The Pallbearer (1996)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

Matt Reeves

Writers (WGA):

Jason Katims (written by) &
Matt Reeves (written by)

Release Date:

3 May 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

A comedy about life-long crushes, mistaken identity and one really bad eulogy.

Plot:

A young man's life is thrown into a loop when he is asked to be a pallbearer for the funeral of a classmate he doesn't remember, and his old high school crush temporarily returns to town.

Plot Keywords:

Mistaken Identity | Roller Coaster | Independent Film

Cast

David Schwimmer	...	Tom Thompson
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Julie DeMarco
Michael Rapaport	...	Brad Schorr
Toni Collette	...	Cynthia
Carol Kane	...	Tom's Mother
Michael Vartan	...	Scott
Bitty Schram	...	Lauren
Jean De Baer	...	Suzanne DeMarco
Elizabeth Franz	...	Aunt Lucille
Mark Margolis	...	Philip DeMarco
Barbara Hershey	...	Ruth Abernathy
Edoardo Ballerini	...	The Job Interviewer
Matthew Faber	...	Jared
Robin Morse	...	Sylvie
Tony Machine	...	The Undertaker

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and language.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Netherlands:6 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-12 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:18 | Spain:7 | Sweden:7 | USA:PG-13 | UK:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Cypress Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

The roller coaster Tom and Julie ride is actually the Blue Streak, which is located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the mother is making instant coffee, the jar label is turned between shots.

Quotes:

Ruth Abernathy: [In restaurant, in front of Julie and her parents] So, this is Julie! Why don't you tell her, Tom, what you did to your best friend's mother?
Tom: He wasn't my best friend. I hardly knew him!

i liked it

I wasn't sure what to expect about this movie. I remembered that it was a "bomb" when it appeared in theatres so I kept passing it by at the video store. It's often out but I'm glad that I took the time to watch it. I thought the characters were appealing & the situations they found themselves in rang true. A 25 year old floundering around, messing up with his friends was fitting. David Schwimmer isn't my favorite but the movie played to his strengths, and you can see that Gwyneth is due to break out as a star plus the rest of the cast is solid. I am especially glad that I didn't read the comments until I saw the movie. I see the negative points but if you approach the movie as a quirky romantic comedy with a dark twist you will be entertained & laugh & smile some too.