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The Pallbearer - DVD

SKU: 3687479 | Release Date: 7/27/1999

Rating: PG-13 for Sexual Situations, Adult Situations, Adult Humor

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Rating: PG-13 for Sexual Situations, Adult Situations, Adult Humor
Format: DVD
Theatrical Release: 1996
Length: 98 minutes
Screen Formats: Enhanced Widescreen for 16x9 TV
Genre: General Comedies
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Synopsis

This dark comedy is a clever homage to classic generation gap comedies such as The Graduate (1967), The Last Picture Show (1971) and The Big Chill (1983), filtered through an ironic Generation X lens. Tom Thompson (David Schwimmer) is unemployed and aimless, hovering between childhood and adult responsibilities. A year out of college, Tom can't land a decent job -- he still lives with his mother in Brooklyn. He receives a call from Ruth Abernathy (Barbara Hershey), who informs Tom that her son Bill, Tom's best friend in high school, has killed himself. She wants Tom to deliver the eulogy and serve as a pallbearer, and flustered, Tom agrees, though he has no recollection of Bill. After delivering a lackluster eulogy, Tom meets the grieving Ruth and begins an impulsive affair with her. He also encounters Julie DeMarco (Gwyneth Paltrow), a beautiful classmate for whom he's long carried a torch. Although Julie at first mistakes Tom for someone else, they begin dating, while he keeps his relationship with Ruth a secret. First-time writer-director Matt Reeves work-shopped the script for The Pallbearer with writing partner Jason Katims at the Sundance Institute. Reeves went on to create the TV series Felicity. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Version Details

Sound

stereo

Languages/Sound

Eng

Screen Formats

Enhanced Widescreen for 16x9 TV

Additional Features

Widescreen Dolby Surround Chapter search

Cast

Carol Kane - Tom's Mom
Mark Margolis - Philip DeMarco
Robin Morse - Sylvie
David Schwimmer - Tom Thompson
Greg Grunberg - Abernathy Cousin
Edoardo Ballerini - Job Interviewer
Gwyneth Paltrow - Julie Demarco
Michael Rapaport - Brad Schorr
Bitty Schram - Lauren
Michael Vartan - Scott
Toni Collette - Cynthia
Jean de Baer - Suzanne DeMarco
Matthew Faber - Jared
Barbara Hershey - Ruth Abernathy
Robin Moore - Sylvie

Crew

Producer: Paul Webster
Line Producer: Nellie Nugiel
Producer: Nellie Nugiel
Screenwriter: Matt Reeves
Director: Matt Reeves
Editor: Stan Salfas
Production Designer: Robin Standefer
Executive Producer: Bob Weinstein ,Harvey Weinstein
Costume Designer: Donna Zakowska
Casting: Billy Hopkins ,Suzanne Smith
Musical Direction/Supervision: Peter Afterman
Producer: Jeffrey Abrams
Casting: Kerry Barden
Sound/Sound Designer: Michael Barosky
Art Director: Stephen Alesch
Camera Operator: Jon Herron
Composer (Music Score): Stewart Copeland
Songwriter: Stewart Copeland
Cinematographer: Robert Elswit
First Assistant Director: Todd R. Pfeiffer
Executive Producer: Meryl Poster
Co-producer: Jason Katims
Screenwriter: Jason Katims
Set Designer: Kate Yatsko
First Assistant Director: Todd Pfeiffer

The Pallbearer: AMG Review
Karl Williams , AMG

Clearly intended to be a Generation X version of The Graduate (1967), this dark comedy is a notable debut for writer/director Matt Reeves. An intelligent attempt at a meaningful examination of the slacker set, Reeves' picture belongs pretty much in the same league with other good examples of that 1990s subgenre: Singles (1992), Reality Bites (1994), and Before Sunrise (1995). While thankfully avoiding the annoying blitzkrieg of pop culture references that often punctuate slacker cinema, The Pallbearer (1996) is no less obsessed with the iconography of mass media, employing its fixations with more subtlety. David Schwimmer is engagingly funny in his debut as a neurotic leading boy/man even as he overly channels his Ross character from the TV hit Friends, while Gwyneth Paltrow is a nice romantic foil, although her character remains slightly underdeveloped despite some hinted-at complexities. The film's biggest hurdle is overcoming a central character that is passive and acquiescent, a similar obstacle in other stories about members of what is seen as a reticent, gloomy generation. As much as any other filmmaker, Reeves succeeds in achieving a balance between representing his peers accurately and sticking to the rules of sound storytelling. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

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The Pallbearer - DVD

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The Pallbearer - DVD

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