Red Roses and Petrol

Last updated
Red Roses and Petrol
Red roses and petrol.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Tamar Simon Hoffs
Written by Tamar Simon Hoffs
Joseph O'Connor (play)
Produced byGeorganne Aldrich Heller
Tamar Simon Hoffs
Alfred Sapse
Gail Stayden
Starring Malcolm McDowell
Max Beesley
Susan Lynch
Cinematography Nancy Schreiber
Edited byDaithí Keane
Music bySeth Podowitz
Flogging Molly
Susanna Hoffs
Distributed by World Wide Motion Pictures Corp.
Release date
  • 2003 (2003)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Red Roses and Petrol is a 2003 drama film based on the stage play of the same name by Joseph O'Connor. The film was directed by Tamar Simon Hoffs, and stars Malcolm McDowell and Max Beesley. [1] It was released, on DVD, in 2008.

Contents

Plot

Amid a haze of cigarette smoke and uneaten food, the family of Enda Doyle (Malcolm McDowell) gathers in Dublin for his wake. A university librarian, poet, and complicated man, he has left behind a trail of unresolved issues, a dysfunctional family, and a disturbing mystery. Red Roses and Petrol, a darkly comic feature film by director Tamar Simon Hoffs, explores the emotional twists and turns of familial relationships.

Enda's dazed widow, Moya (Olivia Tracey), anxiously prepares for the next day's funeral with her still stuck-at-home, twenty-something daughter Medbh (Maeve) (Heather Juergensen), lending a loving hand. Moya's desperation to keep her family together and Medbh's sharp tongue provide the backdrop for the arrival from New York of headstrong older sister Catherine (Susan Lynch), with her handsome but awkward boyfriend Tom (Greg Ellis) in tow. They doubt that London-based Johnny (Max Beesley), the angry black sheep brother of the family, will appear at all. Sorting through boxes of Enda's books, the women discover a cache of self-recorded video diaries that might shed light on who Enda Doyle really was, and some of the secrets of his life that he was never able to share with them.

At the funeral, the daughters see a distraught young woman from the university, Helen (Catherine Farrell), rumored to be having an affair with Enda. They're stunned that she would show up so brazenly at a family gathering for the deceased Enda. Returning home, they find Johnny emerging half-naked from the shower, after a quick tryst with a stewardess he met on his flight from London. A brilliant, wounded slacker, Johnny manages to irritate everyone to the edge of violence with his biting and sarcastic recall of the family's long buried memories. Johnny's confrontational behavior and bitter assessment of life with father, incite the clan into what can only be called unchecked family therapy.

Throughout the ensuing arguments, which reach a fevered pitch as the family gets inebriated waiting for guests to arrive for the wake, we learn about the powerful and ambiguous force that was Enda Doyle. Finally, Catherine cannot contain herself and accuses Moya of being blind to her husband's infidelity and by extension causing great harm to herself and her children. In a surprising twist, Enda's own videotapes give the family the answers they returned home to find.

Cast

Awards

The film won first prize at the Avignon Film Festival, was runner up at the Westwood Film Festival, and received recognition at the Deauville Film Festival, AFI Fest, the Boston Irish Film Festival, the Newport Beach Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival circuit, and the Palm Springs Film Festival.

Soundtrack

Songs for the film are by Flogging Molly and the director's daughter Susanna Hoffs, with original music by Seth Podowitz.

As listed in the movie credits (not necessarily on the soundtrack):

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Steenburgen</span> American actress (born 1953)

Mary Nell Steenburgen is an American actress, comedian, singer, and songwriter. After studying at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse in the 1970s, she made her professional acting debut in the 1978 Western comedy film Goin' South. Steenburgen went on to earn critical acclaim for her role in 1979 Time After Time and Jonathan Demme's 1980 comedy-drama film Melvin and Howard, for which she received the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malcolm McDowell</span> British actor (born 1943)

Malcolm McDowell is an English actor. He is known for portraying Alex DeLarge in A Clockwork Orange (1971) and the title character in the "Mick Travis trilogy" (1968–1982). McDowell is the recipient of an Evening Standard British Film Award, alongside nominations for Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susanna Hoffs</span> American musician

Susanna Hoffs is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, author, and actress. Hoffs, Debbi Peterson, and Vicki Peterson founded the Bangles in 1981. They released their first album All Over the Place on Columbia Records in 1984. The group's third album, Everything (1988), included the US top-ten hit In Your Room and number one Eternal Flame, both written by Hoffs with Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. Following tensions in the band that included resentment at Hoffs being perceived as the band's leader, the group split in 1989. The Bangles re-formed in 1999 and released albums in 2003 and 2011.

<i>The Ballad of Jack and Rose</i> 2005 drama film by Rebecca Miller

The Ballad of Jack and Rose is a 2005 drama film written and directed by Rebecca Miller, and starring her husband Daniel Day-Lewis; it also stars Camilla Belle, Catherine Keener, Paul Dano, Ryan McDonald, Jason Lee, Jena Malone, Susanna Thompson and Beau Bridges. The film tells the story of an environmentalist and his teenage daughter who live on a secluded island commune. It was filmed in Rock Barra, Prince Edward Island, and in New Milford, Connecticut.

<i>The Allnighter</i> (film) 1987 film by Tamar Simon Hoffs

The Allnighter is a 1987 American comedy film directed by Tamar Simon Hoffs and starring Susanna Hoffs, Dedee Pfeiffer, Joan Cusack and Pam Grier. It was released on May 1, 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fionnula Flanagan</span> Irish actress (b. 1941)

Fionnghuala Manon "Fionnula" Flanagan is an Irish stage, television, and film actress. Flanagan is known for her roles in the films James Joyce's Women (1985), Some Mother's Son (1996), Waking Ned (1998), The Others (2001), Four Brothers (2005), Yes Man (2008), The Guard (2011) and Song of the Sea (2014). She is also known for her recurring role as Eloise Hawking in the series Lost (2007–2010). Notable stage productions she has performed in include Ulysses in Nighttown and The Ferryman, both of which earned her Tony Award nominations for Best Featured Actress in a Play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Beesley</span> British actor and musician

Maxton Gig Beesley Jr. is an English actor and musician. His television and film credits include The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (1997), The Match (1999), Hotel (2001), Bodies (2004-2006), The Last Enemy (2008), Survivors (2008–2010), Mad Dogs (2011-2013), Suits (2013), Empire (2015-2016), Ordinary Lies (2015), Jamestown (2017-2019), The Outsider (2020), Operation Fortune (2022), The Midwich Cuckoos (2022), and most recently Hijack (2023) for Apple TV.

<i>Penelope</i> (2006 film) 2006 British film

Penelope is a 2006 British-American fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Mark Palansky and starring Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Catherine O'Hara, Peter Dinklage, Richard E. Grant, and Reese Witherspoon. The film tells the story of an ugly young heiress named Penelope Wilhern, who had been born with the snout of a pig due to a curse that was placed on her family by a vengeful witch, believing the only way to break the curse was to find someone who truly loved her.

Shiva Rose Afshar is an American actress, activist, blogger, and owner of a natural beauty-product line. She is the former wife of actor Dylan McDermott.

Heather Julia Juergensen is an American actress and writer.

<i>Shadrach</i> (film) 1998 American film

Shadrach is a 1998 American film directed by Susanna Styron, based on a short story by her father William Styron, about a former slave's struggle to be buried where he chooses.

<i>So Red the Rose</i> (film) 1935 film by King Vidor

So Red the Rose is a 1935 American drama film directed by King Vidor and starring Margaret Sullavan, Walter Connolly, and Randolph Scott. The Civil War-era romance is based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Stark Young.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamar Simon Hoffs</span> American filmmaker (born 1934)

Tamar Simon Hoffs is an American filmmaker, best known for directing the indie films Red Roses and Petrol (2003) and Pound of Flesh (2009), both starring Malcolm McDowell.

<i>Desperate Measures</i> (musical) U.S. musical comedy

Desperate Measures is an American musical comedy with music by David Friedman and book and lyrics by Peter Kellogg. The show won acclaim with Drama Desk Awards for Best Music and Best Lyrics, and Outer Critics Circle and Off-Broadway Alliance Awards for Best Musical from its run at the York Theatre in New York City in 2017.

<i>Between Strangers</i> 2002 Canadian film

Between Strangers is a 2002 film written and directed by Edoardo Ponti. It stars an ensemble cast including Sophia Loren, Mira Sorvino, Deborah Kara Unger, Pete Postlethwaite, Klaus Maria Brandauer, and Malcolm McDowell. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival and received a limited release on October 4, 2002.

<i>Excision</i> (film) 2012 horror film

Excision is a 2012 American psychological horror film written and directed by Richard Bates, Jr., and starring AnnaLynne McCord, Traci Lords, Ariel Winter, Roger Bart, Jeremy Sumpter, Malcolm McDowell, Matthew Gray Gubler, Marlee Matlin, Ray Wise, and John Waters. The film is a feature-length adaptation of the 2008 short film of the same name. Excision premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Excision played in the category of Park City at Midnight.

<i>Home Alone: The Holiday Heist</i> 2012 film by Peter Hewitt

Home Alone: The Holiday Heist is a 2012 American made-for-television Christmas comedy film directed by Peter Hewitt. It is the fifth installment in the Home Alone franchise. It stars Christian Martyn, Jodelle Ferland, Malcolm McDowell, Debi Mazar, and Eddie Steeples. The film premiered on ABC Family on November 25, 2012, during the network's annual Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas programming block. It is the second film, after Home Alone 3, not to focus on the McCallister family, although there are numerous homages to the previous films. Home Alone: The Holiday Heist received mainly negative reviews, although it fared better than the fourth film.

<i>Indignation</i> (film) 2016 American film

Indignation is a 2016 American drama film written, produced, and directed by James Schamus. The film, based on the 2008 novel of the same name by Philip Roth, is set mostly in Ohio in the early 1950s, and stars Logan Lerman, Sarah Gadon, Tracy Letts, Linda Emond, and Danny Burstein.

<i>American Satan</i> 2017 American supernatural musical thriller film

American Satan is a 2017 American supernatural musical thriller film directed by Ash Avildsen, who also wrote the screenplay with Matty Beckerman. It was released in theaters on Friday October 13, 2017 and stars Andy Biersack, Ben Bruce, Drake Bell, Denise Richards, Malcolm McDowell, Booboo Stewart, and Tori Black. The film marked Larry King's final film role before his death in January 2021. It won an award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2017 Oceanside International Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Paxton-Beesley</span> Canadian actress

Alex Paxton-Beesley is a Canadian actress. She is noted for her acting roles in several TV series, including Copper, The Strain, Wynonna Earp, Cardinal and Pure.

References

  1. Catsoulis, Jeannette (June 27, 2008), "One Gloomy Family", The New York Times, retrieved 2013-03-08.