Irreconcilable Differences (1984)

Director:

Charles Shyer

Writers:

Nancy Meyers (written by)
Charles Shyer (written by)

Release Date:

28 September 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

They've Got Everything... including a 10 year old daughter who's suing them for divorce.

Plot:

Alternating between the past and the present, a precocious little girl sues her selfish, career-driven parents for emancipation, surprising them both.

Plot Keywords:

Parent | Divorce | Maid | Love | Beautiful Woman

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Ryan O'Neal	...	Albert Brodsky
Shelley Long	...	Lucy Van Patten Brodsky
Drew Barrymore	...	Casey Brodsky
Sam Wanamaker	...	David Kessler
Allen Garfield	...	Phil Hanner
Sharon Stone	...	Blake Chandler (aka Amanda)
Kim Marriner	...	Reporter
Wendy Gordon	...	Reporter
Ken Gale	...	Reporter
Deborah Cody	...	Reporter
Steven K. Miller	...	Reporter
Annie Meyers-Shyer	...	Little Girl in Crowd
Lauren Hartman	...	Woman on the Street
David Paymer	...	Alan Sluiser
Larry Marko	...	Court Clerk

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-8 | UK:15 | Australia:PG | USA:PG

Company:

Hemdale Film

Trivia:

Sharon Stone's character is modeled upon Cybill Shepherd, a former lover of Peter Bogdanovich.

Quotes:

Blake Chandler: [singing] This Civil War ain't gonna get me down. I'm taking my act to a brand new town. This belle rings in old Atlanta. I'm gonna find myself a brand new Santa!

Movie Connections:

References At Long Last Love (1975)

Soundtrack:

You And Me (We Wanted It All)

Underrated

I didn't know anything about this movie before watching it, except that Drew Barrymore divorces her parents. I think that could be why I found the movie so surprising. But the movie has so many elements that make it one of the strongest films of its type. It's completely engrossing, showing realistically how a marriage can go from highs to lows and that each party can be responsible. It also shows how selfish parents can be and how without realising it they can screw with a child (drew). After watching this film I came to IMDB to see if shelley long or ryan o'neal had won oscars for their performances and if the film won best picture, but apparently it was shunned and not many people have seen it....at least there's cable. It looked like a lot of effort went into making the movie, so it's a shame it's been overlooked.