Interiors

< Previous Trailer  |   Add to My Scrapbook  |   Next Trailer >
Interiors movie poster

77% Liked It
liked it

Interiors

Diane Keaton, E.G. Marshall, Geraldine Page, Kristin Griffith, Mary Beth Hurt

Diane Keaton, Kristin Griffith, and Mary Beth Hurt play Renata, Flyn, and Joey, the grown daughters of wealthy Arthur (E.G. Marshall) and his emotionally disturbed wife, Eve (Geraldine Page). When Art...( read more read more... )hur leaves Eve, her three daughters rally around her. As it turns out, none of the daughters are ideally suited to provide an anchor for their distracted mother, but all four women are strengthened by their renewed relationship. Interiors received five Oscar nominations, including Best Director for Woody Allen, Best Original Screenplay for Allen, Best Actress for Geraldine Page, Best Supporting Actress for Maureen Stapleton (who plays Arthur's new love), and Best Art Direction for Mel Bourne and Daniel Robert.~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Id: 10897449

Do you want to see this movie?

My Friends Said...

Interiors Recent Reviews

Register or sign-in to see your friends' reviews !

Recent Reviews

Interiors Recent Reviews
  • kenstachnik
    February 26, 2009
    kenstachnik
    Every bit as depressing and well crafted as you'd expect from a Woody Bergman film
  • her69eyes
    October 21, 2008
    her69eyes
    Although i've only recently become a fan of Woody Allen's work over the past year or so, i've noticed that quite a few of his films touch on the exact same note. There's nothing remarkably different about several of his pictures - heck, even this film, "Interiors", is echoed freq...( read more)uently in "Hannah and Her Sisters". The thing is, however, that the Allen formula of sexually-driven dialogue in Manhattan is always appealing. In "Interiors", when Allen ventures far out into different territory in terms of tone, he loses some of that charm and is left with a cold, dry picture. Is it enormously engrossing with some wonderful performances and minimalist yet brilliant cinematography? Sure. But there's such a disappointing lack of heart that I was left feeling as depressed and unfulfilled as the characters represented on the screen.

    In "Interiors", we're introduced to Eve (Geraldine Page), an interior designer with an extremely shaky and loveless marriage. Her husband, Arthur (E.G. Marshall), an ex-lawyer, has suggested a temporary split so transparent that Eve knows it'll mean the end of the marriage for good. Eve has three daughters: Renata (Diane Keaton), an accomplished poet married to the self-destructive novelist, Frederick (Richard Jordan), Joey (Mary Beth Hurt), the youngest sibling who still lives at home and is involved with Mike (Sam Waterston), and Flyn (Kristin Griffith), a television actress who is absent for the majority of the picture. Although the lives of the daughters have drifted off into their own very different ways, it's clear that there's a part of their mother left in each of them. Unfortunately, that piece seems to be an unwillingness to inability to communicate.

    Eve's life comes crashing down at an even higher velocity when her husband returns from Europe with Pearl (Maureen Stapleton), an extremely bold personality that we perceive as quite stubborn and fairly, well, stupid. When the daughters and their men discuss something they've seen and it's intricate morale dilemmas, Peal doesn't look far beyond "the bad guy is the one who snitches". Arthur reveals his intentions to wed Pearl having only known her a month, and he and the daughters are fully aware that this news will crush Eve.

    If the subject matter sounds awfully dreary, that's because it is. There's a small hint of dark humor here and there, but the majority of the film is very quiet, somber, and brooding. The characters, who often longingly stare out the windows of their dry and colorless apartment, are all secluded people who have gotten to a point of complete emotional wreckage. "Interiors" not only refers to interior decoration, but also that these characters are reserved and bottle up just about everything inside. It's a film about distance, neverending despair, and an ultimate seclusion in an urban setting.

    Allen's work can typically be perceived as fairly self-indulgent since his characters are highly intellectual and talk in an unnatural matter, but this is perhaps the only film of his that i'd consider pretentious at all. Critics hailed this as Allen's homage to one of his heroes, Ingmar Bergman, however it comes off as a shoddy knockoff. It hits on all the right notes and Allen has a very good understanding of these characters, however for whatever reason it all comes off as so forced and shallow. This was fairly satisfying due to performances and some writing, but it very much leaves you empty.

    The two best performances were both nominated for Oscars, and those are Geraldine Page and Maureen Stapleton. Pearl is introduced as a completely clueless and uncultured woman who prefers lounging on the beach over seeing some "boring" ruins. Although the characters here are all fairly cliche, Pearl may be one of the more fully-functional character in the film, and she does show a bit of growth from her introduction to the climax. Geraldine's job is essentially to look hopeless and depressed throughout the picture, but she's talented enough to not bore us. Although the subject matter here doesn't entirely hit home, we do feel sympathy for Eve.

    This was quite disappointing and a weaker effort from Allen. That being said, it's still fairly good and worth seeing if only for it's performances.
  • JeT0425
    May 6, 2008
    JeT0425
    Interiors (1978)
    director: Woody Allen
    starring: Geraldine Page, Diane Keaton, Mary Beth Hurt, Kristin Griffith, Maureen Stapleton, E.G. Marshall, Sam Waterston, Richard Jordan

    Most people consider this film a bridge between Woody Allen's two most popular masterpieces, ...( read more)>Annie Hall and Manhattan (which also happen to be to of my all time favourite films). When I hear the word 'bridge' in relation to film, I think of a movie that is just used as a petty time-filler between major projects. In this case, Interiors is anything but a 'bridge'. If it should be compared to a bridge, it would be The Golden Gate Bridge of all films. It's a masterpiece unto itself and is the perfect display of acting and a middle-class American family in distress.

    The performances in this film are fantastic and the ensemble cast is perfect in their respective parts. Woody Allen leaves himself out of this film, which probably was a smart move seeing how this was his first drama and his audiences wouldn't have responded well seeing him in a drama. They might not have responded well seeing him direct a drama either, but he pulled that off flawlessly. The subject matter in this film is heavy and very depressing; it can be compared to something like Ordinary People or The Ice Storm. Ultimately, this film is not totally uninspired and shouldn't be compared to any old film because Allen was directly inspired by Ingmar Bergman's masterworks. He adapted elements and visual styles used in Bergman's films and put them to use in Interiors. This film is an homage to the Swedish director and visionary who sadly passed away last year. Woody Allen has credited Bergman as one of his biggest influences as a filmmaker and often uses his techniques in his own films.

    Geraldine Page gives what I think is her greatest performance in this film. Her body-of-work Oscar which she won for 1985's The Trip to Bountiful is undeserved (hand it to Whoopi Goldberg for The Color Purple) and only went to Ms. Page because the Academy forgot to award her for her performance as Eve, the depressed, suicidal and insanely judgmental mother. Other great performances come from the incomparable Maureen Stapleton, who is great as always, and the then-fresh new face, Mary Beth Hurt. The cast works well together using the raw emotion of the characters and the melodramatic elements in the screenplay to deliver solid performances that will be memorable for years and years to come (at least for me).

    Not Woody Allen's best, but this still is a masterful effort. Coming out in 1978, Interiors had to follow what was the huge success of Annie Hall and faced being compared. This was a difficult task for Allen and a very risky project. Stripping his regular comedic self to show a very dark dramatic side seemed to be a difficult task, but Allen proved everyone wrong and gave the world one of the best films of 1978. This film was nominated for five Oscars, won numerous other awards and was acclaimed by many critics. I would call it a success on Allen's behalf (even though the domestic box office totaled a not-so-impressive $10 million).

    I highly recommend this film to everyone, especially those who are fans of Woody Allen. Interiors ranks among Annie Hall and Manhattan as Allen's best work.
  • dooritor1
    April 20, 2008
    dooritor1
    no no no no no no. horrible. woody allen should not try to direct others. he cant make a movie.
  • EarthlyAlien
    January 26, 2008
    EarthlyAlien
    By far Woody Allen's most dark and dramatic film ever, even in comparison to Match Point. One of the few times in which he decided to express himself through the darkest side of what it means to be human. Considered by many Allen's tribute to Ingmar Bergman and Anton Chekh...( read more)ov, two of his greatest and most important inspirations. An exploration of the disastrous results of cultivated interiority by three sisters and also a study of the connection between mothers and daughters, which links them together in a crucial and lifelong way. Powerful, raw, claustrophobic, skillful and ultimately sublime.
  • jackgbowman
    January 21, 2010
    jackgbowman
    woody allen meets stanley kubrick- dark, stark and drags a little.
  • sabrinagramos
    October 26, 2009
    sabrinagramos
    Woody does drama. The actors and the script do all the work.
  • IcyRoses
    August 15, 2009
    IcyRoses
    Talk about depressing.
  • nikojunkie
    July 17, 2009
    nikojunkie
    An engrossing, delicately shot film that leaves you wishing it was longer. Don't believe those who claim it's "too slow."
  • lexprime
    July 12, 2009
    lexprime
    I really like Woody Allen's straight dramas, it's actually kind of humorous.
View All Reviews

Opening This Week

Top Box Office

Upcoming Movies

New on DVD