Random Hearts
| Random Hearts | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Sydney Pollack |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by | Darryl Ponicsan |
| Screenplay by | Kurt Luedtke |
| Based on |
Random Hearts by Warren Adler |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Dave Grusin |
| Cinematography | Philippe Rousselot |
| Editing by | William Steinkamp |
| Studio | Rastar |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release dates |
|
| Running time | 133 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $64,000,000[1][2] |
| Box office | $74,608,570 |
Random Hearts is a 1999 American romantic drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas. Based on the 1984 novel Random Hearts by Warren Adler, the film is about a police officer and a congresswoman who discover that their spouses were having an affair prior to being killed in a plane crash.
Plot
The film adaptation loosely follows the story of the novel but many of the characters have been changed. Edward Davis is now Sergeant William 'Dutch' Van Den Broeck, a Washington, D.C. police officer. Vivien Simpson is now Kay Chandler, a wealthy Republican Congresswoman with a teenage daughter. They meet when their spouses, Peyton and Cullen, are killed in a plane crash and realize that they were having an affair. The story evolves around the relationship between the two surviving spouses, as the tragedy envelopes their lives and affects his career as a police officer and her campaign for re-election to Congress.
Cast
- Harrison Ford as Sergeant William 'Dutch' Van Den Broeck
- Kristin Scott Thomas as Kay Chandler
- Charles S. Dutton as Alcee
- Bonnie Hunt as Wendy Judd
- Dennis Haysbert as Detective George Beaufort
- Sydney Pollack as Carl Broman
- Richard Jenkins as Truman Trainor
- Paul Guilfoyle as Dick Montoya
- Susanna Thompson as Peyton Van Den Broeck
- Peter Coyote as Cullen Chandler
- Kate Mara as Jessica Chandler
- Susan Floyd as Molly Roll
- Dylan Baker as Richard Judd
- Lynne Thigpen as Phyllis Bonaparte
- Reiko Aylesworth as Mary Claire Clark
- Edie Falco as Janice
- Alex Trebek as Himself[3]
Production
The film was stuck in development hell for fifteen years before finally being made. In the 1980s, actor Dustin Hoffman met with the book's author Warren Adler with a view to making the film. Although Hoffman prompted CBS Theatrical Films to acquire the rights with a view to him starring in the film, Hoffman rejected several drafts of the script before leaving the project altogether.[4] In the early 1990s, Kevin Costner was attached to star in the project which was then to be directed by James L. Brooks, though this too never came to pass.[5]
Filming locations
- Baltimore, Maryland, USA (the outer harbor just off the Key Bridge on I695)
- Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA (hospital, interiors)
- Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
- Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia, USA (National Airport exterior and interior)
- DuPont Circle, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
- Elmwood Park, New Jersey, USA (bowling alley)
- Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City, New York, USA (car crash scene)
- Miami, Florida, USA
- National Hotel, 1677 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida, USA (courtyard and pool scenes)
- National Mall, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
- New York City, New York, USA
- Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
- Patuxent Research Refuge, Laurel, Maryland, USA (Dutch's Cabin near "Annapolis")
- Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Lexington Park, Maryland, USA (hangar interiors, exterior scenes of flight line and runway)
- Washington, District of Columbia, USA (northeast area)
- Yonkers, New York, USA[6]
Reception
Critical response
Random Hearts received mostly negative reviews at its theatrical release. In a positive review from The New York Times, Janet Maslin wrote that the film "managed to be linear while also drifting thoughtfully through the nuances of their characters' behavior, with a stylistic polish and keenness of observation not often found in American films any more." Maslin also noted that "laconic Ford is wrenchingly effective throughout".[7]
In his review in the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert wrote, "There are so many good things in Random Hearts, but they're side by side instead of one after the other. They exist in the same film, but they don't add up to the result of the film. Actually, the film has no result—just an ending, leaving us with all of those fine pieces, still waiting to come together. If this were a screenplay and not the final product, you could see how with one more rewrite, it might all fall into place."[8]
Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes retrospectively gives the film a rating of 15% based on reviews collected from 87 critics.[9] The film received a 38% approval rating on Metacritic based on 35 reviews.[10]
Box office
With an estimated budget of $64,000,000, Random Hearts was not a commercial success domestically, earning only $31,502,583 in the United States. The film went on to earn another $43,105,987 in international markets, ending up with a total worldwide gross of $74,608,570.[2]
References
- ↑ "Box office/ business for Random Hearts". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=randomhearts.htm
- ↑ "Full cast and crew for Random Hearts". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
- ↑ New York Times (Warren Adler)
- ↑ Sun Sentinel (Warren Adler)
- ↑ "Filming locations for Random Hearts". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
- ↑ Maslin, Janet (October 8, 1999). "'Random Hearts': Together by a Twist of Fate". The New York Times. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
- ↑ Ebert, Roger (October 8, 1999). "Random Hearts". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
- ↑ "Random Hearts". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013.
- ↑ "Random Hearts". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
External links
 |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Random Hearts |
- Random Hearts at the Internet Movie Database
- Random Hearts at allmovie
- Random Hearts at Rotten Tomatoes
- Random Hearts at Box Office Mojo
| |||||||||||||||||