Sea of Love (film)

Last updated
Sea of Love
Sea of love 1989.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Harold Becker
Written by Richard Price
Based on Ladies' Man
by Richard Price
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Ronnie Taylor
Edited by David Bretherton
Music by Trevor Jones
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date
  • September 15, 1989 (1989-09-15)
Running time
114 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$19 million [2]
Box office$110.9 million [2] [3]

Sea of Love is a 1989 American neo-noir [4] thriller film directed by Harold Becker, written by Richard Price and starring Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin and John Goodman. The story concerns a New York City detective trying to catch a serial killer who finds victims through the singles column in a newspaper. [5]

Contents

It is inspired by Price's 1978 novel Ladies' Man . [6] The film does not credit the novel Ladies’ Man as source material because the novel only shares a similar main idea, while having different characters, a different plot and a different theme. Writer Richard Price said he wanted to explore the same idea as Ladies’ Man, but make the protagonist cooler to an audience (by making him a cop and giving him a gun). The film involves the investigation of a serial killer which is completely absent from the book. Dustin Hoffman was originally in negotiations to star, before Pacino became interested in the project. It was Pacino's first film after a four-year hiatus following the critical and commercial failure of Revolution . Sea of Love was a box-office success, grossing over $110 million.

Plot

New York City homicide detective Frank Keller is a burned-out alcoholic. His wife left him and married one of his colleagues, and he is depressed about reaching his 20th year on the police force. He is assigned to investigate the murder of a man in Manhattan, shot while face down in his bed, naked, listening to an old 45rpm recording of "Sea of Love." Keller has three clues — a lipstick-smeared cigarette, a want-ad that the dead man placed in a newspaper, and fingerprints of the perpetrator.

A second man dies in the same manner in Queens. Detective Sherman Touhey from the local precinct suggests that he and Frank collaborate. Both victims had placed rhyming ads in the lonely hearts column of the newspaper, seeking dates. The detectives track down Raymond Brown, the only other man with a rhyming ad. He's a married man who admits placing the ad but swears that he threw away all the letters and never saw anyone. Frank gets an idea to place a rhyming ad in the paper, meet women who respond in a restaurant and take the prints from their drinking glasses. Frank's precinct chief is skeptical, but reconsiders when Brown turns up dead in the same manner as the other two murder victims.

Frank has dinner with several women, while Sherman — posing as a waiter — puts their glasses into evidence bags. One woman, divorcee Helen Cruger, shows no interest in Frank and leaves without taking a drink, so Frank is unable to get her fingerprints. Frank bumps into her again at a market, but this time she is more friendly. Helen manages a chic upscale shoe store. Frank does not reveal his true occupation.

Frank takes her to his place, against his better judgment and a warning from Sherman not to do so. They start getting passionate, but Frank panics after finding a gun in her purse and treats her roughly. Helen explains she keeps the starting pistol because she's been scared. Frank apologizes, and they have sex.

Frank and Helen begin a romance. He has a chance to obtain Helen's fingerprints on a glass but decides to wipe the glass clean. Their relationship becomes strained when she discovers that he is a cop. One night when he is drunk, he nearly gives away the fact that Helen was involved in a sting. He starts to confess his feelings for her, but then discovers that she responded to each of the victims' ads. When he confronts her, Helen refuses to admit to anything, so he throws her out.

Moments later, the real killer bursts into the apartment: Helen's ex-husband Terry, who has been stalking Helen and killing the men she dates. At gunpoint, he makes Frank lie on his bed and show how he made love to Helen, just as he had done to his other victims before murdering them. Frank manages to overpower Terry and tries to call the police, but Terry lunges at him and, in the ensuing struggle, Frank throws Terry through the bedroom window to his death.

Several weeks later, a newly sober Frank meets Sherman in a bar and later reunites with Helen. She forgives him, and they resume their relationship.

Cast

Lorraine Bracco filmed scenes as Keller's ex-wife Denise, which were cut from the theatrical release print, but were restored for television versions. [7] Samuel L. Jackson played a minor role as "Black Guy". [8]

Production

Filming began on May 23, 1988 in Toronto, Canada, and moved to New York City on July 26. Production lasted a total of 19 weeks. [9] In a 2023 interview with HuffPo, Ellen Barkin revealed that, during the making of this film, director Harold Becker allegedly ripped off her merkin during the filming of a nude scene. [10]

Release

Box office

Sea of Love grossed $58.5 million domestically and $52.3 million overseas to a total of $110.9 million worldwide.

The film made $10 million in its opening weekend, topping the box office and setting the record for best debut for a fall release. [11] In its second week it had a 22% drop, grossing $7.8 million and finishing second. [12]

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes reports that 75% of 32 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 6.80/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Moody and steadily alluring, Sea of Love benefits immeasurably from the window-fogging chemistry between Ellen Barkin and Al Pacino." [13] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [14] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[ citation needed ]

In his review in the Los Angeles Times, Kevin Thomas called it "a slick, knowing genre film, through and through, a New York cop suspense thriller that we've seen countless times before," but stated "it can't quite keep us away from wondering how a smart woman like Helen, whose looks would stop traffic and whose work would bring her into constant contact with an array of sophisticated men, would ever resort to the personals - unless, of course, she really is a psychopath." [15] The review in Variety praised the film, calling it "a suspenseful film noir boasting a superlative performance by Al Pacino as a burned-out Gotham cop." [16]

Hal Hinson for The Washington Post stated that if the film "were able to get it all, it would be a great movie. As it is, it's stirring and messy and hints at more than it is capable of delivering." [17] Roger Ebert, giving the film three out of four stars, praised the acting of Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin, but thought "the ending...cheats by bringing in a character from left field at the last moment. Part of the fun in a movie like this is guessing the identity of the killer, and part of the problem...is that the audience is not fairly treated. Technically, I suppose, the plot can be justified. But I felt cheated. I had good feelings for the characters and their relationships, but I walked out feeling the plot played fast and loose with the rules of whodunits." [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Pacino</span> American actor (born 1940)

Alfredo James Pacino is an American actor. Considered one of the greatest and most influential actors of the 20th century, Pacino has received numerous accolades: including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy Awards achieving the Triple Crown of Acting. He also received four Golden Globe Awards, a BAFTA, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and been honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2001, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2007, the National Medal of Arts in 2011, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2016.

<i>Whos Harry Crumb?</i> 1989 film by Paul Flaherty

Who's Harry Crumb? is a 1989 American comedy-mystery film featuring John Candy as the title character. Paul Flaherty directed the film, which co-stars Annie Potts, Jeffrey Jones and Shawnee Smith. An uncredited cameo appearance is made by Jim Belushi. The story concerns the often incompetent, sometimes brilliant, private investigator Harry Crumb, who searches for a kidnapping victim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellen Barkin</span> American actress (born 1954)

Ellen Rona Barkin is an American actress. Her breakthrough role was in the 1982 film Diner, and in the following years, she had starring roles in films such as Tender Mercies (1983), Eddie and the Cruisers (1983), The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), The Big Easy (1986), Johnny Handsome, and Sea of Love.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Rooker</span> American actor (born 1955)

Michael Rooker is an American actor who first rose to prominence for portraying Henry in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986). Rooker is best known for starring as Merle Dixon in the AMC series The Walking Dead (2010–2013) and as Yondu Udonta in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), followed by its sequels Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). He is a recurring collaborator of Guardians of the Galaxy director and co-CEO of DC studios James Gunn, appearing in his films Slither (2006), Super (2010) and The Suicide Squad (2021).

<i>Oceans Twelve</i> 2004 film directed by Steven Soderbergh

Ocean's Twelve is a 2004 American heist comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by George Nolfi. The second installment in the Ocean's film trilogy franchise and the sequel to Ocean's Eleven (2001), the film features an ensemble cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Andy García, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Julia Roberts, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Vincent Cassel, Eddie Jemison, Carl Reiner, and Elliott Gould.

<i>Frankie and Johnny</i> (1991 film) 1991 film by Garry Marshall

Frankie and Johnny is a 1991 American romantic drama film directed by Garry Marshall and starring Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer in their first film together since Scarface (1983). Héctor Elizondo, Nathan Lane, and Kate Nelligan appear in supporting roles. The original score was composed by Marvin Hamlisch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delia Sherman</span> American writer (born 1951)

Cordelia Caroline Sherman, known professionally as Delia Sherman, is an American fantasy writer and editor. Her novel The Porcelain Dove won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award.

<i>Cruising</i> (film) 1980 film by William Friedkin

Cruising is a 1980 crime thriller film written and directed by William Friedkin and starring Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, and Karen Allen. It is loosely based on the novel of the same name by The New York Times reporter Gerald Walker about a serial killer targeting gay men, particularly those men associated with the leather scene in the late 1970s. The title is a double entendre, because "cruising" can describe both police officers on patrol and men who are cruising for sex.

<i>The Panic in Needle Park</i> 1971 film

The Panic in Needle Park is a 1971 American drama film directed by Jerry Schatzberg and starring Al Pacino and Kitty Winn. The screenplay was written by Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne, adapted from the 1966 novel by James Mills.

Extremities is an off-Broadway play by William Mastrosimone and directed by Robert Allan Ackerman. It opened at the Westside Theatre in New York on December 22, 1982 and ran for 325 performances.

<i>Mercy</i> (2000 film) 2000 American film

Mercy is a 2000 erotic thriller film directed by Damian Harris and starring Ellen Barkin. The movie was based on a novel written by David L. Lindsey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea of Love (Phil Phillips song)</span> 1959 single by Phil Phillips

"Sea of Love" is a song written by John Philip Baptiste and George Khoury. It was the only top-40 chart-maker for Phillips, who never recorded another hit.

<i>Johnny Handsome</i> 1989 film by Walter Hill

Johnny Handsome is a 1989 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Walter Hill and starring Mickey Rourke, Ellen Barkin, Forest Whitaker and Morgan Freeman. The film was written by Ken Friedman, and adapted from the novel The Three Worlds of Johnny Handsome by John Godey. The music for the film was written, produced and performed by Ry Cooder, with four songs by Jim Keltner.

<i>Switch</i> (1991 film) 1991 film by Blake Edwards

Switch is a 1991 American fantasy comedy film written and directed by Blake Edwards. Based on George Axelrod's 1959 play Goodbye Charlie, the film stars Ellen Barkin, Jimmy Smits, JoBeth Williams, and Lorraine Bracco.

<i>No Small Affair</i> 1984 film by Jerry Schatzberg

No Small Affair is a 1984 American comedy-drama film directed by Jerry Schatzberg and starring Jon Cryer and Demi Moore. Cryer, Jennifer Tilly, Tim Robbins and Tate Donovan make their film debuts.

<i>Man Trouble</i> 1992 film by Bob Rafelson

Man Trouble is a 1992 American romantic black comedy film starring Jack Nicholson and Ellen Barkin. It was directed by Bob Rafelson and written by Carole Eastman, who together had been responsible for 1970's Five Easy Pieces.

<i>Righteous Kill</i> 2008 American thriller film

Righteous Kill is a 2008 American crime thriller film directed by Jon Avnet and written by Russell Gewirtz. The film stars Robert De Niro and Al Pacino as New York City Police Department detectives on the hunt for a serial killer. It is the third film in which both De Niro and Pacino appear in starring roles, and also stars John Leguizamo, Carla Gugino, Donnie Wahlberg, Brian Dennehy, and Curtis Jackson.

<i>Cop Hater</i> (film) 1958 film

Cop Hater is a 1958 American crime film noir police procedural film based on the 1956 novel Cop Hater written by Ed McBain, the first in a series of books about the 87th Precinct in New York City. The film was produced and directed by William Berke, written by Henry Kane and stars Robert Loggia and Gerald O'Loughlin.

<i>Sex and the Single Girl</i> (film) 1964 film by Richard Quine

Sex and the Single Girl is a 1964 American Technicolor comedy film directed by Richard Quine and starring Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Henry Fonda, Lauren Bacall and Mel Ferrer.

The Return of the World's Greatest Detective is a 1976 American made-for-television mystery comedy film starring Larry Hagman as an inept motorcycle cop named Sherman Holmes, who, after sustaining a head injury, became convinced that he was actually Sherlock Holmes and as a result of his injury acquired formidable powers of observation and deduction. Dean Hargrove and Roland Kibbee wrote the film's story directly for television, intending it to be a pilot for a series that would have been titled Alias Sherlock Holmes. The film originally aired on NBC on June 16, 1976.

References

  1. ↑ "Sea of Love (15)". British Board of Film Classification . September 22, 1989. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Sea of Love (1989)". The Numbers . Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Sea of Love". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  4. ↑ Silver, Alain; Ward, Elizabeth; eds. (1992). Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style (3rd ed.). Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press. ISBN   0-87951-479-5
  5. ↑ Brown, Joe (1989-11-15). "Sea of Love". Washington Post . Retrieved 2010-11-26.
  6. ↑ Brown, Joe (15 September 1989). "'Sea of Love' (R)". The Washington Post . Fred Ryan. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  7. ↑ "Sea of Love (1989)". thisdistractedglobe.com. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
  8. ↑ Gorman, Allison; Gorman, Anna (January 5, 2015). "The Roles of a Lifetime: Samuel L. Jackson". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Catalogue – Sea of Love". AFI. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Ellen Barkin Says Male Director 'Ripped My Merkin Off' During Nude Scene and Said: 'What Do You Need This For? Nobody's Looking at You'". www.variety.com. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  11. ↑ Cerone, Daniel (1989-09-19). "Pacino Buoys 'Sea of Love' at Box Office". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 December 2010.
  12. ↑ Cerone, Daniel (1989-09-26). "Black Rain, 'Sea of Love' Tops at Box Office: WEEKEND BOX OFFICE". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  13. ↑ "Sea of Love (1989)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Sea of Love reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  15. ↑ Thomas, Kevin (September 15, 1989). "Pacino and Barkin Make a Big Splash in Sea of Love". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Sea of Love". Variety . Penske Business Media, LLC. December 31, 1988. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  17. ↑ Hinson, Hal (September 15, 1989). "Sea of Love". The Washington Post . Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  18. ↑ Ebert, Roger (September 15, 1989). "Sea of Love". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.