Walking Across Egypt (1999)

Director:

Arthur Allan Seidelman

Writers (WGA):

Clyde Edgerton (novel)
Paul Tamasy (screenplay)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Doing the right thing can be as hard as... Walking Across Egypt

Plot:

An elderly widow befriends an orphaned juvenile delinquent. |

Plot Keywords:

Juvenile Delinquent | Widow | Grand Theft Auto | Swimming | Adoptive Father

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Forrest	...	Stray Dog
Ellen Burstyn	...	Mattie Rigsbee
Judge Reinhold	...	Robert Rigsbee
Mark Hamill	...	Lamar N. Benfield
Gwen Verdon	...	Alora
Harve Presnell	...	Finner
Edward Herrmann	...	Rev. Vernon
Jonathan Taylor Thomas	...	Wesley Benfield
James Coleman III	...	Blake
Patrick David	...	Johnny
David Cooper	...	Funeral Director
Jim Borda	...	Guard #1
Steven West	...	Guard #2
Steve Raulerson	...	Warden Haswell
Pat Corley	...	Sheriff Tillman

Also Known As:

Leading with Her Heart (USA) (TV title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some violence and language.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Clermont, Florida, USA

Company:

Mitchum Entertainment

Goofs:

Continuity: When Wesley runs upstairs as the police cars arrive at the house, the bedroom curtains are closed when seen from outside, but when Wesley runs to the window to look out the curtains are open.

Quotes:

Mattie Rigsbee: You like grits for breakfast?
Wesley Benfield: I like everything but tomatoes.
Mattie Rigsbee: Good home-grown tomatoes?
Wesley Benfield: Any kind of tomatoes!
Mattie Rigsbee: Well, good Lord. There's nothing better! I love 'em with bacon. I'm gonna have some.
Wesley Benfield: Well, good for you!

Soundtrack:

Leaning On The Everlasting Arms

Talk about Sleepers

I'd never heard of this movie, but I like Ellen Burstyn very much and rented the disk because she was the star. A couple of hours later I had tears on my cheeks and the feeling that I'd seen a film made in earlier, simpler times. That's a compliment. It's the story of a sweet elderly lady (Burstyn) whose faith and trust reform a juvenile delinquent (the fine teenage actor Jonathan Taylor Thomas). OK, it's a corny plot and it's been done a thousand times. And maybe not every question is answered here. But there are many surprises -- small story twists that are clever, reasonable and satisfying. Countless details show expert writing and film-making. Besides the two stars, the cast includes some solid names: Harve Presnell, Gwen Verdon, Edward Herrmann, Judge Reinhold and Mark Hamill. The title comes from the old-fashioned expression, "I could no more do [something impossible] than I could walk across Egypt." Incredibly, the rural, moss-draped locations were all found "in and around the city of Orlando." Florida, that is. Don't look for the travel-agency Orlando. Just do yourself a favor. Relax, forget the frantic concepts that some recent movie s have made us think are essential, and give yourself to "Walking Across Egypt." A handsome film, a superb cast, a heart-warming story. We're not often handed so many pleasures in a single picture.