Glenn Savan's depressing and self-loathing novel about a 27-year-old upper-class Jewish widower mired in self-pity after his beloved wife dies, and who finds love and sexual rebirth with a trailer-trash older woman, was brought to the big screen by the competent director Luis Mandoki (When a Man Loves a Woman, Message in a Bottle). But the savage irony in Savan's book has been face-lifted by screenwriters Ted Tally (The Silence of the Lambs) and Alvin Sargent (Ordinary People) into something else entirely: what passes for low-rent "slumming" in Hollywood means hiring sexy Susan Sarandon to play Nora Baker, the poor, uneducated 43-year-old waitress in a White Palace burger joint who strikes up an unlikely relationship with sad Max Baron (James Spader). Widower Max attends a bachelor party for best pal Neil (Jason Alexander) and discovers that the local White Palace has stiffed the boys a whopping six burgers. Max barges into the joint, bent on getting his money back, and meets a testy Nora, who is bemused at the young man's insolence. While driving home, Max stops abruptly at a bar for a drink. Inside, Nora is nursing a vodka and takes a shine to the tuxedo-clad, handsome, and morose younger man. He gives her a lift, she seduces him, and the rest of the movie examines how two such opposites in manners and morals can find happiness. The only common bond they have is great sex and a private tragedy. White Palace nudges at the dark journey and the smashing of illusion that was at the heart of the novel, but there is still a fairy-tale element to the film that negates the earthy essence that distinguished the book. In Mandoki's vision, White Palace is about overcoming class, family, and outside opinion to find true love. In Savan's book, Max wastes into decline while Nora ultimately thrives in the quest for truth, redemption, and self-forgiveness. She becomes his salvation only after he stops hating himself. But mainstream Hollywood shuns making "protagonists" so mad, bad, or sad, and as such, too much glitter is tossed on Spader, while Sarandon, as usual, is the only one who seems to embody and understand her character's angst. She deserved her Oscar for Nora, not the nun in Dead Man Walking. --Paula Nechak
In this semi-autobiographical screenplay Neil Simon's private memoirs in the US Army are made public. Set in 1943 at an army base in Biloxi Mississippi a lowly recruit (Broderick) comes under the command of a very weird drill sergeant (Walken)...
Still getting over the death of his wife, a young advertising executive meets an older waitress, a woman that might set him free.
Psycho star Anthony Perkins stars in this brilliant supernatural thriller. When a college student turns an ancient Aztec cloak into a party dress the results are catastrophic. The death toll mounts as supernatural powers cause the deaths of anyone who comes into contact with the dress.
Howling winds whip through the trees on a stormy night back in the 1940's. An angered man enters the old Victorian house on the banks of Fever Lake. Inside a fearful mother hides her young son in the attic and he soon becomes the only witness to his mother's tragic murder. Years later a group of friends are planning a weekend getaway and are offered the use of the deserted old house on Fever Lake. It started out as a fun filled weekend. But as evil supernatural forces collide with innocent victims the group find themselves in for a terror-filled stay. Nobody knows exactly what evil went on at Fever Lake but what they do know is that something evil happened before and it's happening again. They must destroy the evil... before it destroys them.
Marianna's son's life is being ravaged by his dependency on heroin and cocaine. Her husband is angry skeptical and confused. With her back to the wall Marianna vows to take desperate measures to save her crumbling home. Aided by a hotshot drug agent she fights her way through a life-threatening battle in the New York City underworld. Based on a true story.
Excess Baggage: Brazen yet emotionally neglected Emily T. Hope (Alicia Silverstone) desperate for her father's attention stages her own kidnapping. But before she can enjoy a happy reunion with her father her car gets stolen with Emily still inside and professional car thief Vincent Roche (Benicio Del Toro) is about to find out that he's stolen a lot more than he bargained for! And when Emily's sinister ex-CIA 'uncle' (Christopher Walken) starts tracking them down the heat can only get hotter in this hilariously romantic adventure! Biloxi Blues: In this semi-autobiographical screenplay Neil Simon's private memoirs in the US Army are made public. Set in 1943 at an army base in Biloxi Mississippi a lowly recruit (Broderick) comes under the command of a very weird drill sergeant (Walken)... Go: Ronna needs to make some extra cash. Simon wants to escape to Vegas for the weekend. Adam and Zack want to stay out of trouble. But it's not just another night in the life of these unusual characters. They're about to embark on a wild ride that won't end until the sun comes up.
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