F-0238

Title:

Still Breathing

Category:

S

Produced:

1997

Country:

USA

Released:

Film: May 1998 (USA)
DVD: Oct 2000
Soundtrack: ? [CD]

Director:

James F. Robinson

Writer:

James F. Robinson

Actors:

Lou Rawls (The Tree Man); Brendan Fraser (Fletcher McBracken); Joanna Going (Rosalyn Willoughby); Steven Lambert (Man in Alley - as Steve Lambert); Chao Li Chi (Formosa Bartender); Ann Magnuson (Elaine); Paolo Seganti (Tomas De Leon); Wendy Benson-Landes (Brigitte - as Wendy Benson); Katie Hagan (Little Girl in Dream); Celeste Holm (Ida, Fletcher's Grand Mother); Toby Huss (Cameron); Jeff Schweickert (Slammin' Sammy); Bill Gundry (Man With Painting); Angus Macfadyen (Philip); Liz Mamana (Slightly Elegant Girl)

Description:

Two lost souls: she a con-artist in L.A. (Joanna Going); he a puppeteer in San Antonio (Brendan Fraser) have the same dream linking each with the other. He travels to L.A. to find this woman he has become obsessed with. She resists, afraid of his kooky ideas until she travels with him to San Antonio and meets his wise grandmother (Celeste Holm). Story of two disparate people linked by "fate" gets increasingly interesting as it rolls along. (Ed Lorusso)

After a limited theatrical release in 1998, Still Breathing gained a small but loyal following on cable TV as the kind of movie that die-hard romantics love to discover. It's a formulaic tale of opposites attracting, with creaky themes of predestined romance, but there's a lot to admire in the way first-time writer-director James F. Robinson has handled this material. With Brendan Fraser and the underrated Joanna Going as well-matched costars, this potentially sappy romance is instead a calm and soothing affirmation of unconditional love. It's ostensibly a comedy, but the stars and director give it something extra by slowly but surely developing a credible connection between San Antonio street performer Fletcher McBracken (Fraser) and Los Angeles con artist Roz Willoughby (Going).
Having seen Roz in a vision as the love of his life, Fletcher is drawn to L.A., where Roz--targeting Fletcher as her latest mark in an art-dealer scam--is as cynically damaged as Fletcher is spiritually grounded. He's the cure for what ails her, and their awkward return to San Antonio (a lovely, sunlit location) reveals that Roz is initially too cold to fall for Fletcher's charms. As she comes to life--a process that Going expresses with convincing subtlety--Still Breathing achieves a quality of quiet warmth and grace. An overlooked gem with abundant charm and sex appeal, the movie's also blessed by an easygoing supporting cast including Ann Magnuson, Angus MacFadyen, and Hollywood veteran Celeste Holm as Fletcher's equally good-natured grandmother. (Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com)

This romantic fantasy from writer, director, and producer James F. Robinson, stars Brendan Fraser as Fletcher McBracken, a starry-eyed San Antonio puppeteer who, like his father and grandfather before him, has a mystical vision of the woman he's fated to marry. Believing that she'll be found in 'Formosa' (the one-time name of Taiwan), Fletcher books a flight. During a stopover in L.A., however, he learns of a trendy bar called Formosa and decides to check it out. Sure enough, Fletcher sees his dream girl, Rosalyn Willoughby (Joanna Going), a con artist on the lookout for a new mark, a millionaire from Texas. Assuming that Fletcher is the man she's supposed to bilk, Rosalyn accompanies him to San Antonio, where she meets his tuba-playing grandmother (Celeste Holm) and his eccentric friends, including the Tree Man (Lou Rawls). Charmed against her will by Fletcher, Rosalyn considers a real romance with the daffy artist, but each of them has some revelations to make before a real relationship can begin. (Amazon.com)

Language:

English

TT:

109 min (Film) / 105 min (DVD) / 106 min (DVD - PAL)

J.S. Bach's Music:

Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772
Samuel Pilafian & Jim Carroll

Format:

Film: Color (DeLuxe), Dolby SR
DVD: (Color, Letterboxed, NTSC, Region 1) | (PAL, Region 2)
Soundtrack: CD

Company:

Film: Seattle Pacific Investments; ZapPictures Inc.
DVD: Polygram USA Video; Paradiso
Soundtrack: ?

Comments:

Watch selections:

Buy movie at:

DVD: Amazon.com | Amazon.com [Region 2]
Soundtrack: Amazon.com [CD]

Source/Links: IMDB
Contributor: Aryeh Oron (November 2007)

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