The Accidental Tourist
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The Accidental Tourist is a novel by Anne Tyler that won the 1985 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. The book was adapted for the screen in 1988.
Set in Baltimore, Maryland, the plot revolves around a writer of travel guides whose son has been killed in a senseless shooting at a fast-food restaurant. He and his wife, separately lost in grief, find their marriage disintegrating, until she eventually moves out. When he becomes incapacitated due to a fall, he returns to the family home to stay with his eccentric siblings.
He hires a quirky young woman with a sickly son to train his unruly dog, and soon finds himself drifting into a relationship with the two of them. When his wife becomes aware of the situation, she decides they should reconcile, forcing him to make a difficult decision about his future.
The film version, with a screenplay by Frank Galati and Lawrence Kasdan (who also directed it), was released in 1988. It stars William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Geena Davis, Amy Wright, Bill Pullman, David Ogden Stiers, and Ed Begley Jr..
Davis won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of dog trainer Muriel Pritchett. It also was nominated for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score.
