| Unhook the Stars | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Nick Cassavetes |
| Written by | Helen Caldwell Nick Cassavetes |
| Produced by | René Cleitman Gérard Depardieu Panos Nicolaou |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Phedon Papamichael Jr. |
| Edited by | Petra von Oelffen |
| Music by | Steven Hufsteter |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 103 minutes |
| Countries | France United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $272,542 |
Unhook the Stars is a 1996 Americandrama film directed byNick Cassavetes, and starring his motherGena Rowlands,Marisa Tomei,Gérard Depardieu,Jake Lloyd in his film debut,David Sherrill,David Thornton,Bridgette Wilson andMoira Kelly.
Rowlands plays Mildred, a widow who befriends the wayward Monica (Tomei), a single mother from across the street, and eventually finds herselfbabysitter of Monica's young son, J.J. (Lloyd) Throughout the film, Monica and J.J. inadvertently teach Mildred valuable life lessons about herself and her relationships with others.
Rowlands and Tomei both receivedSAG Award nominations for their performances. The film's title refers to a song of the same name byCyndi Lauper, which can be heard over the closing credits.
Mildred is a widow living with her rebellious, irresponsibletwentysomething daughter Annie inSalt Lake City. One day after a fight, Annie goes to live as a vagrant with her boyfriend, leaving Mildred alone for the first time in her life. Her wayward neighbor Monica knocks on Mildred's door, begging her to watch her young son J.J. so she can go to her work shift. Monica has kicked her abusive husband Frankie out of their house.
Mildred agrees to watch J.J., and offers to babysit and take him to school whenever Monica needs her to. Establishing a close relationship with J.J. and Monica, he eventually comes to refer to her as "Auntie Mildred." Mildred reads to him, takes him to the park, and educates him on history by reading from her encyclopedias. AtThanksgiving, Mildred invites Monica and J.J. over for dinner as well as heryuppie son Ethan and his wife Jeannie. Jeannie is perturbed by Monica's brash behavior andcursing, though Ethan and Mildred seem disaffected by her personality. Ethan suggests that Mildred should move toSan Francisco with him and Jeannie.
Mildred spendsChristmas with Monica and J.J., and babysits him onNew Year's Eve. OnValentine's Day, Frankie comes to Monica's in the middle of the night, begging to reunite with her. She quietly listens to his pleas, but does not open the door. Monica gets a babysitter for J.J. so she can go out for a night with Mildred, taking her to a local pub where she introduces her to her friend Big Tommy, a truck driver who expresses interest in Mildred. Monica leaves the bar without telling Mildred, so Big Tommy gives Mildred a ride home.
Mildred goes to visit Ethan and Jeannie in San Francisco, where he invites her to live on the top floor of their luxurious house overlooking theBay Area, and reveals that Jeannie is pregnant. She ultimately refuses Ethan's offer, enraging him. Mildred returns home to find that Monica and Frankie have reconciled, and J.J. begins spending more time with his father, leaving Mildred depressed and alone.
One night, Mildred returns home to find Annie there. She asks if she could return home, saying that she now has a job and is applying to college. However, Mildred tells her that she has sold the house, and has to be out by the end of the month. Mildred goes on a date with Tommy, and confesses she doesn't know where she's moving to.
While Monica helps Mildred pack her house, she tells her how much Frankie has improved as a husband, but senses Mildred's distance. Frankie brings J.J. over, and he asks to talk to Mildred in private. J.J. gives her a drawing and thanks her for taking care of him, and the three say their goodbyes. Annie drives Mildred to the airport, though Mildred refuses to tell her where she's going, saying it's a secret.
Parts of the film were shot in Salt Lake City, Utah.[1]
The film was co-produced by the French company HPGD, a subsidiary ofHachette group created in association with actorGérard Depardieu. After developing a passion for the films directed byJohn Cassavetes, Depardieu had bought thedistribution rights for most of them, to introduce them to a new audience in France. Having befriended the Cassavetes family, he decided to support Nick Cassavetes' directorial debut by producing and appearing in his film.[2]
Unhook the Stars was released theatrically in the United States on November 1, 1996 in alimited release inNew York City.[3] The film grossed a total of $272,542USD playing on three screens.[3] The film later received a wider release onValentine's Day 1997.[4]
In 1997, the film was released onVHS byBuena Vista Home Entertainment (under the Miramax Home Entertainment banner). It also received a U.S.LaserDisc release on June 11, 1997, with a Hong Kong LaserDisc having earlier been released on March 19, 1997.[5] Buena Vista Home Entertainment/Miramax Home Entertainment released the film onDVD in the U.S. on October 8, 2002.[6]
In December 2010, Miramax was sold byThe Walt Disney Company, their owners since 1993. That same month, the studio was taken over by private equity firmFilmyard Holdings.[7] Filmyard licensed the home video rights for several Miramax titles toEcho Bridge Entertainment, and in 2012, Echo Bridge reissuedUnhook the Stars on DVD. In 2011, Filmyard Holdings licensed the Miramax library to streamerNetflix.[8] This deal includedUnhook the Stars, and ran for five years, eventually ending on June 1, 2016.[9]
Filmyard Holdings sold Miramax to Qatari companybeIN Media Group during March 2016.[10] In April 2020,ViacomCBS (now known asParamount Skydance) acquired the rights to Miramax's library, after buying a 49% stake in the studio frombeIN.[11]Unhook the Stars was one of the 700 titles they acquired in the deal, and since April 2020, the film has been distributed byParamount Pictures.[12] The film was later made available on Paramount's free streaming servicePluto TV.[13]
Unhook the Stars received generally positive critical reaction. On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 82% of 22 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.5/10.[14]
Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars, calling it "a film of gentleness and low-key romance," and praised Rowlands' performance.[15]Lisa Schwarzbaum ofEntertainment Weekly gave the film a B− rating, also praising the film's performances.[16]
Stephen Holden ofThe New York Times also praised the performances in the film, but gave an ambivalent review, stating: "The impressive acting can cover up only so many glaring holes in a film that doesn't really know what it wants to say.Unhook the Stars isn't a story that had to be told but a sentimental contrivance constructed around its star."[17]Emanuel Levy ofVariety wrote: "Production designer Phedon Papamichael Sr. (who worked extensively with Cassavetes pere), lenser Phedon Papamichael, editor Petra Von Oelffen and the rest of the crew have contributed to the making of a handsome, extremely enjoyable film."[18]
