Posted on November 23, 2017 at 7:33 am
I love this film, about four families celebrating Thanksgiving with all of the secrets, drama, longing for approval, and, yes, gratitude and love. The cast includes Julianna Margulies, Dennis Haysbert, Kyra Sedgwick, Alfre Woodard, Mercedes Ruehl, and Joyce Chen.
Posted on May 8, 2016 at 12:00 pm
After seven years, one of the best series on television comes to an end tonight. The show had an aura of class and elegance and thoughtfulness at every level, with complex, interestingly flawed characters, including outstanding recurring and guest stars, and fascinating up-to-the-minute legal issues. The design of the show was critical, and John Hanlon’s excellent interview with set decorator Beth Kushnick shows how much thought and wisdom about the characters went into every detail.
After the apartment was complete. I had a lot of pieces planned but the actual physical dressing of the apartment literally took place over a weekend right before we started shooting the first episode. It was one of those moments where it was just me and my crew for two days.
You’re building a set from the ground up so you start with an empty studio and every little item from switch plates to flooring to drapery to greenery and fabrics and furniture has to be put in there.
Here’s a look behind the scenes with star Julianna Margulies, Matt Czuchry, Cush Jumbo (a very surprising accent!), and the creators of the show, from a tribute at Tribeca.
Posted on January 7, 2014 at 9:33 am
Here’s a treat to warm up this cold snap! This week’s case on “The Good Wife” concerned the use of a song on a “Glee”-style television show. The cast decided to engage in some very un-courtroom-like behavior. I got a special kick out of seeing Christine Baranski, who has danced in movies like “Mamma Mia!” and “Birdcage” and on stage, bopping along with her hair in curlers.
Posted on August 23, 2010 at 8:00 am
B+| Lowest Recommended Age: | Mature High Schooler |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated PG-13 for sexual content, smoking, and language |
| Profanity: | Strong and crude language |
| Alcohol/ Drugs: | Smoking, drinking |
| Violence/ Scariness: | Tense family confrontations |
| Diversity Issues: | None |
| Date Released to Theaters: | April 26, 2010 |
| Date Released to DVD: | August 24, 2010 |
| Amazon.com ASIN: | B0036TGT8Y |
This warm-hearted dysfunctional family comedy-drama benefits from an exceptionally strong cast, including producer Andy Garcia as the father, Julianna Margulies as the mother, and Steven Strait as the young man just released from prison who sets off a series of revelations.
Everyone in the Rizzo family is hiding something. Daughter Vivian (Garcia’s real-life daughter, Dominik GarcÃa-Lorido) is not in college as her parents think. She is supporting herself as a stripper. Her brother Vince Jr. (Ezra Miller) is struggling with his desire to see heavy women eat, especially his next door neighbor, who has a website called “Feeding Denise” and one of his classmates. Mom Joyce (Margulies) has not given up smoking. But it is Vince, Sr. who has the really big secrets. One, he has a son from a relationship before he met Joyce and he has just met the young man for the first time, at the prison where he is a corrections officer (don’t call him a guard) and his son (Strait, superb as Tony) is about to be released. Two, he wants to be an actor. He is taking classes with Michael Malakov (Alan Arkin) and has made friends with a classmate, Molly (Emily Mortimer).
Writer-director Raymond De Felitta has obvious affection for his characters and he keeps the developments from going too far. The situations may be outrageous, but deft performances keep the battles from being shrill and the situation more fairy tale than soap opera. This is one of those little indies that inspired a great deal of enthusiasm from its audience and should make even more fans on DVD.
