The Real Howard Spitz (1998)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Vadim Jean

Writer:

Jurgen Wolff (screenplay)

Release Date:

28 August 1998 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title

Cast

Kelsey Grammer	...	Howard Spitz
Amanda Donohoe	...	Laura Kershaw
Genevieve Tessier	...	Samantha Kershaw
Joseph Rutten	...	Lou
Patrick McKenna	...	Roger
Kay Tremblay	...	Theodora Winkle
David Christoffel	...	Bill Sellers
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Deborah Allen	...	Shopper - Supermarket
Paul Ash	...	Parking Ticket Officer
Dwayne L. Barnes	...	Gang Member #1
Adam Bent	...	Stuart
Heather Blackburn	...	Brunette
Dean Cooper	...	Newpaper Boy with Bike
Cathy Lee Crosby	...	Librarian
Ciel Crosby	...	Librarian
Denny Doherty	...	Balthazar Mishkin
Angus Duncan	...	Manager - Supermarket
John Dunsworth	...	Clown
Justin Friesen	...	Lionel - TV Show Kid
John Fulton	...	Ted the Cop
Jim Gaffigan	...	Storekeeper
Lex Gigeroff	...	Ronnie Relish
Ian Gilmore	...	Page - Pool Fair
Edward Gregson	...	Aaron
Joanne Hagen	...	Waitress
Tom Haney	...	Mover 1
Jeffrey Hirschfield	...	Lawrence - Primrose Rep (as Jeff Hirschfield)
Michael David Hirshbach	...	Charlie
Carlos Jacott	...	Guard
Claude Jean	...	Waiter - French Restaurant
Kim Jenkins	...	Sample Lady - Supermarket
George Leblanc	...	Gerald
Gary Levert	...	Red Allen
Sydney Little	...	Lilly - TV Show Kid
John Loverin	...	Bartender - Cop Bar
Allie MacDonald	...	Little Girl (as Alexandra MacDonald)
Josh MacDonald	...	Mark
Daniel MacMillan	...	Boy - Book Fair
Nancy Marshall	...	Customer -Pool Store
Jody Myers	...	Mime Artist
Jennifer Overton	...	Mother of Aaron
John Poulton	...	Chauffeur
Diane Marie Regan	...	Blonde
Christopher Shore	...	Photographer (as Chris Shore)
Ted Soutar	...	Newpaper Man
Jose Urbina	...	Gang Member #2
Glenn Wadman	...	Sales Clerk - Book Store (as Glen Wadman)

Also Known As:

Samantha et Monsieur Spitz (Canada: French title)
Writer's Block (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for language and mild thematic elements.

Runtime:

USA:102 min

Country:

UK | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:G (Ontario) | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada

Company:

Metrodome Films

Trivia:

Howard Spitz, played by Kelsey Grammer, says, "Writing a sitcom's not hard. You just have a married couple, a bar in Boston or a psychiatrist on the radio." This is a reference to both "Cheers" (1982) and "Frasier" (1993), both of which starred Grammer as Dr Frasier Crane, a psychiatrist who hung out at a Boston bar on "Cheers" before moving to Seattle to start a radio call in show in "Frasier".

Movie Connections:

References "Frasier" (1993)

Very nice family film with a brilliant lead

This is a very nice film, narrating the story of an author, Howard Spitz, who's in need of a success. When he meets little Samantha by chance, they both realize they need each other. He needs her to help him create a successful children's book; she wants him to find her runaway father.

The story develops with Howard trying to become a celebrated author without leaving the comfortable emotional reclusion he got himself into over the years, and Samantha trying more and more desperately to reach her father.

The story is nice, and the idea behind it is great. Unfortunately, the turning-point scene at the end fails. Another weak point is that writer and/or director give the minor characters far too little room to develop, even though everyone knows how much minor characters contribute to films. But Grammar alone is worth the money. His brilliant acting keeps the film well above average - in fact, standing alone, Grammar's perfect portrayal of Howard Spitz would probably deserve a 10-out-of-10 rating.