At First Sight (1999)

Director:

Irwin Winkler

Writers (WGA):

Oliver Sacks (story)
Steve Levitt (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 January 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Only Love Can Bring You To Your Senses.

Plot:

A blind man has an operation to regain his sight at the urging of his girlfriend and must deal with the changes to his life.

Plot Keywords:

Massage Therapist | Box Office Flop | Based On Article | Blindness | Based On True Story

Cast

Val Kilmer	...	Virgil Adamson
Mira Sorvino	...	Amy Benic
Kelly McGillis	...	Jennie Adamson
Steven Weber	...	Duncan Allanbrook
Bruce Davison	...	Dr. Charles Aaron
Nathan Lane	...	Phil Webster
Ken Howard	...	Virgil's Father
Laura Kirk	...	Betsy Ernst
Margo Winkler	...	Nancy Bender
Diana Krall	...	Singer
Brett Robbins	...	Ethan
Willie C. Carpenter	...	Jack Falk (as Willie Carpenter)
Charles Winkler	...	Health Instructor
Drena De Niro	...	Caroline
Kelly Chapman	...	Susan (as Kelly Chapman Meyer)

Also Known As:

Sight Unseen (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for scenes involving sexuality and nudity, and for brief strong language.

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Iceland:L | New Zealand:M | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #35785)

Filming Locations:

Bear Mountain, New York, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Cameo: [Dr. Oliver Sacks]one of the doctors attending the meeting where Virgil speaks about his experiences at the end of the movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: While walking downtown, Virgil is holding Amy's arm, and when the camera switches angles, she is holding his arm. A second later, he is holding her arm again.

Quotes:

Virgil: Maybe I'm not meant to see.

Movie Connections:

References My Fair Lady (1964)

Soundtrack:

They Can't Take That Away from Me

A love story

An almost perfect date movie, AT FIRST SIGHT tells the largely true tale of a man, blind from an early age, who risks one last operation in an attempt to restore his sight. Val Kilmer, always an acquired taste, plays the blind guy. Mira Sorvino, looking an awful lot like the older daughter on FAMILY TIES, plays his newest love interest who encourages him to try the tricky operation. The film is long, but the romance leading up to Sorvino's determination to get Kilmer onto the operating table one more time, is strongly compelling. The film has a sensuous side, as Kilmer is a professional masseuse and has a very erotic massage scene involving a nearly naked Sorvino. Veteran actress Kelly McGillis of TOP GUN fame is aboard as Kilmer's overly protective older sister. If you can stand frequent closeups of Kilmer's flabby lips and googly eyes, AT FIRST SIGHT is hardly the worst chick flick ever made.