What Happened Was

Last updated
What Happened Was...
What Happened Was.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Tom Noonan
Screenplay byTom Noonan
Based onWhat Happened Was...
by Tom Noonan
Produced byScott Macaulay
Robin O'Hara
Starring Karen Sillas
Tom Noonan
CinematographyJoe DeSalvo
Edited by Richmond Arrley
Music by Ludovico Sorret
Production
companies
Distributed by The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release dates
26 January 1994 (Sundance)
9 September 1994 (US)
Running time
91 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

What Happened Was... is a 1994 American independent film written for the screen, directed by and starring Tom Noonan. [2] It is an adaptation of Noonan's original stage play of the same name. [3]

Contents

Premise

The film depicts two people, played by Karen Sillas and Tom Noonan, on a first date; their conversation gradually reveals their lonely lives and hidden personalities. [4] [5]

Reception

What Happened Was... has an overall approval rating of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. [6]

On the Siskel & Ebert show, Gene Siskel gave the film a thumbs up, stating that "For what is really just one long night of conversation, the stakes and the tension couldn't be any higher if these were two characters having a more conventional action scene." Roger Ebert, however, gave the film a thumbs down, calling it "Contrived" and stating that "There is a lot less here than meets the eye." [7] The film is a favourite of filmmaker Charlie Kaufman. [8]

Year-end lists

Accolades

It won the Grand Jury Prize and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. [15] Noonan was nominated for Best First Screenplay and Karen Sillas for Best Female Lead at the 10th Independent Spirit Awards.

Related Research Articles

<i>Four Weddings and a Funeral</i> 1994 film by Mike Newell

Four Weddings and a Funeral is a 1994 British romantic comedy film directed by Mike Newell. It is the first of several films by screenwriter Richard Curtis to feature Hugh Grant, and follows the adventures of Charles (Grant) and his circle of friends through a number of social occasions as they each encounter romance. Andie MacDowell stars as Charles's love interest Carrie, with Kristin Scott Thomas, James Fleet, Simon Callow, John Hannah, Charlotte Coleman, David Bower, Corin Redgrave, and Rowan Atkinson in supporting roles.

<i>Natural Born Killers</i> 1994 crime film by Oliver Stone

Natural Born Killers is a 1994 American crime film directed by Oliver Stone and starring Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., Tommy Lee Jones, and Tom Sizemore. The film tells the story of two victims of traumatic childhoods who become lovers and mass murderers, and are irresponsibly glorified by the mass media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Ebert</span> American film critic and author (1942–2013)

Roger Joseph Ebert was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert became the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Neil Steinberg of the Chicago Sun-Times said Ebert "was without question the nation's most prominent and influential film critic," and Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times called him "the best-known film critic in America."

<i>On Deadly Ground</i> 1994 film

On Deadly Ground is a 1994 American environmental action adventure film directed, co-produced by, and starring Steven Seagal, and co-starring Michael Caine, Joan Chen, John C. McGinley and R. Lee Ermey. It is Seagal's only directorial effort and features a minor appearance by Billy Bob Thornton in one of his early roles. Seagal plays Forrest Taft, an expert firefighter who chooses to fight back against the environmental destruction caused by his ruthless former employer (Caine).

<i>Quiz Show</i> (film) 1994 film by Robert Redford

Quiz Show is a 1994 American historical mystery-drama film directed and produced by Robert Redford. Dramatizing the Twenty-One quiz show scandals of the 1950s, the screenplay by Paul Attanasio adapts the memoirs of Richard N. Goodwin, a U.S. Congressional lawyer who investigated the accusations of game-fixing by show producers. The film chronicles the rise and fall of popular contestant Charles Van Doren after the fixed loss of Herb Stempel and Goodwin's subsequent probe.

<i>Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould</i> 1993 Canadian film

Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould is a 1993 Canadian biographical anthology film about the pianist Glenn Gould, played by Colm Feore. It was directed by François Girard, with a screenplay by Girard and Don McKellar.

<i>Wes Cravens New Nightmare</i> 1994 American meta slasher film by Wes Craven

Wes Craven's New Nightmare is a 1994 American meta slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven, creator of 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street. A standalone film and the seventh installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, it is not part of the same continuity as previous films, instead portraying Freddy Krueger as a fictional movie villain who invades the real world and haunts the cast and crew involved in the making of the films about him. In the film, Freddy is depicted as closer to what Craven originally intended, being much more menacing and less comical, with an updated attire and appearance.

<i>Hoop Dreams</i> 1994 American film

Hoop Dreams is a 1994 American documentary film directed by Steve James, and produced by Frederick Marx, James, and Peter Gilbert, with Kartemquin Films. It follows the story of two African-American high school students, William Gates and Arthur Agee, in Chicago and their dream of becoming professional basketball players.

<i>Wolf</i> (1994 film) 1994 American romantic horror film by Mike Nichols

Wolf is a 1994 American romantic horror film directed by Mike Nichols and starring Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader, Kate Nelligan, Richard Jenkins, Christopher Plummer, Eileen Atkins, David Hyde Pierce, and Om Puri. It was written by Jim Harrison and Wesley Strick, and an uncredited Elaine May. The music was composed by Ennio Morricone and the cinematography was done by Giuseppe Rotunno.

Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, collectively known as Siskel & Ebert, were American film critics known for their partnership on television lasting from 1975 to Siskel's death in 1999.

<i>Little Women</i> (1994 film) 1994 film by Gillian Armstrong

Little Women is a 1994 American coming-of-age historical drama film directed by Gillian Armstrong. The screenplay by Robin Swicord is based on Louisa May Alcott's 1868–69 two-volume novel of the same title, the fifth feature film adaptation of the classic story. After a limited release on December 25, 1994, the film was released nationwide four days later by Columbia Pictures.

<i>Bitter Moon</i> 1992 film

Bitter Moon is a 1992 erotic romantic thriller film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Peter Coyote, Emmanuelle Seigner, Hugh Grant and Kristin Scott Thomas. The film's French title is Lunes de fiel. It is based on the novel Lunes de fiel by the French author Pascal Bruckner, published in English as Evil Angels. The score was composed by Vangelis.

<i>Fear of a Black Hat</i> 1994 film directed by Rusty Cundieff

Fear of a Black Hat is a 1993 American mockumentary film on the evolution and state of American hip hop music. Written, produced and directed by Rusty Cundieff in his directorial debut, the film stars Cundieff, Larry B. Scott and Mark Christopher Lawrence.

<i>Bullets Over Broadway</i> 1994 film by Woody Allen

Bullets Over Broadway is a 1994 American black comedy crime film directed by Woody Allen, written by Allen and Douglas McGrath and starring an ensemble cast including John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Chazz Palminteri, and Jennifer Tilly.

<i>Vanya on 42nd Street</i> 1994 film

Vanya on 42nd Street is a 1994 American film directed by Louis Malle, written by Andre Gregory, and starring Wallace Shawn and Julianne Moore. The film is an intimate, interpretive performance of the 1899 play Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov as adapted by David Mamet.

<i>Fresh</i> (1994 film) 1994 American crime film directed by Boaz Yakin

Fresh is a 1994 American crime drama film written and directed by Boaz Yakin in his directorial debut, also produced by Randy Ostrow and Lawrence Bender. It was scored by Stewart Copeland, a member of the Police. The story revolves around a preteen boy named Michael, nicknamed Fresh, who runs drugs for gangsters. Inspired by the chess lessons of his father, an alcoholic speed-chess master, Fresh devises and executes a brilliant plan to extricate himself and his drug-addicted sister from their hopeless lives.

<i>The Blue Kite</i> 1993 Chinese film

The Blue Kite is a 1993 drama film directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang. Though banned by the Chinese government upon its completion, the film soon found a receptive international audience. Along with Zhang Yimou's To Live and Chen Kaige's Farewell My Concubine, The Blue Kite serves as one of the quintessential examples of China's Fifth Generation filmmaking, and in particular reveals the impact the various political movements, including Anti-Rightist Movement and Cultural Revolution, had upon directors who grew up in the 1950s and 1960s.

<i>Sundays Children</i> 1992 film

Sunday's Children is a 1992 Swedish drama film directed by Daniel Bergman and written by Ingmar Bergman. At the 28th Guldbagge Awards the film won the award for Best Cinematography and Thommy Berggren was nominated for Best Actor.

<i>Three Colours: Red</i> 1994 French film by Krzysztof Kieślowski

Three Colours: Red is a 1994 romantic mystery film co-written, produced and directed by Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieślowski. It is the final installment of the Three Colours trilogy, which examines the French Revolutionary ideals; it is preceded by Blue and White. Kieślowski had announced that this would be his final film, which proved true with the director's sudden death in 1996. Red is about fraternity, which it examines by showing characters whose lives gradually become closely interconnected, with bonds forming between two characters who appear to have little in common.

References

  1. MUBI
  2. The 10 Most Underrated American Independent Films of The 1990s - Page 2 - Taste of Cinema
  3. Levy, Emanuel (28 January 1994). "What Happened Was". Variety .
  4. Roger Ebert
  5. TCM.com
  6. "Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  7. Quiz Show, Milk Money, A Simple Twist of Fate, A Good Man in Africa, What Happened Was…, 1994-Siskel and Ebert Movie Reviews
  8. ""Anomalisa" Star Reveals E-Mail Trail Sparked Close Bond To Hollywood Great Charlie Kaufman" . Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  9. Anthony, Todd (January 5, 1995). "Hits & Disses". Miami New Times .
  10. Webster, Dan (January 1, 1995). "In Year of Disappointments, Some Movies Still Delivered". The Spokesman-Review (Spokane ed.). p. 2.
  11. Zoller Seitz, Matt (January 12, 1995). "Personal best From a year full of startling and memorable movies, here are our favorites". Dallas Observer .
  12. P. Means, Sean (January 1, 1995). "'Pulp and Circumstance' After the Rise of Quentin Tarantino, Hollywood Would Never Be the Same". The Salt Lake Tribune (Final ed.). p. E1.
  13. Movshovitz, Howie (December 25, 1994). "Memorable Movies of '94 Independents, fringes filled out a lean year". The Denver Post (Rockies ed.). p. E-1.
  14. Simon, Jeff (January 1, 1995). "Movies: Once More, with Feeling". The Buffalo News . Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  15. 'What Happened Was,' 'Freedom on My Mind' Win Top Honors at Sundance Festival
Awards
Preceded by Sundance Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Dramatic
1994
Succeeded by