Irreconcilable Differences

Overview

In this human-scale drama/comedy, a pair of Beverly Hills parents, Albert (Ryan O'Neal) and Lucy (Shelley Long) first come together as a couple interested in writing (she) and teaching (he), but Albert's life takes an upscale turn when he starts both writing and then directing in Hollywood. As he becomes successful, Lucy is forced to burrow into her own writing in self-defense, and after her book is well-received, she is compensated a little for Albert's lack of attention and philandering. After Hollywood and its well-known flaws are sketched out in the increasingly strained marriage, the story reaches its primary focus: Albert and Lucy's 9-year-old daughter Casey (Drew Barrymore) talks to a lawyer because she wants to sue her parents for divorce. She gets no hugs or affection, and precious little attention, and she would prefer to go live with the maid. Given the parents' celebrity, the case receives wide press -- and the family begins to reconsider where it is going and why. Although a bit long, especially in the first half which wanders off course a little, the story is engaging enough (especially for Hollywood buffs) to balance any weaknesses.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/19/2013
UPC:	0887090053105
Original Release:	1984
Rating:	PG
Source:	Olive
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono, Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:53:00
Sales rank:	14,518

Special Features

Audio Commentary with Director Charles Shyer and Film Scholar and Consultant Bruce A. Block; A Video of Charles Shyer introducing the film; Making-of Featurette; A Slide Show of Photos; Theatrical Trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ryan O'Neal	Albert Brodsky
Shelley Long	Lucy Van Patten Brodsky
Drew Barrymore	Casey Brodsky
Sam Wanamaker	David Kessler
Allen Garfield	Phil Hanner
Sharon Stone	Blake Chandler
Hortensia Colorado	Maria Hernandez
Kim Marriner	Reporter
Wendy Gordon	Reporter
Ken Gale	Reporter
Deborah Cody	Reporter
Mark May	Reporter
Steven K. Miller	Reporter,Radio Newscaster
Annie Meyers-Shyer	Little Girl in Crowd
Lauren Hartman	Woman on the Street
David Paymer	Alan Sluiser
Larry Margo	Court Clerk
Lorinne Vozoff	Judge Shalack
David Graf	Bink
Ida Random	Woman at Party
Larry Marko	Court Clerk
Steffen Zacharias	Man at Party
Laura Campbell	Up-tight Woman
Jenny Gago	Tracy
Verna Cornelius	Englishwoman at Party
Johna Stewart	Little Casey,Sally
David D'Arnal	Waiter
Don Benjamin	Whispering Man
Ildiko Jaid	Whispering Woman
Kelly Lange	Anchorperson
Rex Reed	Entertainment Editor,Dotty Chandler
Irv Meyers	Man in Bar,Man in Bar
William A. Fraker	Cinematographer
Eloise Hardt	Elaine Kessler
Art Bradley	Handsome Party Guest
Stuart Pankin	Ronnie
Laura Winitsky	Amy
Gregory Hodal	Atlanta Preacher
Carl Byrd	Sound Man
Dana Kaminski	Woman in Dress Shop
Luana Anders	Atlanta Widow
Minnie Lindsay	Inez
Richard Minchenberg	Howard Kay
Dana Kaminsky	Woman in Dress Shop
Ken Lerner	Doctor
Minnie Lindsey	Inez
Paul De Senneville	Composer
Olivier Toussant	Composer

Technical Credits

Nancy Meyers	Executive Producer
Arlene Sellers	Producer
Charles Shyer	Director
Alex Winitsky	Producer

Editorial Reviews

If Irreconcilable Differences had been produced twenty years later, it would have been made for the cable channel E!. Those familiar with Hollywood scandals will enjoy this film. Ryan O'Neal's character, a film scholar who had written a thesis on the films of Ernst Lubitsch and favors studious looking think-lensed glasses, is an obvious evocation of Peter Bogdonovich. The character's marriage to Lucy (Shelley Long), and his rise to fame closely resembles Bogdanovich's relationship with Polly Platt and his own early career success. What turns Irreconcilable Differences into something more than Hollywood gossip is the preternatural maturity of Drew Barrymore. Here cast as a child who sees the emptiness of her father's Hollywood lifestyle and mourns the crumbling of her family, she communicates a weariness that would be disturbing from someone so young were it not for her superb comic timing. Barrymore, and the rest of the cast, makes this material worthwhile for any audience, even those who know nothing of Bogdanovich, Platt, or Cybill Shepherd - hysterically spoofed here by a very young Sharon Stone.