Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994)

Director:

Alan Rudolph

Writers (WGA):

Alan Rudolph (written by) &
Randy Sue Coburn (written by)

Release Date:

23 November 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

At the center of the circle is a woman ahead of her time.

Plot:

Dorothy Parker remembers the heyday of the Algonquin Round Table, a circle of friends whose barbed wit...

Plot Keywords:

1950s | New York | Writing | Psychotherapy | Film Making

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Dorothy Parker
Campbell Scott	...	Robert Benchley
Matthew Broderick	...	Charles MacArthur
Peter Gallagher	...	Alan Campbell
Jennifer Beals	...	Gertrude Benchley
Andrew McCarthy	...	Eddie Parker
Wallace Shawn	...	Horatio Byrd
Martha Plimpton	...	Jane Grant
Sam Robards	...	Harold Ross
Lili Taylor	...	Edna Ferber
James LeGros	...	Deems Taylor
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Paula Hunt
Nick Cassavetes	...	Robert Sherwood
David Thornton	...	George S. Kaufman
Heather Graham	...	Mary Kennedy Taylor

Also Known As:

Mrs. Parker and the Round Table

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Germany:12 | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Algonquin Hotel - 59 W. 44th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Fine Line Features

Trivia:

The founding of the "New Yorker" magazine is a subplot in this movie; Wallace Shawn's father, William, was, for many years, editor-in-chief of the "New Yorker."

Quotes:

Dorothy Parker: I never liked a man I didn't meet.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 52nd Annual Golden Globe Awards (1995) (TV)

I liked it but am probably in a minority

I enjoyed this film a lot and actually saw it twice when it came out in England. No doubt it is a minority taste, though. It was the first Jennifer Jason Leigh movie I ever saw and she (and Campbell Scott) pretty much hold most of the attention. The film's witty dialogue was also attractive, though I did think towards the end there was a feeling of witty characters degenerating into mere bores. I think one reason for this is that it captured almost too well the essence of Dorothy Parker, a clever but basically unhappy person, and her circle.