IMDb RATING
6.3/10
4.7K
YOUR RATING
Three southern sisters try to come to grips with the meaning of their mother's suicide.Three southern sisters try to come to grips with the meaning of their mother's suicide.Three southern sisters try to come to grips with the meaning of their mother's suicide.
- Nominated for 3 Oscars
- 3 wins & 4 nominations total
Gregory Eugene Travis
- Willie Jay
- (as Gregory Travis)
Robert J. Maxwell
- Bus Passenger
- (uncredited)
Featured reviews
Tedious story of neurotic Southern women, each of whom should be in the loony bin. Great shame, as each of the three principals is a fine actress who's done great work in other films. The movie's only virtue is providing a topic for academic discussions: Is it possible to enjoy a film if you do not like even one of the main characters?
Crimes of the Heart We all have crimes of the heart.....sad, true, and blissful....at times...this film covers all the territory. Based on the successful play this film gathered an ensemble of some of the most talented actors and actresses of our time, which includes Sissy Spacek, Sam Shepard, Tess Harper, Diane Keaton, and Jessica Lange. Taking place in the south, we follow the story of a family's relationship and how they are dealing with their sister shooting her husband. With the strong female cast we can't help but to feel their pain through their emotions, relationship with each other, and how they deal with life. Great strong character choices, yet sisters with something even greater in common....love of family, and loyalty. There are many lessons to learn in this film and one of the most important is you can't turn your back on your family, even when you run away they will be there for you. The acting is superb, the honesty is great and in all a wonderful film to see. A true classic!! When family gathers....everything comes out.
9sol-
An entertaining outrageous black comedy, it is supported by three excellent leading performances, although Sissy Spacek is by far the best, and the camera-work from Dante Spinotti is excellent, with creative camera angles and good use of panning. The film tries to bring in a nostalgic sense too though, and does not quite succeed, and the drama of the material does not mix well with the comedy. The choices of music are not too good either, and Tess Harper comes across as very annoying in an over-the-top way, but the virtues of the film are better than its shortcomings. The film comes across as rather lightweight with its black comedy treatment, but it certainly raises some issues with families and coping with one's past, among other ideas. It is not however a film to watch for its messages, but one to simply enjoy for its amusing parts and cinematic virtues, which include some good sound recording too.
i liked this movie quite a bit.i guess it's a chick flick,but i also think it was part dark comedy.at least there were elements of that here and there.either way,it was a good movie.it's basically about three sisters who have all grown up and gone their separate ways,who are then reunited under less than ideal circumstances.Diane Keaton,Jessica Lange ,and Sissy Spacek are three sisters that couldn't be more different.once they're brought together again,they form new bonds and learn about each other.the film is very poignant,very moving.this is no action movie,it's dialogue and character driven,so it may seem slow,and it's not for everyone.but in this case,it is the journey,not the destination that's important.watching the three woman as they react to a life changing event is fascinating.a word of caution.there are one or two scenes where a racial slur is uttered,which is disturbing.otherwise though,a wonderful movie with three wonderful actresses.for me,Crimes of the Heart is an 8/10
Honestly, there's not a lot to say about this film. Sissy Spacek, Diane Keaton and Jessica Lange star as three Southern sisters who reunite when one (Spacek) shoots her husband. The sisters are, of course, incredibly different and their personalities collide over the course of a few days, dealing with what Spacek's character has done while old feuds come to the surface. Clearly based on a play, most of the action takes place in the same house and the film puts everything on the shoulders of the three central women.
Keaton plays Lenny, the matriarch of the trio (both of their parents are deceased and their grandfather who raised them is in the hospital) who is socially inept and often gets stepped on by her siblings. Lange is Meg, the popular and outgoing wild girl, man-eater and failed actress. Spacek rounds it out as the potentially insane and murderous Babe. Tess Harper steals her few scenes as Chick Boyle, who lives next door to the house, but the whole thing is centered around the three sisters and that's what makes it work. The film never takes itself too seriously, despite it's morbid themes and narrative, and the women all do a marvelous job of bringing the laughs mostly without overdoing it.
Crimes of the Heart is a film that on paper doesn't appeal to my tastes at all, but I often found myself cracking up at the ridiculousness of these characters. The women play the characters as straight as possible, approaching them as characters rather than jokes, and this helps make it an enjoyable experience as opposed to a grating one, although Keaton does overdo it at times. The characters are erratic and very large, which opens itself up to potential disaster, but in selecting the proper actresses for each role they were able to make it an entertaining little movie. It's a simple, light and enjoyable film; certainly nothing memorable and I'm sure I won't be thinking about it at all in a few days, but a nice experience while it lasts.
Keaton plays Lenny, the matriarch of the trio (both of their parents are deceased and their grandfather who raised them is in the hospital) who is socially inept and often gets stepped on by her siblings. Lange is Meg, the popular and outgoing wild girl, man-eater and failed actress. Spacek rounds it out as the potentially insane and murderous Babe. Tess Harper steals her few scenes as Chick Boyle, who lives next door to the house, but the whole thing is centered around the three sisters and that's what makes it work. The film never takes itself too seriously, despite it's morbid themes and narrative, and the women all do a marvelous job of bringing the laughs mostly without overdoing it.
Crimes of the Heart is a film that on paper doesn't appeal to my tastes at all, but I often found myself cracking up at the ridiculousness of these characters. The women play the characters as straight as possible, approaching them as characters rather than jokes, and this helps make it an enjoyable experience as opposed to a grating one, although Keaton does overdo it at times. The characters are erratic and very large, which opens itself up to potential disaster, but in selecting the proper actresses for each role they were able to make it an entertaining little movie. It's a simple, light and enjoyable film; certainly nothing memorable and I'm sure I won't be thinking about it at all in a few days, but a nice experience while it lasts.
Did you know
- TriviaJessica Lange was pregnant during principal photography. Lange gave birth to her second child at age 36, a daughter Hannah Jane Shepard on 13th January 1986. The child's father is her then partner and co-star in this film, Sam Shepard.
- Quotes
Meg Magrath: Why'd you do it, Babe ? Why'd you put your head in the oven?
Babe Magrath: I don't know... I'm having a bad day.
- SoundtracksHappy Birthday to You
Written by Mildred J. Hill and Patty S. Hill
Publisher Summy-Birchard Music Division of Birch Tree Group Ltd.
- How long is Crimes of the Heart?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $20,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $22,905,522
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $1,402,921
- Dec 14, 1986
- Gross worldwide
- $22,905,522
- Runtime1 hour 45 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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