Domestic Disturbance
Encyclopedia
Domestic Disturbance is a 2001 thriller film directed by Harold Becker
and stars John Travolta
and Vince Vaughn
. It co-stars Teri Polo
, Matt O'Leary
and Steve Buscemi
.
), recently divorced from her husband Frank (John Travolta
) who is a struggling ship builder, is getting married to a younger and wealthier Rick Barnes (Vince Vaughn
). Danny (Matt O'Leary
), Susan and Frank's 12 year old son is clearly unhappy with his mother re-marrying. The revelation that Susan and Rick are having a baby, worsens the situation. Susan asks Frank to allow Rick to go sailing with him and Danny, to help Danny bond with and accept Rick as a stepfather. After the marriage and a brief improvement in Danny and Rick's relationship, Danny begins to dislike him once again. During a game of catch between the two, Rick clearly becomes agitated with Danny's ambivalent playing style and starts criticising him harshly as well as dealing some hard throws toward Danny. After finding out about the baby, Danny stows away in Rick's Chevy Suburban, planning to drop off it en route and visit his Dad. But while inside the car, he witnesses Rick murder
ing mysterious stranger Ray Coleman (Steve Buscemi
), who earlier attended the wedding unannounced, claiming to be an ex-business associate of Rick. Danny reports the murder to Frank and the local police. Rick however, has managed to dispose of most of the evidence, and is widely considered a pillar of the local community as he has invested plenty of money in the area, where as Danny has a history of lying and misdemeanors. Frank believes his son though because of their own close relationship and his own suspicions, stemming from Rick's notable unease around Coleman at the ceremony. Frank does some investigating of his own and unearths Rick's criminal past which now stand to put his son and ex-wife in risk. Frank learns that Rick's real name is Jack Parnell and he's a criminal who was acquitted while his partners, which included Coleman, were convicted. Rick tries to kill Frank by setting his boathouse on fire, but Frank manages to escape. Susan realizes the truth when she notes a large burn on Rick's arm, having heard about the fire at the boathouse hours earlier. Susan tries to escape with Danny but Rick knocks her out and takes Danny as a hostage. Frank arrives to confront Rick,as he tries to flee. In the ensuing fight, Rick is killed when a tied-up Danny pushes him to a fuse box, electrocuting
him. We see that Susan has no serious physical injury from the conflict, although we learn she miscarries
her child.
awarded it a meager one-and-a-half stars (out of a possible four), reciting an ancedote about how the Chicago
film critics had been shown the wrong last reel
. He saw the correct one the following Monday, and scathingly said of it in his review: "The earlier reel was lacking the final music. Music is the last thing wrong with that reel."
The film was not a financial success. It was able to gross only $54m from its $75m budget.
, for Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor. However, star John Travolta was nominated for a Razzie for Worst Actor. Vaughn and Travolta have also worked in Be Cool
together.
, actor Steve Buscemi
was slashed and badly scarred on his face while intervening in a bar fight between his friend Vince Vaughn
, screenwriter
Scott Rosenberg
and a local man, Timothy Fogerty, who allegedly instigated the brawl.
Harold Becker
Harold Becker is American film director and producer from New York.-Biography:After studying art and photography at the Pratt Institute, Becker began his career as a still photographer, but later tried his hand at directing television commercials, short films and documentaries...
and stars John Travolta
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
and Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
. It co-stars Teri Polo
Teri Polo
Theresa Elizabeth "Teri" Polo is an American actress known for her role of Pam Focker in the movie Meet the Parents and its two sequels, Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers...
, Matt O'Leary
Matt O'Leary
-Life and career:O'Leary was born in Chicago, Illinois. He has two older half-sisters and an older half-brother. O'Leary auditioned for the lead in Home Alone 3. He made his acting debut in the lead role of the 2000 made-for-television film Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire...
and Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi
Steven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
.
Plot
Susan Morrison (Teri PoloTeri Polo
Theresa Elizabeth "Teri" Polo is an American actress known for her role of Pam Focker in the movie Meet the Parents and its two sequels, Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers...
), recently divorced from her husband Frank (John Travolta
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
) who is a struggling ship builder, is getting married to a younger and wealthier Rick Barnes (Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
). Danny (Matt O'Leary
Matt O'Leary
-Life and career:O'Leary was born in Chicago, Illinois. He has two older half-sisters and an older half-brother. O'Leary auditioned for the lead in Home Alone 3. He made his acting debut in the lead role of the 2000 made-for-television film Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire...
), Susan and Frank's 12 year old son is clearly unhappy with his mother re-marrying. The revelation that Susan and Rick are having a baby, worsens the situation. Susan asks Frank to allow Rick to go sailing with him and Danny, to help Danny bond with and accept Rick as a stepfather. After the marriage and a brief improvement in Danny and Rick's relationship, Danny begins to dislike him once again. During a game of catch between the two, Rick clearly becomes agitated with Danny's ambivalent playing style and starts criticising him harshly as well as dealing some hard throws toward Danny. After finding out about the baby, Danny stows away in Rick's Chevy Suburban, planning to drop off it en route and visit his Dad. But while inside the car, he witnesses Rick murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ing mysterious stranger Ray Coleman (Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi
Steven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
), who earlier attended the wedding unannounced, claiming to be an ex-business associate of Rick. Danny reports the murder to Frank and the local police. Rick however, has managed to dispose of most of the evidence, and is widely considered a pillar of the local community as he has invested plenty of money in the area, where as Danny has a history of lying and misdemeanors. Frank believes his son though because of their own close relationship and his own suspicions, stemming from Rick's notable unease around Coleman at the ceremony. Frank does some investigating of his own and unearths Rick's criminal past which now stand to put his son and ex-wife in risk. Frank learns that Rick's real name is Jack Parnell and he's a criminal who was acquitted while his partners, which included Coleman, were convicted. Rick tries to kill Frank by setting his boathouse on fire, but Frank manages to escape. Susan realizes the truth when she notes a large burn on Rick's arm, having heard about the fire at the boathouse hours earlier. Susan tries to escape with Danny but Rick knocks her out and takes Danny as a hostage. Frank arrives to confront Rick,as he tries to flee. In the ensuing fight, Rick is killed when a tied-up Danny pushes him to a fuse box, electrocuting
Electric shock
Electric Shock of a body with any source of electricity that causes a sufficient current through the skin, muscles or hair. Typically, the expression is used to denote an unwanted exposure to electricity, hence the effects are considered undesirable....
him. We see that Susan has no serious physical injury from the conflict, although we learn she miscarries
Miscarriage
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
her child.
Reception
The film was received poorly by critics, and was only moderately more successful at the box office. Roger EbertRoger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
awarded it a meager one-and-a-half stars (out of a possible four), reciting an ancedote about how the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
film critics had been shown the wrong last reel
Developing tank
A developing tank is a light-tight container used for developing film. A developing tank allows photographic film to be developed in a daylight environment. This is useful because most film is panchromatic and therefore can not be exposed to any light during processing. A developing tank can hold...
. He saw the correct one the following Monday, and scathingly said of it in his review: "The earlier reel was lacking the final music. Music is the last thing wrong with that reel."
The film was not a financial success. It was able to gross only $54m from its $75m budget.
Awards
Matt O'Leary was nominated for a Young Artist AwardYoung Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
, for Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor. However, star John Travolta was nominated for a Razzie for Worst Actor. Vaughn and Travolta have also worked in Be Cool
Be Cool
Be Cool is a 2005 crime-comedy film adapted from Elmore Leonard's 1999 novel of the same name and the sequel to Leonard's 1990 novel Get Shorty about mobster Chili Palmer's entrance into the film industry.The film adaptation of Be Cool began production in 2003. It was directed by F...
together.
Production notes
In April 2001, while shooting the film in Wilmington, North CarolinaWilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
, actor Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi
Steven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
was slashed and badly scarred on his face while intervening in a bar fight between his friend Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
Scott Rosenberg
Scott Rosenberg
Scott Rosenberg is an American actor, screenwriter and film producer.- Biography :Born in Needham, Massachusetts in 1963, Rosenberg received a Bachelor's Degree from Boston University. He earned his MFA from UCLA...
and a local man, Timothy Fogerty, who allegedly instigated the brawl.