Marvin's Room (film)
| Marvin's Room | |
|---|---|
Scott McPherson | |
| Produced by | Scott Rudin Jane Rosenthal Robert De Niro |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Miramax Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $23 million[1] |
| Box office | $30 million[2] |
Marvin's Room is a 1996 American
It stars Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, Hume Cronyn, Gwen Verdon, Hal Scardino, and Dan Hedaya. Original music for the film was composed by Rachel Portman. Carly Simon wrote and performed the theme song "Two Little Sisters", with Meryl Streep adding background vocals.
For her performance, Keaton received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.
Plot
Marvin, a man who had a stroke 20 years ago, is left incapacitated and bed-ridden. He has been cared for by his daughter Bessie in their Florida home, and ignored by his other daughter, Lee, who moved to Ohio with her husband 20 years ago and has never contacted her family.
Now, however, Bessie's doctor has informed her that she has
Nevertheless, they all travel down to stay with Bessie. When Lee finds that she may have to take over her father's care, she at first begins shopping around for nursing homes, fearing that she'll have to uproot her life. Eventually, however, the estranged family grows close and Hank agrees to get tested.
As Bessie progressively seems to get worse, and testing shows the boys are not a match as bone marrow donors, Lee comes to terms that it is now her turn to take care of her family. The film closes on Lee familiarizing herself with her father's medication, as she walks into his room with his lunch, overlooking Bessie flashing sunlight off the mirror that makes Marvin smile.
Cast
- Meryl Streep as Lee, Hank and Charlie's mother
- Leonardo DiCaprio as Hank, Lee's 17-year-old son
- Diane Keaton as Bessie, Lee's sister
- Robert De Niro as Dr. Wally
- Hume Cronyn as Marvin, father of Lee and Bessie
- Gwen Verdon as Ruth, Marvin's sister
- Hal Scardino as Charlie, Lee's 10-year-old son
- Dan Hedaya as Bob, Wally's brother
- Cynthia Nixon as the Retirement Home Director
- Margo Martindale as Dr. Charlotte
- Joe Lisi as Bruno
Reception
The film holds an 84% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 50 reviews and an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Marvin's Room rises above the pack of dysfunctional family dramas thanks to an impeccable cast that includes Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, and Leonardo DiCaprio."[5] Metacritic gave the film a score of 68 out of 100 based on 20 critical reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6]
The film grossed $12.8 million in the United States and Canada and $30 million worldwide.[1][2]
Accolades
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards[7] | Best Actress | Diane Keaton | Nominated |
| Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Nominated | |
| Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Actress – Drama | Meryl Streep | Nominated |
| Camerimage Awards | Golden Frog | Piotr Sobocinski
|
Nominated |
Chlotrudis Awards
|
Best Movie | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Jerry Zaks | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Leonardo DiCaprio | Won | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Meryl Streep | Nominated | |
| Christopher Awards | Motion Pictures | Won | |
| Critics' Choice Awards[8] | Best Actress | Diane Keaton | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards[9] | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Meryl Streep | Nominated |
| Kyiv International Film Festival | Best Full-Length Fiction Film | Jerry Zaks | Nominated |
| Moscow International Film Festival[10] | Golden St. George | Won | |
| National Board of Review Awards[11] | Special Recognition for Excellence in Filmmaking | Won | |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards[12] | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Hume Cronyn, Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Dan Hedaya, Diane Keaton, Hal Scardino, Meryl Streep and Gwen Verdon |
Nominated |
| Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role | Diane Keaton | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role | Gwen Verdon | Nominated | |
Further reading
- Marvin's Room Screen Adaptation: A Scriptwriting Handbook, by Kenneth Portnoy. Published by Focal Press, 1998. ISBN 0-240-80349-3.
- McPherson, Scott (1992). Marvin's Room (First ed.). New York: Plume drama. ISBN 0-452-26922-9.
- Grace in Suffering: Marvin's Room Praying the Movies: Daily Meditations from Classic Films, by Edward McNulty, McNulty. Geneva Press, 2001. ISBN 0-664-50155-9.
References
- ^ a b "Marvin's Room (1996)". The Numbers. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ a b "International Star Chart". Screen International. 5 September 1997. p. 16.
- ^ Marks, Peter (December 8, 1996). "Two Wrenching Dramas Find Unexpected New Lives". The New York Times.
- ^ A Door Left Opened accessed 11/23/2016
- ^ "Marvin's Room (1996)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ "The 69th Academy Awards (1997) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
- ^ "The BFCA Critics' Choice Awards :: 1996". Broadcast Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on December 12, 2008.
- HFPA. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ "20th Moscow International Film Festival (1997)". MIFF. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
- ^ "1996 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- Screen Actors Guild Awards. Archivedfrom the original on November 1, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
External links
