Speechless (1994)

Director:

Ron Underwood

Writer (WGA):

Robert King (written by)

Release Date:

16 December 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

There are two sides to every relationship... Don't trust either of them.

Plot:

Two political speechwriters fall in love before they find out they are working for candidates on opposite sides. |

Plot Keywords:

Political | Love | Campaign | One Word Title | Media

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

Michael Keaton	...	Kevin Vallick
Geena Davis	...	Julia Mann
Christopher Reeve	...	Bob 'Bagdad' Freed
Bonnie Bedelia	...	Annette
Ernie Hudson	...	Ventura
Charles Martin Smith	...	Kratz
Gailard Sartain	...	Cutler
Ray Baker	...	Garvin
Mitch Ryan	...	Wannamaker
Willie Garson	...	Dick
Paul Lazar	...	Harry
Richard Poe	...	Tom
Harry Shearer	...	Chuck
Steven Wright	...	Eddie
Jodi Carlisle	...	Doris Wind

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Finland:S | Germany:6 (w) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Forge

Trivia:

Christopher Reeve and Michael Keaton have both played DC superheroes. Christopher Reeve played Superman in Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983) and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987) and Michael Keaton played Batman in Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992)

Quotes:

[They are talking on the phone]
Julia: My old boyfriend had a tattoo, on the inside of his lip. Wanna guess what it said?
Kevin: Uh, "How am I driving? Call 1-800" and then a number? Did he have a really big lip? Was it Mick Jagger?

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Anything You Can Do

Nice romance - but could have been funnier and had better chemistry

In town for a political campaign, speechwriters for the opposing sides Kevin and Julia met and share a fun evening together unaware of who the other is. Later they meet sparking a conflict that spills from their romance into the battle between the two politicians.

This is a very light romantic comedy. The story is promising - romance and political competition but the delivery lets it down. The plot drops into a very lightweight romance with a touch of screwball comedy, musical score doesn't help as it has a gentle tickling tune that plays for basically the whole thing. The script doesn't have any teeth either, it's not sharp like a film set around politics should be and it's not as funny as it thinks it is. Instead it has a screwball feel to it - although it can't hold a candle to the films of the 50's that it clearly aspires to be.

It's a shame because for a light movie it has a very heavy cast of well-known faces. Keaton is as good as he always is, but him and Davis lack a great chemistry and their romance isn't convincing, neither is the conflict between them. The support cast is full of well known actors - Bonnie Bedelia, Ernie Hudson, Charles Martin Smith, Mitch Ryan and Christopher Reeve. Even Steven Wright and Harry Shearer pop up for a cameo as sitcom stars Chuck and Eddie. It's a shame that such a face-heavy cast don't have better material to work with.

This is a very light romantic comedy. The romance doesn't work due to the lack of spark between the two likeable stars, and the comedy isn't that funny because it isn't sharp. The director and script-writers miss a fantastic opportunity with such a great cast and a good set-up (Ron Underwood! - were City Slickers and Tremors early flukes?). The film brings out some political claws towards the end but even then they're blunted by the need for a romantic conclusion.

Nice romance with some funny moments - but could have been much funnier.