The Marrying Man (1991)

10% of critics liked it
(20 reviews)
36% of users liked it
(2,818 ratings)

Neil Simon forgoes his typical urban East Coast kvetchers and replaces them with sunny Californian kvetchers in The Marrying Man, a film which became a beacon of gossip in 1991 due to the alleged shenanigans of stars Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, who fell in love during production. Simon based his… More Neil Simon forgoes his typical urban East Coast kvetchers and replaces them with sunny Californian kvetchers in The Marrying Man, a film which became a beacon of gossip in 1991 due to the alleged shenanigans of stars Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, who fell in love during production. Simon based his script on a true story concerning the love affair between shoe tycoon Harry Karl and actress Marie (The Body) McDonald during the 1950s. Married to each other four times, McDonald still managed to carry on an affair with mobster Bugsy Siegel. In this Simon-ized version, Baldwin plays Charley Pearl, a sharp and handsome Hollywood millionaire, engaged to Adele Horner (Elisabeth Shue), the daughter of dyspeptic movie studio executive Lew Horner (Robert Loggia). The day before their wedding, Charley heads off to Las Vegas for a bachelor party, and in a sleazy casino on the outskirts of town, he sets his eyes on sexy singer Vicki Anderson (Basinger) and falls for her hard. He wants her immediately and even though she warns him she's the property of Bugsy Siegel (Armand Assante), he crawls into her bedroom window to be with her. Caught with his pants down by Siegel, Bugsy, instead of killing him, forces him to marry Vicki ("I was about to dump her anyway," he says). But after their marriage, Charley and Vicki discover they're more attracted to the danger of their relationship than in each other. Charley's friends -- Phil (Paul Reiser), Sammy (Fisher Stevens), Tony (Peter Dobson), and George (Steve Hytner) -- form a Greek chorus commenting on the crazed love affair and are reportedly inspired by Phil Silvers, Sammy Cahn, Tony Martin, and Leo Durocher. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 56 min.
Directed By: Jerry Rees
Genres: Drama, Romance, Comedy

In Theaters: Apr 5, 1991 Wide
On DVD: Apr 8, 2003

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
A stillborn romantic comedy of staggering ineptitude.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
"The Marrying Man" seems to have died en route from Neil Simon's brain to the movie theater, but exactly where and why is anybody's guess. An autopsy by a professional is in order.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
The Marrying Man isn't awful; it's something much less fun - conspicuously mediocre.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
There's more juice in the story than I usually expect from Neil Simon; the characters don't just trade one-liners, but get under each other's skins.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Jerry Rees's direction is straight-ahead: In a Neil Simon comedy, you don't jump in, you just try to keep out of the way.
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
Your basic, everyday boy-meets-girl, boy-marries-girl, boy-divorces-girl, boy-marries-girl-again, boy-divorces-girl-again, boy well, you get the idea.
Douglas Pratt, DVDLaser
the whole thing starts to spin in place, allowing its initial promise to evaporate
Derek Adams, Time Out
It's hard to spot vintage Neil Simon in his screenplay for this indulgent comedy...
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
If the guy who wrote The Slugger's Wife disowned this movie ... that's a pretty bad sign.
Steve Davis, Austin Chronicle
There's no snap, crackle, pop to this battle of the sexes; even real-life lovers Baldwin and Basinger fail to incinerate the screen with the passion that supposedly gets their nuptially cursed characters in the mess they're in.
Chris Hicks, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
The main problem with "The Marrying Man" is a simple one: It's a comedy and it isn't funny.

Read all 11 critic reviews

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)

No Featured Audience Ratings Found…

Cast

            Kim Basinger as Vicki Anderson

            Alec Baldwin as Charley Pearl

            Robert Loggia as Lew Horner

            Elisabeth Shue as Adele Horner

            Armand Assante as Bugsy Siegel

            Paul Reiser as Phil

            Fisher Stevens as Sammy

            Peter Dobson as Tony

            Steve Hytner as George

            Jeremy Roberts as Gus

            Big John Studd as Dante

            Tony Longo as Sam

            Melissa Behr as Dee

            Joe Bellan as Waiter

            Janni Brenn as Liz

            Teresa Gilmore Capps as Bugsy's Blonde

            Kristen Cloke as Louise

            Paul Collins as Butler

            Carey Eidel as Cab Driver

            Elly Enriquez as Woo Ling

            Jules I. Epstein as Maitre d'

            Dave Florek as Gas Attendant

            Robin Frates as Grace

            Clarke Gordon as Charley's Father

            Tim Hauser as Woody

            Marla Heasley as Sheila

            Don Keefer as 3rd Justice

            Kathryn Layng as Emma

            Alan Mandell as 1st Justice

            Karen Medak as Sherry

            Rom Milanovich as Andy

            Geof Prysirr as Bartender

            Rebecca Staab as Arlene

            Gretchen Wyler as Gwen

            Ronnie Yeskel
            
            Shanti Kahn as Nurse

            Joe Guzaldo as Announcer
See full cast

Now you can share movies with your friends on Facebook!

Discover movies your friends are watching
Keep track of what you want to see
Add your reviews to your Timeline

Get Started