Passed Away (film)

Last updated
Passed Away
Passed Away FilmPoster.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCharlie Peters
Written byCharlie Peters
Produced by Larry Brezner
Timothy Marx
Starring
Cinematography Arthur Albert
Edited by Harry Keramidas
Music by Richard Gibbs
Production
company
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date
  • April 24, 1992 (1992-04-24)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$4 million

Passed Away is a 1992 American ensemble comedy film directed and written by Charlie Peters.

Contents

Plot

Jack Scanlan is a union leader who returns to work after having a heart attack. His son Frank arranges a welcome back surprise party for Jack, which unfortunately does more than surprise him, as he has another heart attack and dies, because he was actually prone to panic attacks brought on by stress or excitement such as being startled (by things such as people yelling out the word "surprise"), which is apparently what caused his first heart attack. The members of his large, dysfunctional family are brought together and find themselves dealing with all of their emotional baggage.

Everybody's assorted issues are brought to light. The relatives include his children: eldest son Johnny, a tree surgeon who wants more adventure in his life; his brother Frank, a labor leader who wants to live up to his father's expectations; their sister Terry, a dancer; her ex-husband Boyd; an embalmer Peter, who is in love with Terry; and a younger sister Nora, who is a nun based in Latin America.

There are unfamiliar faces too, like a woman named Cassie who turns up at the funeral and may or may not have been their late father's mistress. It is a chance for everyone to get acquainted or reacquainted, and it's all in the family.

Cast

Reception

The movie received mixed reviews. [1] [2] [3] According to the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 10% of 10 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 4.4/10. [4] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale. [5]

Box office

The film's first weekend generated $700,000. [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>On the Waterfront</i> 1954 film by Elia Kazan

On the Waterfront is a 1954 American crime drama film, directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando, and features Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning and Eva Marie Saint in her film debut. The musical score was composed by Leonard Bernstein. The black-and-white film was inspired by "Crime on the Waterfront" by Malcolm Johnson, a series of articles published in November–December 1948 in the New York Sun which won the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting, but the screenplay by Budd Schulberg is directly based on his own original story. The film focuses on union violence and corruption among longshoremen, while detailing widespread corruption, extortion, and racketeering on the waterfronts of Hoboken, New Jersey.

<i>Cheaper by the Dozen</i> (2003 film) 2003 film by Shawn Levy

Cheaper by the Dozen is a 2003 American family comedy film directed by Shawn Levy. It is a remake of the 1950 film of the same name. Both films were inspired by the semi-autobiographical book Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and his sister Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. It stars Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Hilary Duff, Tom Welling, and Piper Perabo with supporting roles by Kevin G. Schmidt, Alyson Stoner, Jacob Smith, Forrest Landis, Liliana Mumy, Morgan York, Blake Woodruff, Brent and Shane Kinsman, Paula Marshall, and Alan Ruck. Outside of a passing mention of the Gilbreth name, the film has little connection with the original source material.

<i>Frequency</i> (2000 film) 2000 film by Gregory Hoblit

Frequency is a 2000 American science fiction thriller film starring Dennis Quaid, Jim Caviezel, Andre Braugher, Elizabeth Mitchell, Shawn Doyle, Melissa Errico, and Noah Emmerich.

<i>Whats Eating Gilbert Grape</i> 1993 American film

What's Eating Gilbert Grape is a 1993 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Lasse Hallström, and starring Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Juliette Lewis and Darlene Cates. The film follows the story of Gilbert, a 25-year-old grocery store clerk who is caring for his morbidly obese mother, as well as his autistic younger brother, Arnie. The film takes place in the fictional rural town of Endora, Iowa.

<i>The Wedding Date</i> 2005 romantic comedy directed by Clare Kilner

The Wedding Date is a 2005 American romantic comedy film directed by Clare Kilner and starring Debra Messing, Dermot Mulroney, and Amy Adams. Based on the 2002 novel Asking for Trouble by Elizabeth Young, the film is about a single woman who hires a male escort to pose as her boyfriend at her sister's wedding in order to dupe her ex-fiancé, who dumped her a few years prior. The film was released on February 4, 2005 and grossed $47 million.

<i>The Family Stone</i> 2005 American dramedy film

The Family Stone is a 2005 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Thomas Bezucha. Produced by Michael London and distributed by 20th Century Fox, it stars an ensemble cast, including Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson, Dermot Mulroney, Sarah Jessica Parker, Luke Wilson, Claire Danes, Rachel McAdams, and Tyrone Giordano.

<i>The Magdalene Sisters</i> 2002 British-Irish film by Peter Mullan

The Magdalene Sisters is a 2002 drama film written and directed by Peter Mullan, about three teenage girls who were sent to Magdalene asylums, homes for women who were labelled as "fallen" by their families or society. The homes were maintained by individual religious orders, usually by the Catholic Church.

<i>Johnny Dangerously</i> 1984 film by Amy Heckerling

Johnny Dangerously is a 1984 American crime comedy film, and a parody of 1930s crime/gangster movies. It was directed by Amy Heckerling.

<i>The Bedroom Window</i> (1987 film) 1987 film by Curtis Hanson

The Bedroom Window is a 1987 American neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by Curtis Hanson. It stars Steve Guttenberg, Elizabeth McGovern and Isabelle Huppert, and was shot in Baltimore in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood. Based on a novel The Witnesses, by Anne Holden, it tells the story of a young executive who starts an affair with the wife of his boss which then escalates into nightmare after he lies to the police in order to protect her.

<i>Highway</i> (2002 film) 2002 American film

Highway is a 2002 American independent drama film written by Scott Rosenberg and directed by James Cox. It stars Jared Leto, Jake Gyllenhaal and Selma Blair.

<i>The Amati Girls</i> 2001 film by Anne De Salvo

The Amati Girls is a 2001 American drama film written and directed by Anne De Salvo. It stars Cloris Leachman, Mercedes Ruehl, Dinah Manoff, Sean Young, Lily Knight, Lee Grant, and Edith Fields.

<i>The Kiss</i> (1988 film) 1988 Canadian film by Pen Densham

The Kiss is a 1988 supernatural horror film directed by Pen Densham and starring Joanna Pacula and Meredith Salenger. The plot follows two young women who find themselves haunted by an ancient parasitic curse that was passed on to one of them by a kiss.

<i>Dance Flick</i> 2009 American film

Dance Flick is a 2009 American musical comedy film directed by Damien Dante Wayans in his directorial debut and written by and starring many members of the Wayans family. The film was set for release in the United States on February 6, 2009, and changed to May 22, 2009.

<i>Bad Karma</i> (2002 film) 2001 American film

Bad Karma is a 2001 film directed by John Hough. Patsy Kensit stars as a mental patient who believes she is the reincarnated lover of Jack the Ripper, and that her psychiatrist is the reincarnated mass murderer. Damian Chapa and Amy Locane are also in the film, which is adapted by Randall Frakes from the 1997 Douglas Clegg novel of the same name.

<i>Brighton Beach Memoirs</i> (film) 1986 film by Gene Saks

Brighton Beach Memoirs is a 1986 American comedy film directed by Gene Saks, written by Neil Simon, and starring Jonathan Silverman and Blythe Danner. The film is adapted from Simon's semi-autobiographical 1982 play of the same title, the first chapter of what is known as the Eugene trilogy, followed by the adaptations Biloxi Blues and Broadway Bound.

<i>Safe</i> (TV series) British television drama series

Safe is a British television drama series created by crime author Harlan Coben and written primarily by screenwriter Danny Brocklehurst. Set in England, the series is a production by Canal+, with C8 airing the show in France, and Netflix streaming the show internationally outside France. The series began filming in Manchester, Liverpool, and Cheshire in July 2017. It consists of eight episodes that premiered in 190 countries on 10 May 2018.

<i>In the Cloud</i> 2018 American science fiction film

In the Cloud is a 2018 American sci-fi thriller film directed by Robert Scott Wildes and written by Vanya Asher, starring Justin Chatwin, Adetomiwa Edun, Nora Arnezeder and Gabriel Byrne. The film is an original production by Crackle.

<i>Daniel Isnt Real</i> 2019 film directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer

Daniel Isn't Real is a 2019 American psychological horror film directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer, from a screenplay by Mortimer and Brian DeLeeuw, based upon the novel In This Way I Was Saved by DeLeeuw. It stars Miles Robbins, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sasha Lane, Mary Stuart Masterson, Hannah Marks, Chukwudi Iwuji and Peter McRobbie.

<i>Upload</i> (TV series) American science fiction comedy-drama television series

Upload is an American science fiction comedy-drama television series created by Greg Daniels. The series premiered on May 1, 2020, on Amazon Prime Video and was renewed for a second season. The second season premiered on March 11, 2022; it had seven episodes, three fewer than the first. In May 2022, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on October 20, 2023 and consists of eight episodes. In March 2024, the series was renewed for a fourth and final season.

<i>Endings, Beginnings</i> 2019 romantic drama film by Drake Doremus

Endings, Beginnings is a 2019 romantic drama film, directed by Drake Doremus, from a screenplay he wrote alongside Jardine Libaire. The film is semi-improvised and loosely based on the screenplay. It stars Shailene Woodley, Jamie Dornan, Sebastian Stan and Matthew Gray Gubler.

References

  1. Maslin, Janet (24 April 1992). "Review/Film; Carefree Look at Death Reveals Family Conflicts". New York Times . Retrieved 2012-06-09.
  2. "Passed Away". Chicago Sun Times . Retrieved 2012-06-09.
  3. Thomas, Kevin. MOVIE REVIEW : 'Passed Away' a Wise, Wry Look at Life". Los Angeles Times. April 24, 1992.
  4. Passed Away, Rotten Tomatoes, archived from the original on 2022-09-09, retrieved 2022-04-24
  5. "Home". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on 2018-01-02. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  6. "Nationwide Box Office Plunges : Receipts: Movie industry sources say that grosses were down about 37%, partly due to civil unrest in the L.A. area". Los Angeles Times . 1992-05-05. Archived from the original on 2014-01-04. Retrieved 2012-06-09.