Denise Calls Up (1995)

77% of critics liked it
(22 reviews)
65% of users liked it
(87 ratings)

Thanks to the technological marvels of wireless phones, answering machines, the internet, and e-mail, it is no longer necessary actually to see anyone you know, and seven friends have taken this notion to its logical extreme in this comedy. Linda (Aida Turturro) throws a birthday party and to her… More Thanks to the technological marvels of wireless phones, answering machines, the internet, and e-mail, it is no longer necessary actually to see anyone you know, and seven friends have taken this notion to its logical extreme in this comedy. Linda (Aida Turturro) throws a birthday party and to her dismay, none of her friends show up. The next day, while making phone calls with several acquaintances (none of whom ever meet face to face), Linda hears the same excuse from everyone: they were busy with work and tied up on the phone. Denise (Alanna Ubach), meanwhile, is pregnant, and she decides to call the father, Martin (Dan Gunther), whom she's never met; he made what he thought was an anonymous donation to a sperm bank, and he isn't so sure he wants to be part of the parenting process. Gale (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson) wants to set up a blind date between her friend Barbara (Caroleen Feeney) and Jerry (Liev Schreiber), who exchange photos via fax machine. The group ends up having a wake via conference call when one of their friends dies in a car accident, while talking on a cellular phone, of course. Denise Calls Up was the directorial debut for screenwriter Hal Salwen. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 20 min.
Directed By: Hal Salwen
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 1, 1996 Wide
On DVD: Oct 22, 1996
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, Variety
A minor but quirkily charming comedy about alientaion, love, and folly that reflects the zeitgeist in terms of AIDS and modern technology.
Hal Hinson, Washington Post
Salwen has captured and properly identified a very particular modern American species. His emergence as a filmmaker is a true event.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
At only 80 minutes, it doesn't overstay its welcome, but slight though it may be, it knows how to create constant smiles.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
It's hard to care about a movie story in which the characters never meet one another or really care about one another.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
An alert, funny antisocial comedy.
Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic
After a while, besides enjoying the stories as such, we begin to enjoy the film's trickiness, almost all on the phone, as a sort of high-wire act.
Sarah Chauncey, Reel.com
Who'd have thought a movie about people talking on the phone could be so fun?
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Insightful comedy about keeping in touch in the modern world.
Kim Williamson, Boxoffice Magazine
Denise Calls Up is, if limited, a surprising success.
Bob Thompson, Jam! Movies
Yes, the movie is a bunch of skits, all right. But in the end it sketches the more elaborate portrait of funny people who don't realize how funny they really are.
Steve Rhodes, Internet Reviews
Even given its inherent limitations, it is interesting, unique, and thought provoking.