| Ironweed | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Héctor Babenco |
| Produced by | Keith Barish Marcia Nasatir |
| Screenplay by | William Kennedy |
| Story by | William J. Kennedy |
| Starring | Jack Nicholson Meryl Streep Carroll Baker Michael O'Keefe Diane Venora Fred Gwynne Margaret Whitton Tom Waits |
| Music by | John Morris |
| Cinematography | Lauro Escorel |
| Editing by | Anne Goursaud |
| Distributed by | TriStar Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 18, 1987 |
| Running time | 143 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Ironweed is a 1987 film directed by Argentine-born Brazilian Héctor Babenco.[1]
The picture is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title by William Kennedy and concerns the relationship of a homeless couple: Francis, an alcoholic, and Helen, a terminally ill woman during the Great Depression. Kennedy also wrote the screenplay.
It stars Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep, Carroll Baker, Michael O'Keefe, Diane Venora, Fred Gwynne, Tom Waits, and Nathan Lane. The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Nicholson) and Best Actress in a Leading Role (Streep).
Major portions of the film were shot on location in Albany, New York, including Jay Street at Lark Street, Albany Rural Cemetery and the Miss Albany Diner on North Broadway.
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Francis Phelan (Jack Nicholson) is a washed-up baseball player who deserted his family back in the 1910s when he accidentally and drunkenly dropped his son and killed him. Since then, Phelan has been a bum, punishing himself.
Wandering into Albany, New York, Phelan seeks out his lover and drinking companion, Helen Archer (Meryl Streep). The two meet up in a mission managed by Reverend Chester (James Gammon), and later in Oscar Reo's (Fred Gwynne) gin mill. Over the next few days, Phelan takes a few minor jobs to support his habit, haunted by visions of his past.
A chance for a reconciliation with his wife Annie Phelan (Carroll Baker) is abandoned when a group of local vigilantes with baseball bats take it upon themselves to drive the homeless out of Albany.
The film was received with enthusiasm because of the presence of stars Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep.
Film critic Roger Ebert wrote, "Nicholson and Streep play drunks in Ironweed, and actors are said to like to play drunks, because it gives them an excuse for overacting. But there is not much visible 'acting' in this movie; the actors are too good for that." Ebert gave the film three stars out of four.[2]
Ms. Streep received raves from most critics; Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that "Meryl Streep, as ever, is uncanny. Miss Streep uses the role of Helen as an opportunity to deliver a stunning impersonation of a darty-eyed, fast-talking woman of the streets, an angry, obdurate woman with great memories and no future. There isn't much more to the film's Helen than this, and indeed the character may go no deeper, but she's a marvel all the same. Behind the runny, red-rimmed eyes, the nervous chatter and the haunted expression, Miss Streep is even more utterly changed than her costar, and she even sings well. The sequence in which Helen entertains the real and imagined patrons of a bar room with a rendition of 'He's Me Pal' is a standout."[3]
Critics Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat appreciated the film's spiritual message, writing, "Mixing realistic and surreal scenes, Argentinean director Hector Babenco puts the accent on what he calls the spiritual dimensions of William Kennedy's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel...If you ride with the emotional undertow of Ironweed, there's no way you'll ever look at street people in quite the same way."[4]
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 90% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on ten reviews.[5]
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