Searching for Debra Winger (2002)

47% of users liked it
(1,219 ratings)

Directed by actress Rosanna Arquette, this candid documentary is not only about the iconoclastic and somewhat reclusive film star Debra Winger (who does not even appear onscreen until an hour into the film), but also about the trials and tribulations of actresses in Hollywood who have reached "that… More Directed by actress Rosanna Arquette, this candid documentary is not only about the iconoclastic and somewhat reclusive film star Debra Winger (who does not even appear onscreen until an hour into the film), but also about the trials and tribulations of actresses in Hollywood who have reached "that certain age." In the course of her "search," Arquette interviews several of her colleagues, among them Whoopi Goldberg, Diane Lane, Teri Garr, Holly Hunter, Vanessa Redgrave, Charlotte Rampling, Meg Ryan, and Sharon Stone, all of whom have their own personal horror stories about insensitive producers and casting directors who tend to think of over-40 (and sometimes over-30) actresses as being suitable only for mother, "other woman," and "hero's girlfriend" roles -- when they bother to cast these actresses at all. The women also discuss the difficulties in balancing a successful career and a private life. Test-marketed on the film festival circuit throughout 2002, Searching for Debra Winger received its largest audience when it aired over the Showtime cable channel on August 18, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 39 min.
Directed By: Rosanna Arquette
Genres: Documentary, Action & Adventure, Television, Special Interest

In Theaters: Jul 13, 2002 Wide
On DVD: Mar 2, 2004
Studio: LionsGate Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
[A] fascinating documentary...
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher
[I]ntelligent, irate, eloquent, compulsively watchable...
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
tableaux of the damned

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

jay n

No real structrual form which weakens this doc but what several of the actresses have to say is interesting. Not great but a good try.
Laura C

I really loved this documentary. Rosanna asks her peers if it is possible to balance work and a personal life and why aren't there better roles for women 30+. She interviews a great group of actresses including; Salma Hayek, Vanessa Redgrave, Meg Ryan, Jane Fonda, her sister… More
I really loved this documentary. Rosanna asks her peers if it is possible to balance work and a personal life and why aren't there better roles for women 30+. She interviews a great group of actresses including; Salma Hayek, Vanessa Redgrave, Meg Ryan, Jane Fonda, her sister Patricia Arquette and many more. Their responses were very intelligent and interesting. Part of the reason I rate this documentary so highly is because you could take almost anything that is said and apply it to any North American woman. Rosanna Arquette is very natural when she turns the camera on herself. She doesn't oversell herself, so you don't get the sense this project is a product of self-aggrandization, which is very important. It isn't even an attempt to stroke the egos of her fellow actresses (though it is obvious she admires them.) There are some really honest moments, which I didn't expect.
Sunil J

A pretty cool documentary about women in Hollywood.

Cast
            
            Patricia Arquette
            
            Rosanna Arquette
            
            Emmanuelle Béart
            
            Katrin Cartlidge
            
            Laura Dern
            
            Roger Ebert
            
            Jane Fonda
            
            Teri Garr
            
            Whoopi Goldberg
            
            Melanie Griffith
            
            Daryl Hannah
            
            Salma Hayek
            
            Holly Hunter
            
            Andy Jones
            
            Kelly Lynch
            
            Frances McDormand
            
            Julianna Margulies
            
            Chiara Mastroianni
            
            Samantha Mathis
            
            Catherine O'Hara
            
            Julia Ormond
            
            Gwyneth Paltrow
            
            Martha Plimpton
            
            Charlotte Rampling
            
            Vanessa Redgrave
            
            Theresa Russell
            
            Meg Ryan
            
            Ally Sheedy
            
            Adrienne Shelly
            
            Hilary Shepard Turner
            
            Sharon Stone
            
            Tracey Ullman
            
            JoBeth Williams
            
            Debra Winger
            
            Alfre Woodard
            
            Robin Wright
            
            Diane Lane
            
            Melanie Smith
            
See full cast