boozy adventures both in Manhattan as a writer for The New Yorker and member of the celebrated Algonquin roundtable and later in Hollywood as a screenwriter. Jennifer Jason Leigh delivers a stunning performance as the drunken, depressed, but undeniably clever Mrs. Parker, and she's ably assisted by a stellar supporting cast, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Peter Gallagher, Stephen Baldwin, Wallace Shawn, Matthew Broderick, Lili Taylor, Jennifer Beals, and Campbell Scott as her main partner in crime, the equally besotted wit Robert Benchley. Director Alan Rudolph captures the brilliance as well as the tragedy of these literary celebrities. The result is an unsparingly honest portrait of alcoholism and ego, and a loving celebration of Parker's gutsy battle against sexual discrimination and her own romantic failures in pursuit of artistic expression. Featuring sumptuous photography that conveys the decadence of the period and a great score by Mark Isham, the film is a treat for the eyes and ears as well as the mind.
Synopsis
MRS. PARKER AND THE VICIOUS CIRCLE is a bourbon-tinted portrait of writer Dorothy Parker, a woman of rapier wit and ravenous thirst who presided over the famous intellectual Round Table at the Algonquin Hotel. The film produced by Robert Altman and directed by Alan Rudolph.
Industry Reviews
"...Lively and unexpectedly touching..."
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers (12/15/1994)
"...A charismatic, unforgettable heroine, stunningly well-played by [Leigh]....[Rudolph] sustains a sharp idea..."
New York Times - Janet Maslin (11/23/1994)
"...A striking performance by Jennifer Jason Leigh provides the centerpiece....Her delivery of the writer's acid remarks is stinging..."
Variety - Todd McCarthy (05/16/1994)
"...Jennifer Jason Leigh constructs a jaded and terminally wounded Parker....[It is a] formidable performance, as cunning and detailed as her contributions to RUSH and MIAMI BLUES..."
Sight and Sound - Chris Darke (03/01/1995)
"...Leigh manages the 30-plus year trajectory with ease..."
Los Angeles Times - Peter Rainer (12/21/1994)
"...The great achievement of Alan Rudolph's MRS. PARKER AND THE VICIOUS CIRCLE is that it allows us to empathize with Dorothy Parker..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (12/23/1994)
"[A]n expansive take on the legendary Algonquin Round Table mainstay." -- Grade: B
Entertainment Weekly - Kirven Blount (09/08/2006)
Quotations
"Would you like a drink before you kiss me?"--Dorothy Parker (Jennifer Jason Leigh)
"Razors pain you, rivers are damp, acids stain you, drugs cause cramp. Guns aren't lawful, nooses give, gas smells awful; you might as well live."--Dorothy Parker
"I never liked a man I didn't meet."--Dorothy Parker
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