Marvin's Room (film)

Marvin's Room is a 1996 American drama film directed by Jerry Zaks. The script was written by John Guare and based on the play of the same name by Scott McPherson, who died in 1992. McPherson had completed a screenplay for a film version before he died; however Guare was hired to update it when the film eventually started production years later.[2][3]

Marvin's Room
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJerry Zaks
Screenplay byScott McPherson
Based onMarvin's Room
by Scott McPherson
Produced byScott Rudin
Jane Rosenthal
Robert De Niro
Starring
CinematographyPiotr Sobociński
Edited byJim Clark
Music byRachel Portman
Production
companies
Distributed byMiramax Films
Release date
  • December 18, 1996 (1996-12-18)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$23 million[1]
Box office$12.8 million[1]

It stars Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, Hume Cronyn, Gwen Verdon, Hal Scardino, and Dan Hedaya. Original music for the film was composed by Rachel Portman. Carly Simon wrote and performed the theme song "Two Little Sisters", with Meryl Streep adding background vocals.

Plot

Marvin, a man who had a stroke 20 years ago, is left incapacitated and bed-ridden. He has been cared for by his daughter Bessie in their Florida home, and ignored by his other daughter, Lee, who moved to Ohio with her husband 20 years ago and has never contacted her family.

Now, however, Bessie's doctor has informed her that she has leukemia (the same disease her and Lee's mother died from in their youth) and needs a bone marrow transplant and she turns to her sister for help. Lee, in turn, turns to her 10-year-old son Charlie and 17-year-old son Hank, the latter of whom has been committed to a mental institution for setting fire to his mother's house. However, the rebellious Hank says he won't submit himself to be tested for a match.

Nevertheless, they all travel down to stay with Bessie. When Lee finds that she may have to take over her father's care, she at first begins shopping around for nursing homes, fearing that she'll have to uproot her life. Eventually, however, the estranged family grows close and Hank agrees to get tested.

As Bessie progressively seems to get worse, and testing shows the boys are not a match as bone marrow donors, Lee comes to terms that it is now her turn to take care of her family. The film closes on Lee familiarizing herself with her father's medication, as she walks into his room with his lunch, overlooking Bessie flashing sunlight off the mirror that makes Marvin smile.

Cast

Reception

The film holds an 84% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 50 reviews and an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Marvin's Room rises above the pack of dysfunctional family dramas thanks to an impeccable cast that includes Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, and Leonardo DiCaprio."[4] Metacritic gave the film a score of 68 out of 100 based on 20 critical reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[5]

Accolades
Award Category Nominee(s) Result
Academy Awards[6] Best Actress Diane Keaton Nominated
Awards Circuit Community Awards Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Favorite Actress – Drama Meryl Streep Nominated
Camerimage Awards Golden Frog Piotr Sobocinski Nominated
Chlotrudis Awards Best Movie Nominated
Best Director Jerry Zaks Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Leonardo DiCaprio Won
Best Supporting Actress Meryl Streep Nominated
Christopher Awards Motion Pictures Won
Critics' Choice Awards[7] Best Actress Diane Keaton Nominated
Golden Globe Awards[8] Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Meryl Streep Nominated
Kyiv International Film Festival Best Full-Length Fiction Film Jerry Zaks Nominated
Moscow International Film Festival[9] Golden St. George Won
National Board of Review Awards[10] Special Recognition for Excellence in Filmmaking Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards[11] Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Hume Cronyn, Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Dan Hedaya,
Diane Keaton, Hal Scardino, Meryl Streep and Gwen Verdon		 Nominated
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Diane Keaton Nominated
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Gwen Verdon Nominated

Further reading
  • Marvin's Room Screen Adaptation: A Scriptwriting Handbook, by Kenneth Portnoy. Published by Focal Press, 1998. ISBN 0-240-80349-3.
  • McPherson, Scott (1992). Marvin's Room (First ed.). New York: Plume drama. ISBN 0-452-26922-9.
  • Grace in Suffering: Marvin's Room Praying the Movies: Daily Meditations from Classic Films, by Edward McNulty, McNulty. Geneva Press, 2001. ISBN 0-664-50155-9.

References
  1. "Marvin's Room (1996)". The Numbers. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  2. Marks, Peter (December 8, 1996). "Two Wrenching Dramas Find Unexpected New Lives". The New York Times.
  3. A Door Left Opened accessed 11/23/2016
  4. "Marvin's Room (1996)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  5. "Marvin's Room Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  6. "The 69th Academy Awards (1997) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  7. "The BFCA Critics' Choice Awards :: 1996". Broadcast Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on December 12, 2008.
  8. "Marvin's Room – Golden Globes". HFPA. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  9. "20th Moscow International Film Festival (1997)". MIFF. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
  10. "1996 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  11. "The 3rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Archived from the original on November 1, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
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