Story of movie Marvin%27s Room Film : Marvin's Room is a 1996 American drama film directed by Jerry Zaks. The script was written by John Guare and based on the play of the same name by Scott McPherson, who died in 1992. McPherson had completed a screenplay for a film version before he died; however Guare was hired to update it when the film eventually started production years later.
| Marvin's Room | |
|---|---|
Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Jerry Zaks |
| Screenplay by | John Guare |
| Based on | Marvin's Room by Scott McPherson |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Rachel Portman |
| Cinematography | Piotr Soboci?ski |
| Edited by | Jim Clark |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $23 million |
| Box office | $12,803,305 |
It stars Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, Hume Cronyn, Gwen Verdon, Hal Scardino and Dan Hedaya. Original music for the film was composed by Rachel Portman. Carly Simon wrote and performed the theme song "Two Little Sisters", with Meryl Streep adding background vocals.
Screenplay
A man who had a stroke 20 years ago (Hume Cronyn) is left incapacitated and bed-ridden. He has been cared for by his daughter Bessie (Diane Keaton) in their Florida home, and totally ignored by his other daughter, Lee (Meryl Streep), who moved to Ohio with her husband 20 years ago and has never contacted her family. Now, however, Bessie's doctor has informed her that she has leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant and she turns to her sister for help. Lee, in turn, turns to her son Hank (Leonardo DiCaprio), who has been committed to a mental institution for setting fire to his mother's house. When Lee finds that she may have to take over her father's care, she at first begins shopping around for nursing homes. Eventually, however, the estranged family grows close.
- Meryl Streep as Lee Wakefield Lacker
- Leonardo DiCaprio as Hank Lacker, Lee's son
- Diane Keaton as Bessie Wakefield
- Robert De Niro as Dr. Wallace "Wally" Carter
- Hume Cronyn as Marvin Wakefield, father of Lee and Bessie
- Gwen Verdon as Ruth Wakefield, Marvin's sister and Lee and Bessie's aunt
- Hal Scardino as Charlie Lacker, Lee's son
- Dan Hedaya as Dr. Robert "Bob" Carter, Wally's brother
- Margo Martindale as Dr. Charlotte Samit
- Cynthia Nixon as the Retirement Home Director
- Kelly Ripa as Coral, a soap opera character
- Bitty Schram as Janine, the receptionist
- Helen Stenborg as a Nun at the convent where Lee goes to live
- Olga Merediz as the beauty shop lady Lee does hair for
The film earned a positive reaction from critics. It currently holds an 80% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 50 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Marvin's Room rises above the pack of dysfunctional family dramas thanks to an impeccable cast that includes Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, and Leonardo DiCaprio." Metacritic gave the film a score of 68 out of 100 based on 20 critical reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Nominations:
- Academy Award for Best Actress: Diane Keaton
- 1997: Golden Globe: Best Actress, Drama: Meryl Streep
- 1997: Screen Actors Guild: Best Cast
- 1997: Screen Actors Guild: Diane Keaton
- 1997: Screen Actors Guild: Gwen Verdon
Awards:
- 1997: 20th Moscow International Film Festival: Golden St. George
- Marvin's Room Screen Adaptation: A Scriptwriting Handbook, by Kenneth Portnoy. Published by Focal Press, 1998. ISBN 0-240-80349-3.
- McPherson, Scott (1992). Marvin's Room (First ed.). New York: Plume drama. ISBN 0-452-26922-9.
- Grace in Suffering: Marvin's Room Praying the Movies: Daily Meditations from Classic Films, by Edward McNulty, McNulty. Geneva Press, 2001. ISBN 0-664-50155-9.
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