IMDb RATING
6.7/10
18K
YOUR RATING
An emotionally distant writer of travel guides must carry on with his life after his son is killed and his marriage crumbles.An emotionally distant writer of travel guides must carry on with his life after his son is killed and his marriage crumbles.An emotionally distant writer of travel guides must carry on with his life after his son is killed and his marriage crumbles.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Won 1 Oscar
- 4 wins & 11 nominations total
Robert Hy Gorman
- Alexander
- (as Robert Gorman)
Bill Lee Brown
- Morgue Detective #1
- (as W.H. Brown)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Hurt expresses more with the slightest movement on his face than most actors do with pages of dialogue. An achingly beautiful portrait of a man trapped within himself, struggling at once to stay in and get out
William Hurt gives one of the most intensely interior performances on record. He is indescribable moving. His emotional paralysis becomes the palpitating centre of this gorgeous Lawrence Kasdan film. I saw the film, when it first come out, on a big huge screen that allowed me the strangely unique privilege of entering a man's soul. In the surface, nothing. Less than nothing, William Hurt floats through his daily existence, surrounded by his quirky family, his wounded, distant ex wife but first and foremost, his impenetrable loneliness. The character never utters a word who could confirm that, and yet is there, ever present, if you look deep, deep into his eyes. The scene in which he almost lets himself go in Geena Davis's arms is as cathartic as anything I've ever seen in any modern American movie. A couple of days ago I saw it again on a normal TV screen and all of the above wasn't there. Still a gorgeous film, a funny, melancholic romantic comedy but what about the interior masterpiece of William Hurt's performance? Gone. Did I imagine the whole emotional ride? Possible but unlikely. I took my VHS copy to a friend's house with a phenomenal home entertainment centre and a massive screen. William Hurt's performance was back. His is a performance conceived and designed for the big screen. One hundred per cent cinematic. The TV screen is far too small to allow us into a man's soul. If you haven't seen it I urge you to see it but in a big screen, the biggest you can find. Now let me leave you with this little tip. Look into William Hurt's eyes when he is in the taxi in Paris and sees the boy, who reminds him of his own son, walking down the street. It is the best performances by an actor in one of my favourite film moments of all time.
Probably the best performances I have ever seen out of Geena Davis AND William Hurt. AND !BIG SURPRISE! Kathleen Turner does not overact in this one--I think it was not long after this film that Turner started going over the top.
This is a sad, introspective film so if you don't like to watch movies which portray life's real problems, skip this one. And, yes, even though Geena Davis is supposed to be a Baltimore city woman and does not have one HINT of our beloved accent, I let it go. I cared so much about her and her son in this film and wanted so much for Macon and his family to love them as I did.
In this film, Muriel (Geena) meets Macon (Hurt), who is deeply mourning the accidental death of his young son which has apparently caused Macon and his wife Sarah (Turner) to separate. Geena's smile can light up a room. In some scenes, you just want to hug her! Her films today have been few and far between. She needs to rehire the agent who put her in this film, "The Fly" and "Thelma & Louise" because they are, by far, her best.
For those of you who have never experienced agonizing grief in your own lives, you may not understand Hurt's feelings. For me, I cried deeply watching him battle his pain and internal chaos--should he stay with Turner, should he start a new life with Davis? His choices may seem simple to you, but believe me, having been in his shoes, I know that something simple like picking out what clothes to wear to work each day is a monumental task. I can't remember ever liking Hurt in anything he has done, but he nailed this part. I am sure he dug up this pain from some godforsaken part of his life, and he surely deserved an award for this role. I was rooting for him to "let go" of the past the entire film--it took me a whole year to do so in my own life.
Ladies, this is definitely a "whole box of tissue" movie.
This is a sad, introspective film so if you don't like to watch movies which portray life's real problems, skip this one. And, yes, even though Geena Davis is supposed to be a Baltimore city woman and does not have one HINT of our beloved accent, I let it go. I cared so much about her and her son in this film and wanted so much for Macon and his family to love them as I did.
In this film, Muriel (Geena) meets Macon (Hurt), who is deeply mourning the accidental death of his young son which has apparently caused Macon and his wife Sarah (Turner) to separate. Geena's smile can light up a room. In some scenes, you just want to hug her! Her films today have been few and far between. She needs to rehire the agent who put her in this film, "The Fly" and "Thelma & Louise" because they are, by far, her best.
For those of you who have never experienced agonizing grief in your own lives, you may not understand Hurt's feelings. For me, I cried deeply watching him battle his pain and internal chaos--should he stay with Turner, should he start a new life with Davis? His choices may seem simple to you, but believe me, having been in his shoes, I know that something simple like picking out what clothes to wear to work each day is a monumental task. I can't remember ever liking Hurt in anything he has done, but he nailed this part. I am sure he dug up this pain from some godforsaken part of his life, and he surely deserved an award for this role. I was rooting for him to "let go" of the past the entire film--it took me a whole year to do so in my own life.
Ladies, this is definitely a "whole box of tissue" movie.
At last,the dvd has arrived and it is a pure joy from start to finish.I was 21 when I first saw this film at the theatre and I knew it was good then,but now,a little older and wiser,I consider it a masterpiece.William Hurt's performance is mesmerising and Geena Davis is at her best.The dvd has 14 deleted scenes and I do feel sorry for Kathleen Turner,as some of her best work is on the cutting room floor.If you enjoy a real actor's movie,then this will not disappoint.The last 5 minutes,with marvellous John Williams underscoring,is sheer perfection.How this did not win best picture I shall never know.
the Accidental Tourist is among the best movies ever made in the world.Maybe it is not absolutely the best, but as to me it is the most well understood one. that probably is the reason why i love it so much. When i watched it, i can even felt what Macon Leary was feeling inside---i could feel the complicated mood when he called Sarah in his hotel in Paris, i can understand that his heart has already belonged to Muriel when he said it's OK to Sarah, who asked for his opinion on the newly bought sofa. he was a captious guy!and i can also read his heart when he close the door to Muriel, not willing to take her on his trip the next morning. Also i can read the deep love for Muriel on his smiling face when he met Muriel at the gate of the hotel at the end of the movie. I can't agree with some people who think this movie lacks energy. it might appear to lack, but u could have felt the passion in their hearts if u can understand them. this remind me of another movie--Once Upon A Time In America, which is also said to lack energy, but i can feel the great passion in Noodles and Deborah's heart when they "quietly" meet in the bar after Noodle was released from the jail. only a few words from Deborah can make me feel that! Just as sometimes the clothes do not make the man, sometimes the movie is not what it appears! there is seldom any good movies from which we can not feel the passion!
Did you know
- TriviaWhile filming La Mouche (1986), Geena Davis was reading the novel on which this film was based. In fact, she would read it to Jeff Goldblum while he went through the hours-long process of having prosthetic make-up applied to his body. Goldblum also appeared in Lawrence Kasdan's earlier films, Les Copains d'abord (1983) and Silverado (1985).
- GoofsAfter returning from England, Macon reaches into his pocket for his keys twice.
- SoundtracksI'M GONNA LASSO SANTA CLAUS
Written by Frankie Adams and 'Wilbur Jones'
- How long is The Accidental Tourist?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $32,632,093
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $97,578
- Dec 26, 1988
- Gross worldwide
- $32,632,093
- Runtime2 hours 1 minute
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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