Marvin's Room is a 1996 American drama film directed by Jerry Zaks. The script was written by John Guare and based on the 1990 play Marvin's Room by Scott McPherson, who died in 1992. McPherson had completed a screenplay for a film version before he died; however, Guare was hired to update it when the film eventually started production.[3][4]
Marvin, a man who had a stroke 20 years ago, is left incapacitated and bedridden. He has been given care 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 not since contacted her family.
Bessie's doctor has informed her that she has leukemia (the same disease from which her and Lee's mother died in their youth) and needs a bone marrow transplant, so she turns to her sister for help. Lee, in turn, turns to her 10-year-old son Charlie and 17-year-old son Hank, the latter of whom has been in a mental institution for setting fire to his mother's house. However, the rebellious Hank says that he will not submit to the test to find a bone-marrow match.
Nevertheless, they all travel to stay with Bessie. When Lee learns that she may have to take over her father's care, she begins shopping for nursing homes, fearing that she will have to uproot her life. Eventually, however, the estranged family grows closer, and Hank agrees to get tested.
As Bessie seems to get progressively worse, and testing reveals that 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. She familiarizes herself with her father's medications and walks into his room with his lunch to see Bessie flashing sunlight off the mirror that often makes Marvin smile.
This article is missing information about the film's production. Please expand the article to include this information. Further details may exist on the talk page.(May 2025)
Release and reception
The film had a limited U.S. theatrical release on December 18, 1996, followed by a wide U.S. theatrical release beginning in January 1997.[5] In Australia, the film was released theatrically during May 1997,[6] while in the United Kingdom, it was released on June 20, 1997.[7] In February 1997, it screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, before receiving a German theatrical release in June 1997.[8] It also screened at the Moscow International Film Festival in July 1997, where it won the Golden St. George award.[9]
It grossed $12.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $30 million worldwide.[1][2]
Critical response
Marvin's Room holds an 84% approval rating on review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, based on 49 reviews, with 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."[10]Metacritic gave the film a score of 68 out of 100, based on 20 critical reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[11]
In the United States, Miramax Home Entertainment first released the film on VHS on June 10, 1997, with this being followed by a LaserDisc release on June 18, 1997. The film also received a LaserDisc release in Japan on July 31, 1997, and a LaserDisc release in Hong Kong in August 1997.[19] A U.S. DVD release followed on February 9, 1999.[20]
In 2010, Miramax was sold by The Walt Disney Company (their owners since 1993), with the studio being taken over by private equity firm Filmyard Holdings that same year.[21] Filmyard sublicensed the home media rights for several Miramax titles to Echo Bridge Entertainment. On January 27, 2013, Echo Bridge released the film on Blu-ray.[22]Marvin's Room was one of the more notable Miramax titles that Filmyard licensed to Echo Bridge, with Filmyard licensing most of Miramax's high profile titles to Lionsgate Home Entertainment.[23]
Filmyard Holdings sold Miramax to Qatari company beIN Media Group during March 2016.[24] In April 2020, ViacomCBS (now known as Paramount Skydance) acquired the rights to Miramax's library, after buying a 49% stake in the studio from beIN.[25]Marvin's Room is among the 700 titles Paramount acquired in the deal.[26][27]
Paramount Home Entertainment reissued the film on Blu-ray on July 27, 2021, with this being one of many Miramax titles that they reissued around this time.[28] Paramount also made it available on their subscription streaming service Paramount+, as well as on their free streaming service Pluto TV.[29]
Further reading
Marvin's RoomScreen Adaptation: A Scriptwriting Handbook, by Kenneth Portnoy. Published by Focal Press, 1998. ISBN0-240-80349-3.
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