I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can

Last updated
I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can
I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can poster.jpg
Directed by Jack Hofsiss
Written by David Rabe
Based onthe memoir
by Barbara Gordon
Produced by Scott Rudin
Edgar J. Scherick
Starring Jill Clayburgh
Nicol Williamson
Geraldine Page
Dianne Wiest
Joe Pesci
Daniel Stern
Cinematography Jan de Bont
Edited byMichael Bradsell
Music by Stanley Silverman
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
  • March 5, 1982 (1982-03-05)
Running time
106 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$6 million
Box office$291,390 [1]

I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can is a 1982 American biographical film directed by Jack Hofsiss and starring Jill Clayburgh. The screenplay by David Rabe is based on the memoir of the same title by Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Barbara Gordon, whose addiction to and difficult withdrawal from Valium serves as the basis of the plot.

Contents

Plot

Barbara Gordon appears to have it all, including a successful career in a male-dominated industry and a solid relationship with her live-in lover, attorney Derek Bauer. Beneath her facade is a high-strung personality who heavily relies on sedatives to reduce tension and anxiety and maintain a composed exterior for her friends and associates. Her current project focuses on cancer patient Jean Scott Martin and her husband Ben and how the couple is coping as the disease progresses. Despite reservations expressed by her collaborators, Barbara is determined to end the film on a positive note, showing the Martins embracing on the beach.

When she shows them a rough cut, fatalistic Jean is angered by the false optimism and vehemently voices her objections to Barbara's choices. The response triggers a deep depression in Barbara, who relies on Doctor Kalman, her therapist of many years, and an increased dosage of Valium to see her through the crisis. She finally reaches a turning point when she realizes Kalman's treatment has been ineffective and admits her dependence on drugs is controlling her life. Her effort to quit cold turkey results in a rapid physical, mental, and emotional deterioration fueled by Derek's refusal to let her seek medical help and his alcohol-driven determination to control her completely.

Following a series of physical fights, he imprisons her—bruised, bloodied, and broken—by tying her to a chair. She manages to convince him they had dinner plans with friends Karen and Sam Mulligan, and when he calls them to cancel, her screams for help alert them to her situation. Barbara is institutionalized and begins a long and arduous journey toward recovery with the help of Julie Addison. During this period, she is visited by Jean, who confesses she may have overreacted to Barbara's film and feels a sense of guilt over her breakdown.

Her encouragement inspires Barbara to get well and complete the project. Jean suggests she end the film with an image of Barbara walking on the beach, and she complies with her wishes. Jean dies before seeing the completed work, but a newly confident Barbara is certain she would have approved of it.

Cast

Production

Much of the film was shot on location in New York City. The hospital interiors and exteriors were filmed at Pomona College in Claremont, California.

Some of the original music composed by Stanley Silverman was performed by pianist Paul Jacobs. The soundtrack includes "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan" by Tony Bennett and Count Basie and "Our Love Is Insane" by Desmond Child and Rouge.

Critical response

The film received negative reviews during its release. In her review in The New York Times, Janet Maslin called it

a forceful and involving film. But it's not an especially revealing one. We never quite learn why Barbara Gordon, who is played earnestly and vigorously by Jill Clayburgh, has gotten into trouble. Although the film describes her illness and recovery in harrowing detail, it simply presents the symptoms ... I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can is often quite effective, by nature of the very nightmare that it chronicles. But its power is more bluntly disturbing than provocative or controlled. Geraldine Page particularly exemplifies this, in the role of a poet who is dying of cancer ... the film isn't sure how to use her. It returns to her periodically, as if trying not to be forgetful, rather than in a more dramatic or opportune way. It doesn't wonder why Barbara is more deeply attached to this woman than to anyone else in her life. And it chronicles her illness as much for its upsetting effect as to provide any insight into Barbara. This movie doesn't need any more distress than Barbara's story already provides. [2]

According to Variety: "Crucial inability of a film to get inside a character's head spells big trouble for I'm Dancing As Fast As I Can. Result here is that Jill Clayburgh's constantly center-stage character comes off as the pill-popping dingbat she's called at one point, rather than as a fascinating lady with a major problem ... Only two members of the large supporting cast, Dianne Wiest and Geraldine Page, have any chance to develop their characters, and both do well." [3]

I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can holds a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on six reviews. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>An Unmarried Woman</i> 1978 film by Paul Mazursky

An Unmarried Woman is a 1978 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Mazursky and starring Jill Clayburgh, Alan Bates, Michael Murphy, and Cliff Gorman. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actress (Clayburgh).

<i>Hannah and Her Sisters</i> 1986 film by Woody Allen

Hannah and Her Sisters is a 1986 American comedy-drama film which tells the intertwined stories of an extended family over two years that begins and ends with a family Thanksgiving dinner. The film was written and directed by Woody Allen, who stars along with Mia Farrow as Hannah, Michael Caine as her husband, and Barbara Hershey and Dianne Wiest as her sisters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jill Clayburgh</span> American actress (1944–2010)

Jill Clayburgh was an American actress known for her work in theater, television, and cinema. She received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her breakthrough role in Paul Mazursky's comedy drama An Unmarried Woman (1978). She also received a second consecutive Academy Award nomination for Starting Over (1979) as well as four Golden Globe nominations for her film performances.

<i>The Birdcage</i> 1996 film by Mike Nichols

The Birdcage is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Mike Nichols, adapted by Elaine May, and starring Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, and Dianne Wiest. Dan Futterman, Calista Flockhart, Hank Azaria, and Christine Baranski appear in supporting roles. It is an English-language remake of the 1978 Franco-Italian film La Cage aux Folles, which is itself an adaptation of the play of the same name. The film marked the first screen collaboration of Nichols and May, who had been a comedy duo in the 1950s and 1960s.

<i>Semi-Tough</i> 1977 US sports comedy film by Michael Ritchie

Semi-Tough is a 1977 American sports comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie and starring Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson, Jill Clayburgh, Robert Preston, Lotte Lenya, and Bert Convy. It is set in the world of American professional football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dianne Wiest</span> American actress (born 1948)

Dianne Evelyn Wiest is an American actress. She has won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress for 1986’s Hannah and Her Sisters and 1994’s Bullets over Broadway, one Golden Globe Award for Bullets over Broadway, the 1997 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Road to Avonlea, and the 2008 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for In Treatment. In addition, she was nominated for an Academy Award for 1989’s Parenthood.

<i>The Man in the Moon</i> (1991 film) 1991 film by Robert Mulligan

The Man in the Moon is a 1991 American coming of age drama film. It was the final film directed by Robert Mulligan before his death in 2008, from a screenplay written by Jenny Wingfield. It stars Reese Witherspoon in her film debut, Sam Waterston, Tess Harper, Emily Warfield, and Jason London.

<i>Parenthood</i> (film) 1989 film by Ron Howard

Parenthood is a 1989 American family comedy-drama film with an ensemble cast that includes Steve Martin, Tom Hulce, Rick Moranis, Martha Plimpton, Keanu Reeves, Jason Robards, Mary Steenburgen, and Dianne Wiest.

<i>Last Dance</i> (1996 film) 1996 American film

Last Dance is a 1996 crime drama thriller film directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Sharon Stone, Rob Morrow, Randy Quaid and Peter Gallagher.

<i>The Associate</i> (1996 film) 1996 American film

The Associate is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Donald Petrie and written by Nick Thiel. It stars Whoopi Goldberg, Dianne Wiest, Eli Wallach, Tim Daly, and Bebe Neuwirth, alongside Austin Pendleton and Lainie Kazan.

<i>Dedication</i> (film) 2007 American film

Dedication is a 2007 American comedy-drama film starring Billy Crudup and Mandy Moore. Written by David Bromberg, this film is actor Justin Theroux's directorial debut. The film premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. It was produced by Plum Pictures.

<i>Bright Lights, Big City</i> (film) 1988 American film by James Bridges

Bright Lights, Big City is a 1988 American tragic drama film directed by James Bridges, starring Michael J. Fox, Kiefer Sutherland, Phoebe Cates, Dianne Wiest and Jason Robards, and based on the novel by Jay McInerney, who also wrote the screenplay. It was the last film directed by Bridges, who died in 1993.

<i>Naked in New York</i> 1993 film by Daniel Algrant

Naked in New York is a 1993 American romantic comedy film directed by Daniel Algrant and starring Eric Stoltz, Mary-Louise Parker, Ralph Macchio, Jill Clayburgh, Tony Curtis, Timothy Dalton, and Kathleen Turner, and featuring multiple celebrity cameos, including William Styron listing all of his authored, penned and film work, Whoopi Goldberg as a bas-relief mask, and former New York Dolls singer David Johansen as a talking monkey, which were arranged by executive producer Martin Scorsese.

<i>Cops & Robbersons</i> 1994 film by Michael Ritchie

Cops & Robbersons is a 1994 American crime comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie, starring Chevy Chase, Jack Palance, Dianne Wiest, and Robert Davi.

<i>Shy People</i> 1987 film by Andrei Konchalovsky

Shy People is a 1987 American drama film directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, from a script by Konchalovsky, Marjorie David and Gérard Brach. It stars Barbara Hershey, Jill Clayburgh, and Martha Plimpton, and features music by the German electronic music group Tangerine Dream. The film is about the culture clash that takes place between Diana, a Manhattan writer, her wayward teenage daughter Grace, and their long-distant relatives in the bayous of Louisiana.

<i>First Monday in October</i> (film) 1981 American film based on the play of the same name directed by Ronald Neame

First Monday in October is a 1981 American comedy-drama film from Paramount Pictures, produced by Paul M. Heller and Martha Scott, directed by Ronald Neame, that is based on the 1978 play of the same name by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee. The film stars Walter Matthau and Jill Clayburgh. The cast also co-stars Jan Sterling in her final feature film role.

<i>Gable and Lombard</i> 1976 film by Sidney J. Furie

Gable and Lombard is a 1976 American biographical film directed by Sidney J. Furie. The screenplay by Barry Sandler is based on the romance and consequent marriage of screen stars Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. The original music score was composed by Michel Legrand.

<i>Its My Turn</i> (film) 1980 film by Claudia Weill

It's My Turn is a 1980 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Jill Clayburgh, Michael Douglas, and Charles Grodin.

Barbara Gordon is an American documentary filmmaker and author. After graduating from Barnard College, she worked for almost 20 years in television as a writer and producer. She won two Emmys for her work on the Channel 2 Eye on Series Documentary for WCBS. She also worked on the PBS Emmy Award-winning series The Great American Dream Machine, where she filmed segments on Studs Terkel, Dalton Trumbo, and Jane Fonda. In 1979, Gordon released her autobiography I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can, which follows her addiction to Valium and battle toward recovery. A film adaptation, directed by Jack Hofsiss and starring Jill Clayburgh as Gordon, was released in 1982. Gordon is also the author of the novel Defects of the Heart and the nonfiction book Jennifer Fever.

<i>Never Again</i> (2001 film) 2001 film by Eric Schaeffer

Never Again is a 2001 American comedy film written and directed by Eric Schaeffer. The film stars Jeffrey Tambor, Jill Clayburgh, Caroline Aaron, Bill Duke, Sandy Duncan and Michael McKean. The film was released on July 12, 2002, by USA Films.

References

  1. ↑ I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can at Box Office Mojo
  2. ↑ Maslin, Janet (March 5, 1982). "Jill Clayburgh in 'Fast as I Can'". The New York Times. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  3. ↑ Variety film review; March 3, 1982.
  4. ↑ "I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can". Rotten Tomatoes .
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.