The Sleepy Time Gal
Encyclopedia
The Sleepy Time Gal is a 2001
film written and directed by Christopher Munch
. The film stars Jacqueline Bisset
, Martha Plimpton
, Nick Stahl
, Amy Madigan
, Seymour Cassel
and Frankie Faison
.
, radio station where Frances worked years ago as a late-night disc jockey under the moniker of the Sleepy Time Gal.
(1991) and Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day
(1996). Munch shot the film over a two-and-half year period, and he later told an interviewer the extended stop-and-start shooting schedule was dictated by the lack of finances. "I didn't have a big enough chunk of money at any one point to do the whole thing," he said. "It really was held together by chewing gum and a lot of care."
Munch also stated the inspiration for The Sleepy Time Gal was based on his mother's experience in giving birth to a baby girl out of wedlock and giving the infant away for adoption. But unlike the characters in his film, Munch made no attempt to actively locate his long-lost half-sister.
. However, it was not acquired by a major distributor for theatrical release. Later that year, it was cited by the Village Voice in its annual survey of the year's best undistributed films. The film had a television premiere instead of a theatrical debut, with a debut broadcast on the Sundance Channel on March 29, 2002.
After its television broadcast, The Sleepy Time Gal had several commercial theatrical playdates across the U.S. When the film played in New York City
in May 2002, film critic Dennis Lim of the Village Voice praised Bisset’s acting, citing a “candid and complex performance that for all its gossamer, death-haunted poetics…conveys the irreducible weight of a singular life.” When the played in Chicago
in November 2002, Chicago Sun-Times
critic Roger Ebert
praised Munch's screenplay for being “tenderly observant of his characters.”
The Sleepy Time Gal was released on DVD on January 28, 2003, by Sundance Home Channel Entertainment.
2001 in film
The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
film written and directed by Christopher Munch
Christopher Münch
Christopher Münch is an American film director, screenwriter and producer.-Biography:Münch was born in 1962 in Pasadena, California and grew up with his mother in La Jolla, San Diego...
. The film stars Jacqueline Bisset
Jacqueline Bisset
Jacqueline Bisset is an English actress. She has been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy Award. She is known for her roles in the films Bullitt , Airport , The Deep , Class , and the TV series Nip/Tuck in 2006...
, Martha Plimpton
Martha Plimpton
Martha Campbell Plimpton is an American actress and singer and former model. Plimpton is a screen, stage and television actress. She first appeared as Jonsy in the feature film River Rats before rising to prominence in the Richard Donner film The Goonies portraying the character Stef...
, Nick Stahl
Nick Stahl
Nicolas Kent "Nick" Stahl is an American actor. Starting out as a child actor, he gained recognition for his performance in the 1993 film The Man Without a Face and then embarked on a successful career as a child actor...
, Amy Madigan
Amy Madigan
Amy Marie Madigan is an American actress who is known for her role as Annie Kinsella in the 1989 film Field of Dreams and Iris Crowe in the HBO television series Carnivale...
, Seymour Cassel
Seymour Cassel
Seymour Joseph Cassel is an American actor.He first came to prominence in the 1960s in the pioneering independent films of writer/directorJohn Cassavetes...
and Frankie Faison
Frankie Faison
Frankie Russel Faison , often credited as Frankie R. Faison, is an American actor.-Personal life:Faison was born in Newport News, Virginia, the son of Carmena and Edgar Faison. He studied drama at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois, where he joined Theta Chi Fraternity...
.
Plot
Frances (Jacqueline Bisset) has enjoyed a variety of jobs during her adult life and is the mother of two sons, each by a different husband. She also gave birth to a daughter following an affair she had with a married man, but was forced by her mother to give up the baby for adoption. Frances attempts to search for child she gave away, but she is diagnosed with cancer before she is able to conduct a thorough search. As Frances is attended by one of her sons (Nick Stahl) and a nurse (Amy Madigan), she is unaware that her lost daughter, who is now a corporate lawyer (Martha Plimpton), is conducting her own search for her missing birth mother. Part of her search takes her to a Daytona Beach, FloridaDaytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 64,211. Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Deltona – Daytona Beach – Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had...
, radio station where Frances worked years ago as a late-night disc jockey under the moniker of the Sleepy Time Gal.
Production
The Sleepy Time Gal was the third film directed by Christopher Munch, whose previous work included The Hours and TimesThe Hours and Times
The Hours and Times is a 1991 drama film written and directed by Christopher Münch. Starring David Angus and Ian Hart, it is a fictionalized account of what might have happened during a real holiday taken by John Lennon and The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein in 1963.-Plot:It is 1963 and John Lennon...
(1991) and Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day
Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day
Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day is a 1996 drama film written and directed by Christopher Münch. It stars Peter Alexander and features R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe...
(1996). Munch shot the film over a two-and-half year period, and he later told an interviewer the extended stop-and-start shooting schedule was dictated by the lack of finances. "I didn't have a big enough chunk of money at any one point to do the whole thing," he said. "It really was held together by chewing gum and a lot of care."
Munch also stated the inspiration for The Sleepy Time Gal was based on his mother's experience in giving birth to a baby girl out of wedlock and giving the infant away for adoption. But unlike the characters in his film, Munch made no attempt to actively locate his long-lost half-sister.
Distribution
The Sleepy Time Gal was first shown at the 2001 Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
. However, it was not acquired by a major distributor for theatrical release. Later that year, it was cited by the Village Voice in its annual survey of the year's best undistributed films. The film had a television premiere instead of a theatrical debut, with a debut broadcast on the Sundance Channel on March 29, 2002.
After its television broadcast, The Sleepy Time Gal had several commercial theatrical playdates across the U.S. When the film played in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in May 2002, film critic Dennis Lim of the Village Voice praised Bisset’s acting, citing a “candid and complex performance that for all its gossamer, death-haunted poetics…conveys the irreducible weight of a singular life.” When the played in 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...
in November 2002, Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
critic Roger Ebert
Roger 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...
praised Munch's screenplay for being “tenderly observant of his characters.”
The Sleepy Time Gal was released on DVD on January 28, 2003, by Sundance Home Channel Entertainment.