Parallel Lives (film)

Last updated
Parallel Lives
Parallel lives 1994 film tv.jpg
GenreDrama
Mystery
Romance
Thriller
Written byGisela Bernice
Linda Yellen
Directed by Linda Yellen
Starring JoBeth Williams
Liza Minnelli
Gena Rowlands
Music by Patrick Seymour
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerLinda Yellen
Production locationsCalifornia
Utah
Cinematography Paul Cameron
EditorsPaul Morton
Jan Northrop
Running time105 minutes
Production companies Showtime Networks
Sundance Institute
Original release
Network Showtime
ReleaseAugust 14, 1994 (1994-08-14)

Parallel Lives is a 1994 American made-for-television mystery-drama film written, directed and produced by Linda Yellen which returns some actors and similar patterns of Yellen's previous work, Chantilly Lace . [1]

Contents

The film features an all-star cast: James Belushi, James Brolin, LeVar Burton, Lindsay Crouse, Jill Eikenberry, Ben Gazzara, Jack Klugman, Liza Minnelli, Dudley Moore, Gena Rowlands, Ally Sheedy, Helen Slater, Mira Sorvino, Paul Sorvino, Robert Wagner, Patricia Wettig, JoBeth Williams and Treat Williams.

Parallel Lives was broadcast August 14, 1994, on Showtime. [2]

Plot

A college reunion turns into a tangled web of passion, romance and intrigue as old friends and enemies catch up with each other's lives.

Cast

Production

The movie was developed by Yellen with the assistance of the Sundance Institute. [1] As with Chantilly Lace , it uses "guided improvisations" [3] with the actors, after receiving some general character outlines, free to improvise. [1]

Parts of the film were shot in Salt Lake City, Utah, and California. [4]

Reception

The movie received mixed reviews. New York Times critic John Leonard argued: "'Parallel Lives' is injured in its lightness of being by Yellen's added structure. But until it sinks in murky narrative waters, it's a marvel of raw edges and wild wit and surprise cunning, of craft that goes up like a kite to catch some lightning." [2] The Variety critic Ray Loynd wrote: "When the movie works best (...), this is a movie that tends to make The Big Chill look sodden." [1]

On the other hand, Lynne Heffley opened her review for the Los Angeles Times with these words: "From the sublime to the ridiculous... and the ridiculous has the edge in 'Parallel Lives.' [5] Jerry Roberts in his Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors defined the film as "a cattle call at the actors unemployment line" [6] and film critic Lewis Beale in his video review for the New York Daily News claimed that: "Linda Yellen's film wants to be hip, moving and Robert Altmanesque (overlapping dialogue and an improvisational feel), but it's simply tedious and stupid." [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Belushi</span> American comedian, actor and musician (1949–1982)

John Adam Belushi was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was one of seven Saturday Night Live cast members of the first season. Along with Chevy Chase he was arguably the most popular member of the Saturday Night Live ensemble. Belushi had a partnership with Dan Aykroyd. They had first met while at Chicago's The Second City comedy club, remaining together as cast members on the inaugural season of the television show Saturday Night Live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liza Minnelli</span> American actress, singer, and dancer (born 1946)

Liza May Minnelli is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades, and is one of the few performers awarded a non-competitive EGOT. Minnelli is a Knight of the French Legion of Honour and subject of the 2024 documentary, Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacqueline Bisset</span> British actress

Winifred Jacqueline Fraser BissetLdH is a British actress. She began her film career in 1965 and first came to prominence in 1968 with roles in The Detective, Bullitt, and The Sweet Ride, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination as Most Promising Newcomer. In the 1970s, she starred in Airport (1970), The Mephisto Waltz (1971), Day for Night (1973), which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Le Magnifique (1973), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), St. Ives (1976), The Deep (1977), The Greek Tycoon (1978) and Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978), which earned her a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.

<i>Arthur</i> (1981 film) 1981 film by Steve Gordon

Arthur is a 1981 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Steve Gordon. It stars Dudley Moore as Arthur Bach, a drunken New York City millionaire who is on the brink of an arranged marriage to a wealthy heiress but ends up falling for a common working-class young woman from Queens. It was the sole film directed by Gordon, who died in 1982 of a heart attack at age 44.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Cassavetes</span> Greek-American filmmaker and actor (1929–1989)

John Nicholas Cassavetes was a Greek-American filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often self-financing, producing, and distributing his own films. He received nominations for three Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and an Emmy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mira Sorvino</span> American actress (born 1967)

Mira Katherine Sorvino is an American actress. She won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite (1995).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Belushi</span> American actor and comedian (born 1954)

James Adam Belushi is an American actor and comedian. His television roles include Saturday Night Live (1983–1985), According to Jim (2001–2009), and Good Girls Revolt (2015–2016).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Randall</span> American actor (1920–2004)

Anthony Leonard Randall was an American actor. He is best known for portraying the role of Felix Unger in the 1970-75 television adaptation of the 1965 play The Odd Couple by Neil Simon. In a career spanning six decades, Randall received six Golden Globe Award nominations and six Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning one Emmy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Klugman</span> American actor (1922–2012)

Jack Klugman was an American actor of stage, film, and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Gazzara</span> American actor (1930–2012)

Biagio Anthony "Ben" Gazzara was an American actor and director of film, stage, and television. He received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Drama Desk Award, in addition to nominations for three Golden Globe Awards and three Tony Awards.

<i>1941</i> (film) 1979 film by Steven Spielberg

1941 is a 1979 American war comedy film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. The film stars an ensemble cast including Dan Aykroyd, Ned Beatty, John Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Lee, Tim Matheson, Toshiro Mifune, Robert Stack, Nancy Allen, and Mickey Rourke in his film debut. The story involves a panic in the Los Angeles area after the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

<i>Norma Jean & Marilyn</i> 1996 television film directed by Tim Fywell

Norma Jean & Marilyn is a 1996 American biographical drama television film directed by Tim Fywell, based on the 1985 book Goddess, the Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Anthony Summers. The film stars Ashley Judd as Norma Jean Dougherty and Mira Sorvino as Marilyn Monroe. It premiered on HBO on May 18, 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest Thompson</span> American writer, actor, and director (born 1949)

Ernest Thompson is an American writer, actor, and director. He won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for On Golden Pond, an adaptation of his own play of the same name.

<i>Ziegfeld Follies</i> (film) 1945 film

Ziegfeld Follies is a 1945 American musical comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, primarily directed by Vincente Minnelli, with segments directed by Lemuel Ayers, Roy Del Ruth, Robert Lewis, and George Sidney, the film's original director before Minnelli took over. Other directors that are claimed to have made uncredited contributions to the film are Merrill Pye, Norman Taurog, and Charles Walters. It stars many MGM leading talents, including Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball, Lucille Bremer, Fanny Brice, Judy Garland, Kathryn Grayson, Lena Horne, Gene Kelly, James Melton, Victor Moore, William Powell, Red Skelton, and Esther Williams.

<i>Kraft Suspense Theatre</i> American television anthology series

The Kraft Suspense Theatre is an American television anthology series that was produced and broadcast from 1963 to 1965 on NBC. Sponsored by Kraft Foods, it was seen three weeks out of every four and was pre-empted for Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall specials once monthly. Como's production company, Roncom Films, also produced Kraft Suspense Theatre.. Writer, editor, critic, and radio playwright Anthony Boucher served as consultant on the series.

The National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble is an annual film award given by the National Board of Review.

<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>Cry Terror!</i> 1958 American thriller film

Cry Terror! is a 1958 American crime thriller film starring James Mason, Inger Stevens, and Rod Steiger. The story was written and directed by Andrew L. Stone. Neville Brand, Jack Klugman and Angie Dickinson appear in support.

<i>Chantilly Lace</i> (film) 1993 film by Linda Yellen

Chantilly Lace is a 1993 American made-for-television drama film shot in Sundance, Utah, for the Showtime Network and eventually released on video via Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. The film was directed by Linda Yellen and features dialogue that was largely improvised by its ensemble cast. It had its television premiere on Showtime on July 18, 1993.

Tonya & Nancy: The Inside Story is a 1994 American made-for-television biographical satirical-drama film written by Phil Penningroth and directed by Larry Shaw. It stars Alexandra Powers as Tonya Harding and Heather Langenkamp as Nancy Kerrigan and focuses on the 1994 Cobo Arena attack on Kerrigan and the extensive media coverage surrounding the infamous incident. It was released on NBC in April 1994, based on public domain material.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Roy Loynd (11 August 1994). "Parallel Lives". Variety. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  2. 1 2 John Leonard (1 August 1994). "The Unmaking of a President". New York Magazine. p. 55.
  3. ↑ Ken Tucker (12 August 1994). "TV Review: Parallel Lives". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  4. ↑ D'Arc, James V. (2010). When Hollywood came to town: a history of moviemaking in Utah (1st ed.). Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith. ISBN   9781423605874.
  5. ↑ Lynne Heffley (13 August 1994). "TV Review : 'Parallel Lives' Draws Uneven Line Between Fun, Banality". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  6. ↑ Jerry Roberts (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors, Volume 1. Scarecrow Press. p. 636. ISBN   978-0-8108-6138-1.
  7. ↑ Lewis Beale (9 March 1995). "Video Reviews". New York Daily News. Retrieved 17 November 2011.[ dead link ]
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.