Men Don't Leave (1990)
Directed by Paul Brickman
Genres - Comedy |
Sub-Genres - Family Drama, Feminist Film, Coming-of-Age |
Release Date - Feb 2, 1990 (USA), Feb 2, 1990 (USA - Limited) |
Run Time - 115 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - PG13
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
Weighed down by her late husband's debts, widow Beth Macauley (Jessica Lange) is compelled to sell her home and move to a less costly locale. She relocates in Baltimore with her resentful sons Chris (Chris O'Donnell) and Matt (Charlie Korsmo) and takes a job at a ramshackle gourmet food store managed by Lisa Coleman (Kathy Bates). Men Don't Leave offers in Beth an extremely vulnerable, easily discouraged person who can't seem to get a grip on her reduced circumstances. Even so, she and her sons eventually pull themselves together, despite many side trips with Wrong Lovers and False Friends. Some of the film's best moments involve Joan Cusack, playing a mixed-up nurse with whom Chris falls in love. Representing the comeback of director Paul Brickman after a seven-year gap, Men Don't Leave is a slightly more upbeat American version of the French film La Vie Continue.
Characteristics
Moods
Themes
Keywords
spouse, accident, child-rearing, death, emotion, family, family-member, family-tragedy, high-rise, love, moving, music, romance, single-parent, son, struggle, urban, widow/widower
Attributes
Sleeper