All Night Long (1981 film)
Encyclopedia
All Night Long is a 1981 comedy film starring Barbra Streisand
, Gene Hackman
, Diane Ladd
, Dennis Quaid
, Kevin Dobson
, and William Daniels
, written by W. D. Richter
and directed by Jean-Claude Tramont.
George advises his adult son Freddie to stop having an affair with an older, married woman before it leads to trouble. But when George finally meets the woman, Cheryl Gibbons, an untalented singer-songwriter married to a volatile firefighter, she begins to show an interest in him.
The next thing George knows, it's being announced by Freddie at the family's dinner table that Cheryl and his father have become romantically involved. George ends up moving out of the house, taking a loft and trying to begin a new life as an inventor.
. Streisand's then-agent, Sue Mengers
, who was married to the film's director, suggested Barbra for the part instead of Eichhorn. Several biographies suggest that because of the film's subsequent failure at the box office, Streisand fired Mengers.
magazine, gave the film a positive review, adding that Streisand's performance suggested Marilyn Monroe
. Pauline Kael
in The New Yorker
was full of praise for the film : " The director, Jean-Claude Tramont, a Belgian who has worked in American television, is a sophisticated jokester. There may be a suggestion of Lubitsch
and of Max Ophuls
in his approach, and there is more than a suggestion of Jacques Tati
. Gene Hackman
, whose specialty has been believable, lived-in characters, gives one of his most likable performances."
, the film opened at #1 on the American film charts with an opening weekend of $1,391,000, and grossed around $10,000,000 worldwide. Adjusting for inflation, this is around $22.5 million in 2000 dollars. The Independent Movie Data Base website lists the film's total U.S. gross as less than $4.5 million.
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
, Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
, Diane Ladd
Diane Ladd
Diane Ladd is an American actress, film director, producer and published author. She has appeared in over 120 roles, on television, and in miniseries and feature films, including Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore , Wild at Heart , Rambling Rose , Ghosts of Mississippi, Primary Colors, 28 Days , and...
, Dennis Quaid
Dennis Quaid
Dennis William Quaid is an American actor known for his comedic and dramatic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the 1980s, his career rebounded in the 1990s after he overcame an addiction to drugs and an eating disorder...
, Kevin Dobson
Kevin Dobson
Kevin Patrick Dobson is an American film and television actor of Irish descent, who is primarily known for his roles on television. His most prominent roles were as Lt. Theo Kojak's trusted partner, Det. Bobby Crocker on the popular 1970s TV crime drama Kojak, and as Karen MacKenzie's second...
, and William Daniels
William Daniels
William David Daniels is an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild . He is known for his performance as Dustin Hoffman's father in The Graduate , as John Adams in 1776, as Carter Nash in Captain Nice, as Mr. George Feeny in ABC's Boy Meets World, as the voice of KITT in...
, written by W. D. Richter
W. D. Richter
W. D. Richter is a screenwriter and has occasionally directed and produced. He is best known for adapting Invasion of the Body Snatchers , directing The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, and helping write Big Trouble in Little China.- Biography:Richter graduated from...
and directed by Jean-Claude Tramont.
Plot
George Dupler, a man nearing middle age, is demoted after a temper tantrum and reduced to working as the midnight-shift manager of an all-night pharmacy/convenience store.George advises his adult son Freddie to stop having an affair with an older, married woman before it leads to trouble. But when George finally meets the woman, Cheryl Gibbons, an untalented singer-songwriter married to a volatile firefighter, she begins to show an interest in him.
The next thing George knows, it's being announced by Freddie at the family's dinner table that Cheryl and his father have become romantically involved. George ends up moving out of the house, taking a loft and trying to begin a new life as an inventor.
Cast
- Gene HackmanGene HackmanEugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
as George Dupler - Barbra StreisandBarbra StreisandBarbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
as Cheryl Gibbons - Dennis QuaidDennis QuaidDennis William Quaid is an American actor known for his comedic and dramatic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the 1980s, his career rebounded in the 1990s after he overcame an addiction to drugs and an eating disorder...
as Freddie - Diane LaddDiane LaddDiane Ladd is an American actress, film director, producer and published author. She has appeared in over 120 roles, on television, and in miniseries and feature films, including Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore , Wild at Heart , Rambling Rose , Ghosts of Mississippi, Primary Colors, 28 Days , and...
as Helen - Kevin DobsonKevin DobsonKevin Patrick Dobson is an American film and television actor of Irish descent, who is primarily known for his roles on television. His most prominent roles were as Lt. Theo Kojak's trusted partner, Det. Bobby Crocker on the popular 1970s TV crime drama Kojak, and as Karen MacKenzie's second...
as Bobby
Production
The film was originally planned as a low-budget release, with Hackman and Lisa EichhornLisa Eichhorn
Lisa Eichhorn is an American actress, writer and producer. She made her film debut in 1979 in the John Schlesinger film Yanks for which she received two Golden Globe nominations...
. Streisand's then-agent, Sue Mengers
Sue Mengers
Sue Mengers was a talent agent to many significant filmmakers and actors of the New Hollywood generation of the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s.-Early life:...
, who was married to the film's director, suggested Barbra for the part instead of Eichhorn. Several biographies suggest that because of the film's subsequent failure at the box office, Streisand fired Mengers.
Reception
Streisand was nominated for a 1981 Golden Raspberry Award for her performance. The film received mixed reviews, though some critics cited Streisand's performance as one of her very best. Stephen Holden, in Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine, gave the film a positive review, adding that Streisand's performance suggested Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
. Pauline Kael
Pauline Kael
Pauline Kael was an American film critic who wrote for The New Yorker magazine from 1968 to 1991. Earlier in her career, her work appeared in City Lights, McCall's and The New Republic....
in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
was full of praise for the film : " The director, Jean-Claude Tramont, a Belgian who has worked in American television, is a sophisticated jokester. There may be a suggestion of Lubitsch
Ernst Lubitsch
Ernst Lubitsch was a German-born film director. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as his prestige grew, his films were promoted as having "the Lubitsch touch."In 1947 he received an Honorary Academy Award for his...
and of Max Ophuls
Max Ophüls
Maximillian Oppenheimer — known as Max Ophüls — was an influential German-born film director who worked in Germany , France , the United States , and France again...
in his approach, and there is more than a suggestion of Jacques Tati
Jacques Tati
Jacques Tati was a French filmmaker, working as a comedic actor, writer and director. In a poll conducted by Entertainment Weekly of the Greatest Movie Directors Tati was voted the 46th greatest of all time...
. Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
, whose specialty has been believable, lived-in characters, gives one of his most likable performances."
Box office
Although generally seen as a flopBox office bomb
The phrase box office bomb refers to a film for which the production and marketing costs greatly exceeded the revenue regained by the movie studio. This should not be confused with Hollywood accounting when official figures show large losses, yet the movie is a financial success.A film's financial...
, the film opened at #1 on the American film charts with an opening weekend of $1,391,000, and grossed around $10,000,000 worldwide. Adjusting for inflation, this is around $22.5 million in 2000 dollars. The Independent Movie Data Base website lists the film's total U.S. gross as less than $4.5 million.