Short Cuts (1993)

VHS COVER/SLIDE

MPPA Certifcate Number: 32510

Length of film:  188 Minutes

Rated: R  

Genre:  Comedy, Drama

Director: Robert Altman

Starring: Andie MacDowell, Bruce Davison, Jack Lemmon, Zane Cassidy, Julianne Moore, Matthew Modine, Anne Archer, Fred Ward, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Chris Penn, Robert Downey Jr.

IMDB Rank: 7.7/10

Part 1 Time:  105 Minutes

Part 2 Time:  83 Minutes

Where does the first part end? Lois (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and Jerry Kaiser (Chris Penn) have Honey (Lili Taylor) and Bill (Robert Downey Jr.) over for a barbecue. Jerry and Bill speak on back porch. Lois and Honey speak in the kitchen.

Final line of dialogue on the first part:  “It’s like really real, so virtual reality is practically, totally real, but not” Honey speaks to Lois in the kitchen of the Kaiser house.

First line of dialogue on the second part: “Claire, Claire!” Stewart (Fred Ward) speaks to Claire (Anne) in the night.

How jarring is it when the first part ends? None, the scene ends with what seems like mid conversation between Honey and Lois. Part two begins with two different characters Frank and Claire speaking.

Which part is better? The film presents multiple story lines of various characters and their brief comedic/ tragic encounters with one another. Part two is the better half as we are given closure to each characters story and the event that is shared between them.

Academy Awards: Best Director (Nominated)