Crimes of the Heart (1986)

Director:

Bruce Beresford

Writers:

Beth Henley (screenplay)
Beth Henley (play)

Release Date:

12 December 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Meg just left one. Lenny never had one. Babe just shot one. The MaGrath sisters sure have a way with men!

Plot:

Three sisters with quite different personalities and lives reunite when the youngest of them, Babe, has just shot her husband...

Plot Keywords:

Sister | Grandfather | Reunion | Actor | Suicide Attempt

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Diane Keaton	...	Lenny Magrath
Jessica Lange	...	Meg Magrath
Sissy Spacek	...	Babe Magrath
Sam Shepard	...	Doc Porter
Tess Harper	...	Chick Boyle
David Carpenter	...	Barnette Lloyd
Hurd Hatfield	...	Old Granddaddy
Beeson Carroll	...	Zackery Botrelle
Jean Willard	...	Lucille Botrelle
Tom Mason	...	Uncle Watson
Gregory Eugene Travis	...	Willie Jay (as Gregory Travis)
Annie McKnight	...	Annie May Jenkins
Eleanor Eagle	...	Little Lenny
Jessica Ezzell	...	Little Meg
Natalie Anderson	...	Little Babe

Runtime:

105 min | Germany:100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Argentina:16 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-14 | Norway:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Caswell Beach, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Crimes of the Heart S.A.

Trivia:

The play "Crimes of the Heart" won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1981.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Lucille Botrelle: The damage to the spinal column's not yet been determined. But his breathing's stabilized and his liver's been saved.
Lennora Josephine 'Lenny' Magrath: Oh, well, that's good news.
Lucille Botrelle: None of this is good news Lennie Magrath! It's all a grueling nightmare and you mark my word those resposible will pay dearly!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ken Adam: Designing Bond (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

Don't Fence Me In

Delightful

Usually when I sense that the actors had a great time making a movie, the result isn't particularly noteworthy. ("Cannonball Run" comes to mind.) But "Crimes of the Heart" is an exception. If Jessica Lange, Diane Keaton and Sissy Spacek weren't absolutely delighted to tackle the lead roles in this film, they are much better actors than I thought.

The material is reminiscent of Flannery O'Connor, who wrote some of the most humorous, offbeat Southern fiction extant.

The three sisters are so controlled by their visceral reactions that one wonders if any of them have ever had an intellectual moment. Although it would be maddening to have such people for friends, they're great instruments for movie comedy.

One final note: If anyone thinks Sissy Spacek is goofy-looking (as I used to), they will change their mind when they see her in this. She is absolutely gorgeous here.