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The Leading Man

  • 1996
  • R
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
Jon Bon Jovi, Anna Galiena, and Thandiwe Newton in The Leading Man (1996)
The Leading Man: Don't Try To Impress Him
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Watch The Leading Man: Don't Try To Impress Him
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8 Photos
DramaRomanceThriller

A successful playwright falls in love with his new actress Hilary (Thandie Newton) and, in an attempt to leave his wife Elena (Anna Galiena) without incident, recruits a handsome Hollywood a... Read allA successful playwright falls in love with his new actress Hilary (Thandie Newton) and, in an attempt to leave his wife Elena (Anna Galiena) without incident, recruits a handsome Hollywood actor (Jon Bon Jovi) to seduce her.A successful playwright falls in love with his new actress Hilary (Thandie Newton) and, in an attempt to leave his wife Elena (Anna Galiena) without incident, recruits a handsome Hollywood actor (Jon Bon Jovi) to seduce her.

  • Director
    • John Duigan
  • Writer
    • Virginia Duigan
  • Stars
    • Jon Bon Jovi
    • Anna Galiena
    • Lambert Wilson
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.6/10
    1.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • John Duigan
    • Writer
      • Virginia Duigan
    • Stars
      • Jon Bon Jovi
      • Anna Galiena
      • Lambert Wilson
    • 14User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    The Leading Man: Don't Try To Impress Him
    Clip 1:12
    The Leading Man: Don't Try To Impress Him

    Photos7

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    Top cast38

    Edit
    Jon Bon Jovi
    Jon Bon Jovi
    • Robin Grange
    Anna Galiena
    Anna Galiena
    • Elena Webb
    Lambert Wilson
    Lambert Wilson
    • Felix Webb
    Thandiwe Newton
    Thandiwe Newton
    • Hilary Rule
    • (as Thandie Newton)
    Barry Humphries
    Barry Humphries
    • Humphrey Beal
    David Warner
    David Warner
    • Tod
    Patricia Hodge
    Patricia Hodge
    • Delvene
    Diana Quick
    Diana Quick
    • Susan
    Harriet Walter
    Harriet Walter
    • Liz Flett
    Tam Dean Burn
    • Henry
    Claire Cox
    Claire Cox
    • Serena
    Kevin McKidd
    Kevin McKidd
    • Ant
    Victoria Smurfit
    Victoria Smurfit
    • Annabel
    Laura Austin-Little
    Laura Austin-Little
    • Miranda Webb
    Danny Worters
    • Danny Webb
    • (as Daniel Worters)
    Camilla Ohlsson
    • Jessie Webb
    Harry Jones
    • Doorman
    Sheridan Morley
    • TV Interviewer
    • Director
      • John Duigan
    • Writer
      • Virginia Duigan
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews14

    5.61.6K
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    Featured reviews

    Gordon-11

    Engaging

    This erotic thriller is quite engaging. The charming lead is a real bad boy, but I can't bring myself to hate him. I feel sorry for the victims of his manipulation.
    kenandraf

    Average romance soap

    Average romance drama that has a good story and adequate cast but a bad script/screenplay.Good moral lesson for men who want a misstress despite having a good wife.The movie starts very slow,has a promising middle part but ends weakly.Only for big fans of romance drama soaps and fans of the lead actors.....
    mdlngstr

    Um...

    This movie was kinda weird. It had Jon Bon Jovi in it...so of course...I HAD to see it. The actors were good, the story line was good, but it just didn't CLICK to me...lol. Jon Bon Jovi's acting was horrible in it...sorry. :( I love him, but *shakes head* I thought at this point of his acting career he should've stuck with singing. I don't know what it was tho. The movie dragged out badly in some parts and I kept checking my watch thru out the whole thing. Sure...there were some 'good' parts in it...*evil grin*, but I didn't really enjoy it.
    6bkoganbing

    Serial Seducer

    The Leading Man cast Jon Bon Jovi as a charming seducer willing to help a friend for consideration. Bon Jovi was looking to spread his wings a little and try straight acting like Crosby and Sinatra did as the best examples of singers who expanded their careers.

    In fact Bon Jovi is in London after suffering a discreet blacklist involving him bedding the wife of some studio executive. He's hoping to jumpstart his career again on the London stage. He's in a play that Lambert Wilson wrote, in fact in the title role of The Hit Man.

    Wilson has his problems, he's falling in love with his leading lady Thandie Newton. No problem, Bon Jovi offers to nail Wilson's wife Anna Gallena for favors to be named later. It works like a charm.

    I have to say that the climax which occurs at the premier of the play and the aftermath kind of fooled me. Which is the mark of a good film in my humble opinion. Bon Jovi did a good job in the lead and got good support from the other three in the foursided triangle. In fact he went above and beyond the call of duty.

    Two others to note in the cast are Barry Humphries as the director and veteran actor David Warner as a veteran actor.

    Looking at his credits I see Bon Jovi decided to concentrate on music, his career choice.
    bob the moo

    Reasonable story - but was Bon Jovi the best choice?

    When I watched this I enjoyed the plot and the fact that any twists in the story were emotional twists (people's feelings and motives being revealed - sometimes to the person themselves). However I felt that John Bon Jovi was not quite right in the main role and his dialogue sometimes sounded like he was reading it. However the other main roles of playwright, his wife and his lover were well played and fitted their roles well.

    Overall the film is enjoyable and sensuous. It's a story where all the action takes place in people's hearts - so if you're into that sort of drama then this should be for you.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      In a 2020 interview with Vulture, Thandiwe Newton expressed her regret having appeared in this film, which was directed by John Duigan, who had groomed and abused her during the making of Flirting (1991) and had bullied her into participating. During a scene where Newton was topless, Duigan told her that the camera was framed above her breasts, and Newton was mortified to later discover that was not the case.
    • Goofs
      The exterior of the theatre in which the play is performed is obviously The Playhouse, Charing Cross, London but the interior is the Theatre Royal, Stratford, London.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Movie Show: Episode dated 1 June 1997 (1997)
    • Soundtracks
      Burning Down the House
      Performed by Talking Heads

      Composed by David Byrne (as Byrne), Chris Frantz (as Frantz), Tina Weymouth (as Weymouth) AND Jerry Harrison (as Harrison)

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    FAQ

    • How long is The Leading Man?
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    Details

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    • Release date
      • September 12, 1997 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Süperstar
    • Production companies
      • BMG Independents
      • J&M Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross US & Canada
      • $18,012
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $2,483
      • Mar 8, 1998
    • Gross worldwide
      • $18,012
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 40 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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    Jon Bon Jovi, Anna Galiena, and Thandiwe Newton in The Leading Man (1996)
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