Themes: Mistaken Identities, Age Disparity Romance
Main Cast: David Schwimmer, Gwyneth Paltrow, Michael Rapaport, Barbara Hershey, Carol Kane
Release Year: 1996
Country: US
Run Time: 97 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
This dark comedy is a clever homage to classic generation gap comedies such as The Graduate (1967), The Last Picture Show (1971) and The Big Chill (1983), filtered through an ironic Generation X lens. Tom Thompson (David Schwimmer) is unemployed and aimless, hovering between childhood and adult responsibilities. A year out of college, Tom can't land a decent job -- he still lives with his mother in Brooklyn. He receives a call from Ruth Abernathy (Barbara Hershey), who informs Tom that her son Bill, Tom's best friend in high school, has killed himself. She wants Tom to deliver the eulogy and serve as a pallbearer, and flustered, Tom agrees, though he has no recollection of Bill. After delivering a lackluster eulogy, Tom meets the grieving Ruth and begins an impulsive affair with her. He also encounters Julie DeMarco (Gwyneth Paltrow), a beautiful classmate for whom he's long carried a torch. Although Julie at first mistakes Tom for someone else, they begin dating, while he keeps his relationship with Ruth a secret. First-time writer-director Matt Reeves work-shopped the script for The Pallbearer with writing partner Jason Katims at the Sundance Institute. Reeves went on to create the TV series Felicity. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Review
Clearly intended to be a Generation X version of The Graduate (1967), this dark comedy is a notable debut for writer/director Matt Reeves. An intelligent attempt at a meaningful examination of the slacker set, Reeves' picture belongs pretty much in the same league with other good examples of that 1990s subgenre: Singles (1992), Reality Bites (1994), and Before Sunrise (1995). While thankfully avoiding the annoying blitzkrieg of pop culture references that often punctuate slacker cinema, The Pallbearer (1996) is no less obsessed with the iconography of mass media, employing its fixations with more subtlety. David Schwimmer is engagingly funny in his debut as a neurotic leading boy/man even as he overly channels his Ross character from the TV hit Friends, while Gwyneth Paltrow is a nice romantic foil, although her character remains slightly underdeveloped despite some hinted-at complexities. The film's biggest hurdle is overcoming a central character that is passive and acquiescent, a similar obstacle in other stories about members of what is seen as a reticent, gloomy generation. As much as any other filmmaker, Reeves succeeds in achieving a balance between representing his peers accurately and sticking to the rules of sound storytelling. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Stephen Alesch - Art Director, Kerry Barden - Casting, Billy Hopkins - Casting, Suzanne Smith - Casting, Jason Katims - Co-producer, Donna Zakowska - Costume Designer, Todd Pfeiffer - First Assistant Director, Matt Reeves - Director, Stan Salfas - Editor, Bob Weinstein - Executive Producer, Harvey Weinstein - Executive Producer, Meryl Poster - Executive Producer, Nellie Nugiel - Line Producer, Stewart Copeland - Composer (Music Score), Peter Afterman - Musical Direction/Supervision, Stewart Copeland - Songwriter, Jon Herron - Camera Operator, Robin Standefer - Production Designer, Robert Elswit - Cinematographer, Jeffrey Abrams - Producer, Paul Webster - Producer, Nellie Nugiel - Producer, Kate Yatsko - Set Designer, Michael Barosky - Sound/Sound Designer, Matt Reeves - Screenwriter, Jason Katims - Screenwriter
An extremely classy mix of songs for what ultimately was an extremely flat film. Al Green's elegant blend of jazz, soul and funk is indicative of sweeping romantic tracks like "Love Is a Beautiful Thing." The album also contains playful moments like Stan Getz and Luiz Bonfa's "Sambolero," Perry Como's "Papa Loves Mambo," and Rick James' "Super Freak." The eclectic mix is charged with charged numbers like Richie Havens' "Follow" and Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up." Despite the panoply of amazing tracks, Eddie Harris' "Listen Here" bottles some amazing studio work and steals the show. ~ Ryan Goble, All Music Guide
The Pallbearer is a dark comedy about Tom Thompson (David Schwimmer), a 25 year old man who sleeps in a bunk bed and lives with his mother. One day Tom is contacted by an old high school classmate's mother, Ruth Abernathy (Barbara Hershey), to tell him that his 'best friend,' Bill Abernathy, committed suicide, and is asked to give a eulogy at the funeral. Tom does not remember her son, but out of sympathy attends the funeral as a pallbearer. While Ruth struggles with her loss and Tom with his supposedly failed memory the two develop a romance. Meanwhile, Tom's unrequited high school crush (Gwyneth Paltrow) re-enters his life.
