Doing for Los Angeles what he did for Nashville, Robert Altman rediscovers the sprawling, evocative, patchwork magnificence of his previous mid-1970s peak in this loose compendium of tales largely based on the short stories of Raymond Carver.
Seemingly disparate, as these tales of marital discord, familial disconnect and existential doubt unfold in languid, offbeat style, they intertwine.
Carver’s stories were set in the Pacific Midwest, but take on new symbolism against LA’s cloudless blue skies and swimming pools, an idyll symbolically tainted by helicopters spraying insecticide and the constant threat of a geological event.
An impeccable ensemble cast including Tom Waits, Tim Robbins, Chris Penn, Jack Lemmon, Andie MacDowell, Lily Tomlin and Julianne Moore give authentic life to incidental players in an ongoing melodrama that speaks loudly of the modern malaise.
Profound, involving and blackly funny in places, such as when Anne Archer’s party clown is stopped by a traffic cop (pictured below).
Ann Finnigan
Andie MacDowell Howard Finnigan
Bruce Davison Paul Finnigan
Jack Lemmon Marian Wyman
Julianne Moore Dr Ralph Wyman
Matthew Modine Claire Kane
Anne Archer Stuart Kane
Fred Ward Lois Kaiser
Jennifer Jason Leigh Jerry Kaiser
Chris Penn Bill Bush
Robert Downey Jr Sherri Shepard
Madeleine Stowe Gene Shepard
Tim Robbins Doreen Piggot
Lily Tomlin Earl Piggot
Tom Waits Stormy Weathers
Peter Gallagher Betty Weathers
Frances McDormand Tess Trainer
Annie Ross Zoe Trainer
Lori Singer Andy Bitkower
Lyle Lovett Gordon Johnson
Buck Henry Vern Miller
Huey Lewis
Director
Robert Altman
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