A Night in Heaven
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A Night in Heaven
Plot
Veering off in several thematic directions at once, A Night in Heaven starts with a torrid student-teacher romance which becomes somewhat derailed by adding on a failing marriage, political allusions related to NASA, a frustrated sister of the teacher, and several additional characters, many of whom are stuffing bills into male dancer's jock straps. Faye (Lesley Ann Warren) has just flunked a student in her speech class when she goes out that night to the "Heaven" nightclub and lo-and-definitely behold, there is Rick (Christopher Atkins), the failed student in his incarnation as a successful male stripper. This was a view of the student that Faye had never expected, and before anyone can flip a $20, the two are making mad, passionate love. While this may satisfy a few fantasies, events lead to an ultimate confrontation between the teacher's husband (who worked for NASA) and Rick that is even less believable than the student-teacher sexual liaison. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, RoviCast
- Christopher Atkins - Rick
- Lesley Ann Warren - Faye
- Robert Logan - Whitney
- Carrie Snodgress - Mrs. Johnson
Credit
Barry Rosenbush - Associate Producer, Denny Terrio - Choreography, Anna Hill Johnstone - Costume Designer, Alan Hopkins - First Assistant Director, John G. Avildsen - Director, John G. Avildsen - Editor, Jan Hammer - Composer (Music Score), Joseph M. Caracciolo, Jr. - Production Designer, William J. Cassidy - Production Designer, John G. Avildsen - Cinematographer, David Quaid - Cinematographer, Gene Kirkwood - Producer, Howard W. Koch - Producer, Nicholas Romanac - Set Designer, Les Lazarowitz - Sound/Sound Designer, Joan Tewkesbury - Screenwriter, Howard Brandy - Unit Publicist, Bryan Adams - Featured Music| A Night in Havana: Dizzy Gillespie in Cuba (1988 Film), A Night in Compton (Film) | |
| A Night in Hong Kong (1961 Film), A Night in New Arabia (1917 Film) |
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A Night in Heaven
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A Night in Heaven
| A Night in Heaven | |
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.jpg) Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | John G. Avildsen |
| Produced by | Gene Kirkwood (executive) Hawk Koch |
| Written by | Joan Tewkesbury |
| Starring | Christopher Atkins Lesley Ann Warren Robert Logan Carrie Snodgress |
| Music by | Jan Hammer Bryan Adams (theme song) |
| Cinematography | David L. Qualye |
| Editing by | John G. Avildsen |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | December 22, 1983 |
| Running time | 83 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $12,230,000 |
| Box office | $5,563,663 (USA) |
A Night in Heaven is a 1983 romance film directed by John G. Avildsen, starring Christopher Atkins as a college student and Lesley Ann Warren as his professor. The screenplay is written by Joan Tewkesbury. Film critics widely panned the movie.
The original music score is composed by Jan Hammer, and features two songs that would later be huge pop hits. "Heaven", re-released in 1985, would become Bryan Adams' first American number one song. An early version of the song "Obsession" by its co-writers, Holly Knight and Michael Des Barres, would also be re-released in 1985, and become the biggest hit for Animotion. The film also featured the song "Dirty Creature" by New Zealand/Australian group Split Enz. [1]
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Contents
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Plot
Christopher Atkins plays Rick Monroe, a jock and a popular guy in college in Titusville, Florida; he is outspoken and overconfident. Lesley Ann Warren plays Faye Hanlon, Rick's speech professor; she is prim and proper. At the end of his final report for his class, Rick cracks a joke and Faye is not amused. She decides to fail him and make him take the course over again.
Faye is going through a slump in her marriage to Whitney (Robert Logan), a rocket scientist who has just lost his job. Faye's free-spirited sister Patsy, visiting from out of town, takes her to a strip club to cheer her up. The show features a performer called "Ricky the Rocket," who is none other than Faye's student Rick. When he notices Faye in the crowd, he gives her a very special lap dance.
The next day, Faye and Rick run into each other at a school function. Initially, Rick is interested only in convincing Faye to allow him another chance at his final and is rebuffed. He realizes that she is attracted to him and begins flirting.
Faye arranges to meet Patsy near her hotel, only to discover that she has been tricked into seeing another performance by "Ricky the Rocket".
Patsy must return home a day early, so she turns over use of her hotel room to Faye, who calls Whitney and lies that she and Patsy are staying at Patsy's hotel together. Coincidentally, Rick's mother works in the same hotel, and while visiting his mother, Rick runs into Faye again; they return to Faye's room and have sex. Faye must leave and in her absence, Rick invites his girlfriend Slick to the room where they have sex. Faye catches them in the shower and, humiliated, flees; she realizes that she's been had.
Whitney, returning home from an unsuccessful job interview, discovers that Patsy has gone home. Whitney travels to the hotel and catches Rick as he's exiting. Whitney kidnaps Rick at gunpoint; he takes Rick to a boat at a small dock and forces him to strip. Rick, sobbing, complies. Whitney threatens Rick repeatedly but in the end only shoots holes in the boat, leaving a naked Rick aboard as it sinks.
Faye returns home to find Whitney waiting for her; she apologizes and he forgives her. At the end, the couple talk about their problems and resolve them.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Christopher Atkins | Rick Monroe |
| Lesley Ann Warren | Faye Hanlon |
| Robert Logan | Whitney Hanlon |
| Deney Terrio | Tony |
| Deborah Rush | Patsy |
| Sandra Beall | Slick |
| Alix Elias | Shirley |
| Carrie Snodgress | Mrs. Johnson |
| Andy García | T.J The Bartender |
Reception
Critical response
Roger Ebert found it a "very confusing movie" that "introduces several themes and relationships, and asks some big questions", but "doesn't pay off on any of them."[1] Vincent Canby of The New York Times dismissed the film, writing, "all boredom breaks loose."[2]
Box Office
In addition to the extreme negative reception and panning of film critics, the film itself was also a box office bomb grossing only near $6 million on a $12 million dollar budget.
Accolades
Atkins won the 1983 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor.
References
- ^ Roger Ebert (November 24, 1983). "A Night in Heaven". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19831124/REVIEWS/311240301/1023. Retrieved November 13, 2009.
- ^ Vincent Canby (November 19, 1983). "A Night in Heaven (1983)". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?_r=2&res=9C01E5D7123BF93AA25752C1A965948260&partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes.
External links
- A Night in Heaven at the Internet Movie Database
- A Night in Heaven at AllRovi
- A Night in Heaven at Rotten Tomatoes
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