Directed by:
Robert AltmanCinematography:
Walt LloydComposer:
Mark IshamCast:
Andie MacDowell, Bruce Davison, Jack Lemmon, Julianne Moore, Matthew Modine, Anne Archer, Fred Ward, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Chris Penn, Lili Taylor (more)Plots(1)
Using the short stories of Raymond Carver as a jumping-off point, American maverick director Robert Altman weaves a tapestry of interlocking tales set against the seedy backdrop of contemporary middle-class Los Angeles. Tracking the various stages of denial, rage, and despair in the lives of several couples--a philandering cop and his masochistic spouse (Tim Robbins and Madeline Stowe); a helicopter pilot who gets revenge on his ex by trashing her house (Peter Gallagher and Frances McDormand); a man and woman whose perfect life falls apart when they lose their son in a hit-and-run accident (Bruce Davison and Andie MacDowell); a pool cleaner who listens in mounting frustration to his wife performing phone sex each day while tending her brood of children (Chris Penn and Jennifer Jason Leigh); a wealthy couple who are haunted by an incident from the past (Matthew Modine and Julianne Moore); an aging jazz singer and her suicidal daughter (Annie Ross and Lori Singer); an alcoholic limo driver and his waitress wife (Tom Waits and Lily Tomlin)--Altman reveals their common threads of family dysfunction and marital discord in the unforgiving glare of the Southern California sunlight. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Awards
- Winner
- Nominations
Academy Awards
- 1994 - Robert Altman (Best Achievement in Directing)
Independent Spirit Awards
- 1994 - Cary Brokaw (Best Feature)
- 1994 - Robert Altman (Best Director)
- 1994 - Frank Barhydt, Robert Altman (Best Screenplay)
- 1994 - Julianne Moore (Best Supporting Female)
César Awards
- 1995 - Best Foreign Film
Guldbagge Awards
- 1994 - Robert Altman (Best Foreign Film)
Golden Globes
- 1994 - Robert Altman (Best Screenplay)
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
- 1993 - Robert Altman (Best Director)
- 1993 - Frank Barhydt, Robert Altman (Best Screenplay)
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
- 1993 - Jennifer Jason Leigh (Best Supporting Actress)
Venice Film Festival
- 1993 - Robert Altman (Golden Lion for Best Film)
- 1993 - Robert Altman (FIPRESCI Prize)