Themes: Sibling Relationships, Fathers and Daughters, Eccentric Families
Main Cast: Meg Ryan, Diane Keaton, Lisa Kudrow, Walter Matthau, Adam Arkin
Release Year: 2000
Country: US
Run Time: 93 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Diane Keaton directed and starred in this comedy/drama about a family brought together by potential tragedy. In her mid-40s, Eve (Meg Ryan) minds her house, runs a business organizing parties and events for others, and looks after her father (Walter Matthau), an alcoholic former writer who has grown argumentative and increasingly difficult to handle. Eve's sisters -- Georgia (Keaton), who is a few years older and the editor of a successful fashion magazine, and Maddy (Lisa Kudrow), a few years younger and a working actress with a spot on a soap opera -- have also had to deal with Dad, but only by long distance when he makes one of his frequent telephone calls. Dad now doesn't have long to live, and the siblings must pull together and make peace with their father and each other. Sisters Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron adapted the screenplay from Delia's novel; the supporting cast includes Adam Arkin, Cloris Leachman, and Mary Steenburgen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Hanging Up is a 2000Americancomedy-drama film about a trio of sisters who bond over their ambivalence toward the approaching death of their curmudgeonly father, to whom none of them were particularly close. This film features Diane Keaton (who also directed), Meg Ryan, and Lisa Kudrow as the three sisters, and Walter Matthau (in his final film appearance) as the father.
Hanging Up was released in United States on February 18, 2000 to relatively negative to average reviews. It made just over $15.7 million opening weekend, over the Presidents Day weekend. The film opened to 2618 theatres at an average of exactly $6000. It lasted eight weeks in domestic release, before dropping out of the top 10 in its third week of release. Domestically grossing $36,050,230 with an extra $15,829,814 (from worldwide audiences) brought its international total to $51,880,044. Hanging Up ultimately fell $9 million short of recuperating its budget of $60 million.
Hanging Up has a 'rotten' 12 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, the consensus being, "Though the screenplay and the novel it's based on were both written by the same person, critics say Hanging Up is an unsuccessful adaptation. The acting is praised as solid, but is ultimately unable to save the film."[1]
