| Your Three Minutes Are Up | |
|---|---|
 film poster | |
| Directed by | Douglas Schwartz |
| Written by | James Dixon |
| Produced by | Jerry Gershwin Mark C. Levy |
| Starring | Beau Bridges Ron Leibman Janet Margolin |
| Cinematography | Stephen M. Katz |
| Edited by | Aaron Stell |
| Music by | Perry Botkin Jr. |
| Distributed by | Cinerama Releasing Corporation |
Release date |
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Running time | 93 minutes |
| Language | English |
Your Three Minutes Are Up is a 1973 American road movie starring Beau Bridges and Ron Leibman. [1]
Charlie is a sad sack of a man, working at a depressingly dull office job and stuck in a passionless engagement to a neurotic woman. One of the few bright spots in his life is his friend Mike, who seems to be living a life of carefree bohemianism. When the two end up on a long road trip together, they are forced to re-examine their lives and worldviews. Mike may have independence in some ways, but it has come at a price. Charlie, in turn, may feel trapped, but how much of the trap is of his own making? [1]
The film was based on an original screenplay by actor James Dixon, who would go on to a long collaboration with filmmaker Larry Cohen as both actor and screenwriter. [2] Director Douglas Schwartz would work extensively in television, where he would become best known as the creator of the long-running series Baywatch . [3]
The film was mostly ignored when it came out in August 1973, but reviews were largely positive. Writing in The Washington Post , critic Gary Arnold called it “a surprisingly bright and enjoyable comedy, with serious undertones … The material takes funnier turns and develops more dramatic intensity than one anticipates.” [4] In his Movie Guide , Leonard Maltin wrote that it was an “unpretentious film [that] says more about our society than many more ‘important’ movies.” [5]