William Hurt plays Macon Leary, a man who writes guidebooks for traveling business people. When his 12-year old son is killed during a robbery, his life is changed forever (talk about understatement). His wife, played by Kathleen Turner, leaves him a year after the killing and moves into her own apartment.
When the family dog becomes uncontrollable, Macon looks for someone to train the dog. He meets Muriel, an unconventional, free spirit who not only changes the dog's behavior but also Macon's. Geena Davis won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in this film.
While Macon's family does not accept Muriel because she is ... different, it is obvious they are oblivious to their own lifestyle. Macon's two 40 something, single brothers live in the family home along with their sister, Rose. They never answer the ringing telephone, play a card game they invented and take unconventional to a new level.
When Macon's wife attempts to reconcile after a year, Macon tries to make it work again. But he has changed. At one point he looks at Kathleen Turner's character and says "I do love you but I do not like the person I am when I am with you."
The movie is based on the 1985 book by the same name.
If you have not seen the movie or read the book, I highly recommend either or both. The story is an excellent study of human behavior and one that certainly makes a person think.
Thanks for stopping by.
6 comments:
Hi Russell,
Lovely post. I read this book and saw the movie; I love William Hurt; I've lost a brother and wondered, still, how each of my (divorced) parents endured that loss -- so it was very poignant to revisit the emotions via your post. The movie really made me think, too.
Thanks for that -- cheers from Sydney and take care.
I read the book years ago and went on an Anne Tyler kick as a result. I will have to see the movie now. All families have stories beneath their stories - we're all layer upon layer, chapter upon chapter, and some of us even become different books altogether as we progress through our stories.
I think my wife and I will have to check this out. I vaguely remember it coming out but must have missed it for some reason.
This was one of my favourite movies. I love how they end up in Paris. ;-)
This is good movie , and too i like the end
This is good movie , and too i like the end
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