Twice in a Lifetime (1985)

Director:

Bud Yorkin

Writer:

Colin Welland (writer)

Release Date:

23 October 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A middle-aged steelworker is content with his job and his family, but feels that something is missing in his life...

Plot Keywords:

Working Class | Beautiful Woman | Seattle Washington | Suburbia | Love Triangle

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Gene Hackman	...	Harry MacKenzie
Ann-Margret	...	Audrey Minelli
Ellen Burstyn	...	Kate MacKenzie
Amy Madigan	...	Sunny
Ally Sheedy	...	Helen
Stephen Lang	...	Keith
Darrell Larson	...	Jerry
Brian Dennehy	...	Nick
Chris Parker	...	Tim
Rachel Street	...	Joanne
Kevin Bleyer	...	Chris
Micole Mercurio	...	Betty
Doris Hugo Drewien	...	Millie
Lee Corrigan	...	Milos
Ralph Steadman	...	Mike

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:15 (video rating) | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:7 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Seattle, Washington, USA

Company:

Bud Yorkin Productions

Trivia:

The orginial title of the script was "Kisses at 50".

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: Kate reluctantly agrees to have her ears pierced, but the actress (Ellen Burstyn) playing her already has prominent holes in her ear lobes.

Quotes:

Sunny: Hey Dad. This is Kate. Your wife.
Harry: I sure as hell know who my wife is.
Sunny: I sure as hell would like to know who this is.
Harry: That's Miss Minelli, if you must know and in case it's any of your business which it is not.
Sunny: Which I'm here to tell you it is.

Soundtrack:

Re-In-Forcement

Well-acted blue collar angst.

Gene Hackman plays a man in midlife crisis: he's been married to boring Ellen Burstyn for like, forever, and he's just met hottie Ann-Margret in the local bar he frequents. What's a guy to do? Go after the babe, of course!

This thin Colin Welland script (British screenwriter of the overrated CHARIOTS OF FIRE) is elevated considerably by Hackman's convincing portrayal of a blue-collar Everyman who's mortgaged his life for work and family to the exclusion of any dreams for himself. The decidedly unmelodramatic arc of his life change and its consequences is relatively rare in American films and is more watchable for it. Look for newcomer Amy Madigan lighting up the screen as Hackman's p****d-off but devoted daughter. A wistful Pat Metheny score and Nick McLean's cinematography of unglamorous Seattle locations -- back before it became America's trendiest city -- enhance the verisimilitude. A low-key and effective directing job by Bud Yorkin, Norman Lear's former producing partner. Worth a look for Hackman/Burstyn/Margret fans.