Bodies, Rest & Motion

Last updated

Bodies, Rest & Motion
Bodies, Rest & Motion.jpg
Poster artwork
Directed by Michael Steinberg
Screenplay byRoger Hedden
Based onBodies, Rest & Motion
by Roger Hedden
Produced byJoel Kastelberg
Starring
CinematographyBernd Heinl
Edited by Jay Cassidy
Music by Michael Convertino
Distributed by Fine Line Features
Release dates
January 1993 (Sundance)
  • April 9, 1993 (1993-04-09)(United States)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$764,724 [1]

Bodies, Rest & Motion is a 1993 American drama film written by Roger Hedden based on his 1986 play, and directed by Michael Steinberg. The film stars Phoebe Cates, Bridget Fonda, Tim Roth, and Eric Stoltz: they play four friends who are interested in the relationships they have and changing their own lives, but along the way their interests in life and each other start to change. The film also takes place at small gas stations in the Arizona desert, and Bridget Fonda's real-life father, Peter Fonda, has a cameo as a motorcycle rider. Bodies, Rest & Motion premiered at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival [2] and was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. [3]

Contents

Cast

Original stage version

Hedden wrote the script based on his own play, which premiered off-Broadway on December 21, 1986, at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, with William H. Macy as Nick, Christina Moore as Carol, Laurie Metcalf as Beth, and Andrew McCarthy as Sid. [4] According to Frank Rich, the play's "meager plot—an arbitrary coupling or two, followed by equally whimsical leave-takings and reunions—leads to nothing more than a sentimental final-curtain reaffirmation of the transforming powers of true love." [5] The original run lasted 22 performances. [4]

Reception

Janet Maslin called the characters played by the four central actors "quirky, magnetic", saying they are set against the backdrop of a "bland, artificial culture winning its war with nature"; the film is "much too studiedly hip to indulge in a happy ending, but in its wry, offbeat way it does inch forward. In this jaded context, a small step in the right direction is indeed a large step for mankind." [6] According to People , the film "wants desperately to say something profound about the condition of twentysomethings. But it succeeds only in sounding like outtakes from an undergrad bull session. While Fonda and Cates manage to keep their footing, Roth elicits no emotion beyond irritation, and Stoltz acts as if he's had his nose in the latex too long." [7] Roger Ebert gave the film two stars out of four, saying it is "one of those movies that not only comes accompanied by supporting materials, but seems fairly pointless unless you brief yourself"; according to Ebert, if the viewer knows Newton's first law of motion and keeps in mind that "'Generation X' is a media buzzword for the late-twentysomethings [who have been] so named, apparently, for their lack of an identity", it is "possible to watch Bodies, Rest and Motion, and find that it makes a statement about its generation. Without the cheat sheet, you'd more likely say the movie is about a bunch of aimless, boring, hopeless drips, who inspire neither sympathy nor interest. If I were a doctor, I'd suspect Lyme disease." [8]

On Rotten Tomatoes, Bodies, Rest & Motion has an approval rating of 53% based on 30 reviews. [9]

Home video

The film received a LaserDisc release from the Criterion Collection in December 1993. [10] [11] In December 2020, the film received a Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoebe Cates</span> American actress (born 1963)

Phoebe Belle Cates Kline is an American former actress, who appeared in films such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Gremlins (1984), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), Drop Dead Fred (1991) and Princess Caraboo (1994).

<i>The Limey</i> 1999 American film

The Limey is a 1999 American crime film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Lem Dobbs. The film features Terence Stamp, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzmán, Barry Newman, Nicky Katt, and Peter Fonda. The plot concerns an English career criminal (Stamp) who travels to the United States to investigate the recent suspicious death of his daughter. It was filmed on location in Los Angeles and Big Sur.

<i>Singles</i> (1992 film) 1992 film by Cameron Crowe

Singles is a 1992 American romantic comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe, and starring Bridget Fonda, Campbell Scott, Kyra Sedgwick, and Matt Dillon. It features appearances from several musicians prominent in the early 1990s grunge movement in Seattle.

<i>Killing Zoe</i> 1993 film by Roger Avary

Killing Zoe is a 1993 crime film written and directed by Roger Avary and starring Eric Stoltz, Jean-Hugues Anglade and Julie Delpy. The story details a safe cracker named Zed who returns to France to aid an old friend in performing a doomed bank heist. Killing Zoe was labeled by Roger Ebert as "Generation X's first bank caper movie." In 2019, Avary directed the semi-sequel Lucky Day.

<i>Little Buddha</i> 1993 Italian film

Little Buddha is a 1993 drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, written by Rudy Wurlitzer and Mark Peploe, and produced by usual Bertolucci collaborator Jeremy Thomas. An international co-production of Italy, France and the United Kingdom, the film stars Chris Isaak, Bridget Fonda and Keanu Reeves as Prince Siddhartha.

<i>Kicking and Screaming</i> (1995 film) Film by Noah Baumbach

Kicking and Screaming is a 1995 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Noah Baumbach in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Josh Hamilton, Olivia d'Abo, Parker Posey, Chris Eigeman, and Eric Stoltz.

<i>Looking for Richard</i> 1996 film

Looking for Richard is a 1996 American documentary film directed by Al Pacino, in his directorial debut. It is a hybrid film, including both a filmed performance of selected scenes of William Shakespeare's Richard III and a documentary element which explores a broader examination of Shakespeare's continuing role and relevance in popular culture. The film was featured at the Sundance Film Festival in January 1996 and it was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. Al Pacino won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Documentaries.

<i>Old Gringo</i> 1989 romantic adventure film

Old Gringo is a 1989 American romantic adventure film starring Jane Fonda, Gregory Peck, and Jimmy Smits. It was directed by Luis Puenzo and co-written with Aída Bortnik, based on the 1985 novel The Old Gringo by Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes.

<i>Losin It</i> 1983 American-Canadian comedy film by Curtis Hanson

Losin' It is a 1983 comedy film directed by Curtis Hanson, and starring Tom Cruise, Shelley Long, Jackie Earle Haley and John Stockwell. The film follows four teenagers trying to lose their virginity. It was filmed largely in Calexico, California.

<i>The Waterdance</i> 1992 American drama film

The Waterdance is a 1992 American drama film directed by Neal Jimenez and Michael Steinberg and starring Eric Stoltz, Wesley Snipes, William Forsythe, and Helen Hunt. It was written by Neal Jimenez. The film is a semi-autobiographical story about a young fiction writer who becomes tetraplegic fully paralyzed in a hiking accident and works to rehabilitate his body and mind at a rehabilitation center.

<i>Microcosmos</i> (film) 1996 French film

Microcosmos is a 1996 documentary film written and directed by Claude Nuridsany and Marie Pérennou and produced by Jacques Perrin. An international co-production of France, Switzerland, Italy and the United Kingdom, the film showcases detailed interactions between insects and other small invertebrates, and features music by Bruno Coulais.

<i>Household Saints</i> 1993 American film

Household Saints is a 1993 film starring Tracey Ullman, Vincent D'Onofrio and Lili Taylor. It is based on the novel by Francine Prose and directed by Nancy Savoca. The film explores the lives of three generations of Italian-American women over the course of the latter half of the 20th century. The film's executive producer is Jonathan Demme, a long-time friend of Savoca's, and her first real employer in the world of film. In 2023, the film received a 4K restoration from Milestone Films, who later gave the film a theatrical release.

<i>Sleep with Me</i> 1994 American film

Sleep with Me is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Rory Kelly and starring Meg Tilly, Eric Stoltz and Craig Sheffer, who play good friends that become involved in a love triangle, a relationship complicated by the marriage of Tilly's and Stoltz's characters.

<i>True Love</i> (1989 film) 1989 American comedy film directed by Nancy Savoca

True Love is a 1989 American comedy film directed by Nancy Savoca and starring Annabella Sciorra and Ron Eldard. An unflinching look at the realities of love and marriage which offers no "happily ever after" ending, it won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1989 Sundance Film Festival.

<i>Camilla</i> (1994 film) 1994 Canadian-British film by Deepa Mehta

Camilla is a 1994 comedy drama film directed by Deepa Mehta. It was Jessica Tandy's penultimate film appearance and is dedicated to her memory. Tandy plays the title character, Camilla Cara, a former concert violinist. Bridget Fonda plays the role of Freda Lopez, an unfulfilled musician and composer.

Neal Jimenez was an American screenwriter and film director, best known for the 1986 film River's Edge. He was a member of the dramatic jury at the Sundance Film Festival in 1994. He won Independent Spirit Awards for Best First Feature and Best Screenplay for The Waterdance.

<i>Sembene!</i> 2015 film

Sembene! is a 2015 documentary film focusing on the life of Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène, who is considered to be the father of African cinema. It is co-directed by Samba Gadjigo and Jason Silverman. The film's world premiere took place at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2015. It also played at the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival.

<i>Tommaso</i> (2019 film) 2019 film by Abel Ferrara

Tommaso is a 2019 internationally co-produced drama film, written and directed by Abel Ferrara. It stars Willem Dafoe. The film had its world premiere at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival on 20 May 2019. It was released in the United States on 5 June 2020 by Kino Lorber.

Murina is a 2021 internationally co-produced drama film, directed by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, in her feature directorial debut, from a screenplay by Alamat Kusijanović and Frank Graziano. It stars Gracija Filipović, Leon Lučev, Danica Curcic, and Cliff Curtis. Martin Scorsese served as an executive producer under his Sikelia Productions banner.

<i>Neptune Frost</i> 2021 American-Rwandan film

Neptune Frost is a 2021 science fiction romantic musical co-directed by Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman and starring Cheryl Isheja, Elvis Ngabo and Kaya Free. Set in a post-civil war Rwanda spanning past, future, and present times, the film follows the relationship between an intersex hacker and a coltan miner. Ezra Miller is a producer and Lin-Manuel Miranda an executive producer.

References

  1. ↑ "Bodies, Rest and Motion (1993) - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Bodies, Rest & Motion". Kino Lorber. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Festival de Cannes: Bodies, Rest & Motion". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
  4. 1 2 "Bodies, Rest and Motion". Lucille Lortel Foundation. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  5. ↑ Rich, Frank (December 15, 1986). "Stage: Bodies, Rest and Motion". The New York Times. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  6. ↑ Maslin, Janet (April 9, 1993). "Inertia, But Crisply". The New York Times. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: Bodies, Rest & Motion". People. April 26, 1993. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  8. ↑ Ebert, Roger (April 23, 1993). "Bodies, Rest And Motion". RogerEbert.com. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Bodies, Rest & Motion". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  10. ↑ Christiansen, Richard (March 1, 1994). "Slam-Bang Action". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  11. ↑ McGowan, Chris (November 6, 1993). "Letterbox Format's Popularity Widens" (PDF). Billboard . p. 73. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
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.