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Hard Choices(film)

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Hard Choices
Hard Choices
Directed byRick King
Written byRick King
Story byRobert Mickelson
Produced byToby Hubner, William Kirksey, Robert Mickelson
StarringMargaret Klenck
John Sayles
John Seitz
J. T. Walsh
John Snyder
Martin Donovan
Spalding Gray
CinematographyTom Hurwitz
Edited byDaniel Loewenthal
Music byJay Chattaway
Distributed byLorimar-Telepictures
Release dates
  • 1985(1985)(Sundance)
  • May 16, 1986(1986-05-16)(USA)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$500,000

Hard Choicesis a 1985 Americancrime filmstarringMargaret Klenck,John Sayles,John Seitz,J. T. Walsh,John Snyder,Martin Donovan,andSpalding Gray.It was directed and written byRick Kingfrom a story written by Robert Mickelson.

The film received a positive reception fromRoger Ebert,[1]Allmovie,[2]andVideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever.[3]The Village Voicecalled it asleeper hit.[4]

Plot[edit]

The film's story revolves around a young adolescent Bobby (Gary McCleery) who decides to accompany his brother along for a drive in his vehicle. While on this venture, associates of his sibling steal from a shop and kill an employee who was working at the business. The suspects are apprehended, and the protagonist is found guilty of the crime and jailed for his actions. The local sheriff (John Seitz) empathizes with the boy's situation. A woman counselor Laura (Margaret Klenck) is given the young man's file and she is under the impression that he did not commit the crime. This counselor finds herself having feelings for the young man. She decides to attempt to assist him in convincing the legal system that he is not guilty. Her other option if this fails is to illegally ferret him out of the prison of her own accord. Laura requests a favor from her friend involved in substance abuse (John Sayles), and this friend provides her with a weapon. Laura, now armed, goes into the police department and gets Bobby out of prison. Laura's acquaintance involved with the substance abuse manages to successfully transport Bobby and Laura toFlorida,where they may continue expressing their affectionate feelings towards one another while attempting to avoid the reach of law enforcement.

Production[edit]

Financing[edit]

The promotion budget for the film wasUS$40,000.[5]The total budget for the film was $500,000.[5]

Writing[edit]

The story for the film was derived from actual events.[3]The script was written in 1983.[6]

Filming[edit]

The majority of the film was set inTennessee.[1][7]These scenes were filmed in theCatskill MountainsofNew York.[8]

Marketing[edit]

Filmmakers Rick King and Robert Mickelson resorted to passing out fliers around New York City as a way to promote the film.[5]In the three weeks leading up to the film's release, they had handed out approximately 20,000 fliers advertising their movie.[5]

Release[edit]

Hard Choiceswas an entrant in the category "Dramatic Competition" at the 1985Sundance Film Festival.[9]

The film was released in the United States on May 16, 1986.[2]It opened at the Embassy 72nd Street Theatre inNew York City.[5]It was released onvideo tapeonVHSeditions in 1984,[10]and 1986, both by Karl Lorimar Home Video.[11]

Reception[edit]

Roger Ebertgave the film three-and-a-half out of four stars, and commented: "Many movies start out strong and end in confusion and compromise. 'Hard Choices' starts out like a predictable action picture, and grows and grows until at the end it astonishes us."[1]Ebert concluded: "'Hard Choices' is a sleeper. It doesn't have any stars, was made on a small budget, is getting haphazard distribution around the country and will never be heard of by most people. No wonder it has a low profile: It's intelligent, surprising, powerful and true to itself, and that sure puts it outside the mainstream."[1]

Vincent Canbygave the film a mixed review, writing inThe New York Times:"Hard Choicesis Mr. King's first dramatic feature and it's clear that he has talent. Some of the film's crucial decisions (which, I assume, he had a hand in making) are fine, especially the casting, though others don't measure up. Totally unnecessary, and off-putting, is the use of overlapping dialogue, which is supposed to keep the film moving at a breathless pace but more often interrupts it. "[12]

Dave Kehrgave the film a critical review for theChicago Tribune,concluding: "The characters inHard Choicesremain pawns in the director's ideological game, their movements dictated not by inner necessity but the requirements of King's preprogrammed political strategies. "[13]Kehr described the plot of the movie as boring and predictable.[13]

Writing for theSun-Sentinel,Candice Russell likened the film toSmooth Talkdirected byJoyce ChopraandShe's Gotta Have Itby filmmakerSpike Lee;allindependent filmsthat she said were modifying the nature of the movie business.[8]She wrote that the film "resonates with authenticity", and that it was not predictable story.[8]

The Village VoicecharacterizedHard Choicesas a "sleeper indie hit".[4]The Sundance Institute of theSundance Film Festivalconcluded: "Hard Choicesis a bittersweet story that is tight, honest and well-acted. "[9]A review in theLos Angeles Timesassessed: "It's a good film—not extraordinary, but solid and steady."[14] Allmoviereviewed the film and gave it a rating of three-and-a-half out of four stars.[2]Writing forAllmovie,Eleanor Mannikka describedHard Choicesas an "odd mix of social commentary, forbidden romance, police action thriller, and teenage delinquency".[2]

VideoHound's Golden Movie Retrieverreviewed the film and gave it a rating of three stars out of four.[3]The review praised the acting in the film: "Excellent work by Klenck, McCleery, and Seitz."[3]The review went on to call the film: "Intelligent, surprising, and powerful."[3]The publication concluded that "this is a low profile film that deserves to be discovered."[3]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdEbert, Roger(September 26, 1986)."Hard Choices".RogerEbert.Ebert Digital, LLC.RetrievedMarch 18,2015.
  2. ^abcdMannikka, Eleanor."Hard Choices".Allmovie.Archived fromthe originalon March 18, 2015.RetrievedMarch 18,2015.
  3. ^abcdef"Hard Choices".VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever.Gale. January 1, 2008 – viaHighBeam Research.
  4. ^abWeisberg, Sam (November 1, 2013)."How the Great, Forgotten Forced March Made It Back to Theaters".The Village Voice.Archived fromthe originalon December 8, 2013.RetrievedMarch 18,2015.
  5. ^abcdeHopkins, Ellen (May 26, 1986). "Fast Track – Show Biz – Hard Sell".New York.Vol. 19, no. 21. p. 30.
  6. ^King, Rick; Robert Mickelson (1983).Hard Choices.Film and Television Scripts Collection (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library).
  7. ^Cones, John W. (2012).Patterns of Bias in Hollywood Movies.Algora Publishing. p. 118.ISBN978-0875869582.
  8. ^abcRussell, Candice (October 24, 1986)."It's easy to like gritty drama of 'Hard Choices'".Sun-Sentinel.Archived fromthe originalon March 18, 2015.RetrievedMarch 18,2015.
  9. ^abSundance Institute."Hard Choices".1985 Sundance Film Festival.Sundance Film Festival.Archived fromthe originalon March 18, 2015.RetrievedMarch 18,2015.
  10. ^OCLC27217999
  11. ^OCLC15634245
  12. ^Canby, Vincent(May 16, 1986)."Movie Review – Hard Choices".The New York Times.Archived fromthe originalon March 18, 2015.RetrievedMarch 18,2015.
  13. ^abKehr, David(September 26, 1986)."'Choices' can be hard to fathom ".Chicago Tribune.Archived fromthe originalon March 18, 2015.RetrievedMarch 18,2015.
  14. ^Wilmington, Michael (August 1, 1986)."Movie Review: Characters Take Taut Twists In 'Hard Choices'".Los Angeles Times.Archived fromthe originalon March 18, 2015.RetrievedMarch 18,2015.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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