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The majority of critical praise was reserved for the lead actors. Michael Caine was described variously as an "excellent comic actor", "the kind of charming cad you can never really hate for too long", and "such an accomplished actor that all he has to do is behave with self-assured grace". Pfeiffer
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and destroy a prop building before the director is ready with the shot. Michael, who had previously been lectured by the arrogant director that audiences want defiance of authority, destruction of property and nudity, reveals how he has undermined the production. He tells the extras to celebrate the
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in town, the
Hollywood people are long gone and Michael and Gretchen are back together. They arrive to the screening with Gretchen very much pregnant. Michael can only respond with a strained look when he is asked by a Hollywood reporter how it feels "to see history come alive".
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from a local
Revolutionary War reenactor company are bullied and mocked by the film crew, Michael persuades them to turn the tables on their tormentors. He deliberately sabotages the historically inaccurate film by injecting a little accuracy and a lot of chaos.
36:
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was acclaimed for "wonderfully subtle touches", and was described as getting "a chance to show that she has the potential to be a first-rate comedienne", and as the actress who "neatly tucks the movie into her bodice and saunters off with it".
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The story was partly inspired by Alda's experiences while caring for his parents who had both been ill and were in two different hospitals. During a visit to see his dying father, a nurse approached him with a
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When
Gretchen finds out, she begins welcoming the advances of Elliott James. The married actor is not only flirting with Gretchen but also pursuing the college president's wife, Leslie (
333:) and her delusions, including the belief that she is being poisoned and that the Devil lives in her kitchen. He has been trying unsuccessfully to convince his girlfriend Gretchen (
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described the film as "nearly as dull as it sounds, intermittently enlivened only by
Hoskins and Caine, the latter effortlessly amusing as the production's leading man".
262:. In an interview prior to the film's UK release he said, "It was the worst year of my life and I thought this is so miserable there must be a funny movie in it!".
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thought the film tried to "juggle a lot of characters all at once" and lamented that there was "more material than there was time to deal with it".
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Michael becomes disillusioned when he realizes that Faith is not at all like her film character, and he is disgusted by the
Hollywood process. When
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The consensus of critics was that the film lacked the satirical bite that might have been expected from a story about the
Hollywood
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Michael's excitement is squelched by his increasing exasperation as the novel is changed by a low-brow scriptwriter (
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called it a "mildly satiric comedy so toothless it wouldn't even offend a mogul as sensitive and publicly pious as
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featured the penultimate film appearance of
Lillian Gish; she had made her screen debut 74 years earlier, in 1912.
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While
Michael navigates on-set politics, he is distracted by his mother Cecilia (
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earned $ 14,285,000, ranking as the 64th highest grossing movie of the year.
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The locals use explosives during a horribly inaccurate recreation of the
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was the 3rd highest grossing movie of its debut week, behind
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wrote that "comedic potential is too rarely realized".
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646:(1986), Review by Vincent Canby, May 14, 1986"
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727:(1986), Review by Roger Ebert, May 16, 1986"
368:battle by dancing naked before the camera.
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621:. rottentomatoes.com. Archived from
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280:) is about to have his fact-based
19:For the album by Cara Dillon, see
14:
952:Films produced by Martin Bregman
503:, based on 17 critics' reviews.
322:) and a condescending director (
957:Films scored by Bruce Broughton
706:. variety.com. January 1, 1986.
460:, also released that week, and
967:Films shot in New York (state)
654:. May 14, 1986. Archived from
591:"Domestic Box Office For 1986"
295:. Set to star the egotistical
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680:. timeout.com. Archived from
932:1980s English-language films
787:AFI Catalog of Feature Films
962:Films set in North Carolina
947:Films directed by Alan Alda
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729:. rogerebert.suntimes.com.
619:(1986) at Rotten Tomatoes"
450:Released on May 16, 1986,
371:By the time of the film's
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40:Theatrical release poster
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977:Universal Pictures films
481:Ferris Bueller's Day Off
218:written and directed by
499:has a rating of 76% on
942:Films about filmmaking
572:. The List. 1986-09-19
159:May 14, 1986
16:1986 film by Alan Alda
982:Films about educators
937:American comedy films
570:"Humouring Illusions"
303:) (who is portraying
21:Sweet Liberty (album)
987:1980s American films
230:, with support from
412:as Gretchen Carlsen
286:American Revolution
214:is a 1986 American
861:Films directed by
799:TCM Movie Database
704:, January 1, 1986"
700:(1986), Review by
674:(1986), Review by
651:The New York Times
418:as Cecelia Burgess
388:as Michael Burgess
348:. Elliott's wife (
145:Universal Pictures
927:1986 comedy films
909:
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748:(1986) at Amazon"
658:on July 10, 2012.
545:Chicago Sun-Times
492:Critical response
398:Michelle Pfeiffer
365:Battle of Cowpens
313:Michelle Pfeiffer
305:Banastre Tarleton
228:Michelle Pfeiffer
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484:. Ultimately
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754:. June 2010.
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422:Saul Rubinek
416:Lillian Gish
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203:$ 14,205,021
175:Running time
152:Release date
104:Lillian Gish
540:Roger Ebert
428:Lois Chiles
404:Bob Hoskins
342:Lois Chiles
320:Bob Hoskins
236:Lois Chiles
232:Bob Hoskins
216:comedy film
179:106 minutes
94:Bob Hoskins
64:Produced by
46:Directed by
922:1986 films
916:Categories
891:A New Life
810:Letterboxd
600:2022-04-06
576:2019-06-24
556:References
446:Box office
284:about the
248:Larry Shue
200:Box office
163:1986-05-14
117:Frank Tidy
56:Written by
863:Alan Alda
441:Reception
430:as Leslie
386:Alan Alda
290:Hollywood
278:Alan Alda
256:head shot
220:Alan Alda
123:Edited by
80:Alan Alda
59:Alan Alda
50:Alan Alda
676:Time Out
529:Time Out
373:premiere
297:lothario
192:Language
131:Music by
74:Starring
797:at the
784:at the
702:Variety
542:in the
535:Variety
514:in the
457:Top Gun
346:fencing
195:English
184:Country
161: (
902:(1990)
894:(1988)
886:(1986)
878:(1981)
752:Amazon
478:, and
357:extras
260:résumé
246:, and
469:Cobra
775:IMDb
380:Cast
272:Plot
258:and
226:and
824:at
808:at
773:at
918::
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
