Ironweed (1987)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Hector Babenco

Writers:

William Kennedy (novel)
William Kennedy (screenplay)

Release Date:

February 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A schizophrenic drifter spends Halloween in his home town after returning there for the first time in decades.

Plot Keywords:

Albany New York | Cancer | Ghost | Singer | Drifter

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Jack Nicholson	...	Francis Phelan
Meryl Streep	...	Helen Archer
Carroll Baker	...	Annie Phelan
Michael O'Keefe	...	Billy Phelan
Diane Venora	...	Margaret 'Peg' Phelan
Fred Gwynne	...	Oscar Reo
Margaret Whitton	...	Katrina Dougherty
Tom Waits	...	Rudy
Jake Dengel	...	Pee Wee
Nathan Lane	...	Harold Allen
James Gammon	...	Reverend Chester
Will Zahrn	...	Rowdy Dick
Laura Esterman	...	Nora Lawlor
Joe Grifasi	...	Jack
Hy Anzell	...	Rosskam

Runtime:

143 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Albany, New York, USA

Company:

Home Box Office (HBO)

Trivia:

Gene Hackman, Jason Robards, Paul Newman, Robert De Niro, 'Robert Duvall (I)' and Sam Shepard all expressed a desire for the part of Francis Phelan, but William Kennedy had Jack Nicholson already in mind for the role.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: As noted, this film takes place in 1938; but a billboard is seen advertising the Marx Brothers film "At the Circus" which is a 1939 release.

Quotes:

Helen: What if I did drink too much wine? Whose business is that anyway? Who knows how much I didn't drink, huh?

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI Tribute to Meryl Streep (2004) (TV)

They're my pals.

Never the timing for a movie had been so disastrous.Released in those "glorious " eighties when the success stories and the triumphalist heroes were the golden rule,"Ironweed" stood no chance at all.Two tramps did not fit well in the movie landscape of those "feel good" times.And two tramps played by two megastars ,it was unforgivable!

The cast is stellar,but it's Meryl Streep whom I will remember FOREVER.When she sings her little tune "he's my pal" she's so heart-wrenching that she will move you to tears."At least ,I didn't betray anybody" she said.Although it was a colossal flop,Streep would only approach such an emotion afterwards.(notably in "the bridges of Madison County")Nicholson was equally courageous to play such a demeaning part,and he gets strong support from Carroll Baker who proves here she can age gracefully.

"Ironweed" is very hard to see nowadays.One of these days ,it will be given the place it deserves.