A Tiger's Tale

Last updated
A Tiger's Tale
A Tiger's Tale.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed by Peter Douglas
Screenplay byPeter Douglas
Based onLove and Other Natural Disasters by
Allen Hannay III
Produced byDon Goldman
Peter Douglas
Starring Ann-Margret
C. Thomas Howell
Charles Durning
Kelly Preston
Cinematography Tony Pierce-Roberts
Edited byDavid Campling
Music by Lee Holdridge, the Textones
Production
company
Vincent Pictures
Distributed by Atlantic Releasing
Release date
  • 12 February 1988 (1988-02-12)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
Box office$89,000 [1]

A Tiger's Tale is a 1987 American comedy-drama film starring Ann-Margret and C. Thomas Howell, written and directed by Peter Douglas, based on the novel Love and Other Natural Disasters by Allen Hannay III.

Contents

Plot

Bubber Drumm is a Houston high school student. Rose Butts is an alcoholic, more than twice his age, and the mother of his girlfriend, Shirley. Bubber and Rose begin an affair after Bubber fixes Shirley up with his pal, Ransom McKnight.

Bubber and Rose carry on their affair under the nose of her daughter until everything comes out in the open at a drive-in movie theater. To get even with Bubber and Rose for "behaving badly", Shirley pricks a hole in Rose's diaphragm. Shirley goes on to live with her father and Bubber moves in with Rose along with his pet tiger. The diaphragm incident results in Rose getting pregnant with Bubber's baby. The couple must decide whether to keep the baby and continue their May/December romance or part ways.

Throughout the film, they end up in the small town of Fairchilds, Texas, and they go dancing at the Fairchild Hall.

Principal cast

ActorRole
Ann-Margret Rose Butts
C. Thomas Howell Bubber Drumm
Charles Durning Charlie Drumm
Kelly Preston Shirley Butts
Ann Wedgeworth Claudine
William Zabka Randy
James Noble Sinclair
Sean Patrick Flanery Buddy

Music

The non-score music is by the Textones (Carla Olson, Phil Seymour, Joe Read, George Callins, Tom Jr Morgan).

Critical reception

Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 2 out of 4 stars although he did like certain aspects of the film: [2]

Some movies don't seem to know what they're really about, and A Tiger's Tale is one of them... What does work in the film, however, is the unlikely relationship between Howell and Ann-Margret... The movie is top-heavy with plot, and what's good in it gets lost in the confusion.

Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun-Times

Janet Maslin of The New York Times : [3]

A Tiger's Tale, which opens today at Loews 84th Street Six, is most notable for what it doesn't have: a heavy hand. The material has more than enough potential to become painfully silly, and Mr. Douglas's biggest accomplishment is making sure that doesn't happen.

Janet Maslin, The New York Times

Related Research Articles

<i>Being There</i> 1979 American satire film by Hal Ashby

Being There is a 1979 American satirical comedy-drama film starring Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, and Melvyn Douglas. Directed by Hal Ashby, it is based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Jerzy Kosiński, and adapted for the screen by Kosiński and the uncredited Robert C. Jones. Jack Warden, Richard Dysart, and Richard Basehart are featured in support.

<i>The Last Seduction</i> 1994 neo-noir erotic thriller film directed by John Dahl

The Last Seduction is a 1994 American neo-noir erotic thriller film directed by John Dahl, featuring Linda Fiorentino, Peter Berg, and Bill Pullman. The film was produced by ITC Entertainment and distributed by October Films. Fiorentino's performance garnered widespread critical acclaim and generated talk of an Oscar nomination, but she was deemed ineligible because the film was shown on HBO before its theatrical release. October Films and ITC Entertainment sued the Academy, but were unable to make Fiorentino eligible for a nomination.

<i>Married to the Mob</i> 1988 American film directed by Jonathan Demme

Married to the Mob is a 1988 American crime comedy film directed by Jonathan Demme, and starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Modine, Dean Stockwell, Mercedes Ruehl, and Alec Baldwin. Pfeiffer plays Angela de Marco, a gangster's widow from Brooklyn, opposite Modine as the undercover FBI agent assigned the task of investigating her mafia connections.

<i>52 Pick-Up</i> 1986 film

52 Pick-Up is a 1986 American neo-noir crime film directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Roy Scheider, Ann-Margret, and Vanity. It is based on Elmore Leonard's 1974 novel of the same name, and is the second adaptation of it after The Ambassador (1984).

<i>Fraternity Vacation</i> 1985 American sex comedy teen film by James Frawley

Fraternity Vacation is a 1985 American sex comedy teen movie starring Stephen Geoffreys as a nerdy pledge to the Theta Pi Gamma fraternity at Iowa State, with Tim Robbins and Cameron Dye as Theta Pi Gamma frat boys. On spring break in Palm Springs, California, several boys compete for the affections of a sophisticated co-ed, played by Sheree J. Wilson.

<i>Last Dance</i> (1996 film) 1996 American film

Last Dance is a 1996 crime drama thriller film directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Sharon Stone, Rob Morrow, Randy Quaid and Peter Gallagher.

<i>Gridlockd</i> 1997 film by Vondie Curtis-Hall

Gridlock'd is a 1997 American black comedy crime film written and directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall, and starring Tupac Shakur, Tim Roth, Lucy Liu and Thandiwe Newton. It was the directorial debut of Curtis-Hall, who also has a small role in the film. The film's opening was relatively low, despite critical acclaim; its opening weekend netted only $2,678,372 and it finished with a little over $5.5 million. Shakur died four months before the film's release.

<i>The Daytrippers</i> 1996 film by Greg Mottola

The Daytrippers is a 1996 independent comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola in his feature directorial debut. It stars Hope Davis, Stanley Tucci, Anne Meara, Parker Posey and Liev Schreiber.

<i>Ill Do Anything</i> 1994 film by James L. Brooks

I'll Do Anything is a 1994 American comedy-drama film written and directed by James L. Brooks. While a large part of the film is a satire of the film industry, it also skewers relationships from various angles. Its primary plot concerns a down-on-his-luck actor who suddenly finds himself the sole caretaker of his six-year-old daughter. The film starred Nick Nolte and Whittni Wright, with supporting roles filled by Albert Brooks, Julie Kavner, Joely Richardson and Tracey Ullman.

<i>Wildcats</i> (film) 1986 film by Michael Ritchie

Wildcats is a 1986 American sports comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie and starring Goldie Hawn, James Keach and Swoosie Kurtz. It is the film debut of Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson.

<i>A Perfect Couple</i> 1979 film by Robert Altman

A Perfect Couple is a 1979 romantic-comedy film co-written and directed by Robert Altman and starring Paul Dooley, Marta Heflin, Titos Vandis, and Belita Moreno.

Getting Away with Murder is a 1996 American black comedy film directed and written by Harvey Miller.

<i>Living Out Loud</i> 1998 American film

Living Out Loud is a 1998 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Richard LaGravenese and set in New York City, starring Holly Hunter, Danny DeVito, Queen Latifah, Martin Donovan, and Elias Koteas.

This is a complete filmography for American actor and director Christopher Reeve.

<i>Honeysuckle Rose</i> (film) 1980 film by Jerry Schatzberg

Honeysuckle Rose is a 1980 American romantic drama western film directed by Jerry Schatzberg, written by John Binder, Gustaf Molander, Carol Sobieski, Gösta Stevens, and William D. Wittliff, and starring Willie Nelson, Dyan Cannon, and Amy Irving. It is a loose remake of the 1936 Swedish film Intermezzo.

<i>Diamond Skulls</i> 1989 American film

Diamond Skulls is a British 1989 thriller directed by Nick Broomfield who also co-wrote with Tim Rose-Price. An established documentary filmmaker, this is Broomfield's first work of fiction. It is produced by Tim Bevan and Jane Fraser and stars Amanda Donohoe, Gabriel Byrne and Struan Rodger and has a music score by Hans Zimmer. It includes the last film performance of Ian Carmichael.

<i>A New Life</i> (film) 1988 film by Alan Alda

A New Life is a 1988 American romantic comedy film written, directed by and starring Alan Alda, also featuring Ann-Margret, John Shea, Hal Linden and Veronica Hamel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Scorsese filmography</span> Filmography of American filmmaker Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and film historian whose career spans more than fifty years. To date, Scorsese has directed twenty-six feature length narrative films, seventeen feature-length documentary films, and has co-directed one anthology film.

<i>Chapter Two</i> (film) 1979 film by Robert Moore

Chapter Two is a 1979 American Metrocolor romantic comedy-drama film directed by Robert Moore, produced by Ray Stark, and based on Neil Simon's 1977 Broadway play of the same name. It has a 124-minute running time. It stars James Caan and Marsha Mason, in an Academy Award-nominated performance.

Lee Richardson was an American character actor who frequently appeared in the films of Sidney Lumet.

References

  1. Hassen, Kristie. "A Tiger's Tale > Overview". AllMovie. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
  2. "A Tiger's Tale movie review & film summary (1988) | Roger Ebert".
  3. Maslin, Janet (1988-02-12). "New York Times review". Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2010-10-13.