The West Side Waltz
1995, 89 minutes, Rated PG
Three incomparable Academy Award winning actresses - Shirley Maclaine (Steel Magnolias, Terms of Endearment); Liza Minelli (Cabaret, New York New York, Arthur) and Kathy Bates (Fried Green Tomatoes, Misery) - work together for the first time in a witty, charming film about loneliness, friendship and the unpredictable read-in-between, written and directed by Ernest Thompson, the Oscar winning writer of On Golden Pond.
The West Side Waltz features Maclaine as Margaret Mary Elderdice, a proud but lonely widow whose sharp mind and equally pointed tongue keep people just where she wants them - at a distance! Her sole acquaintance is Cara Varnum (Minnelli), an abrasive, nosy neighbour who Margaret Mary tolerates, if only to accompany her while playing waltzes on the violen and piano.
But the solitary life of a widow suddenly changes when Margaret Mary places an ad in the paper for a companion and receives a reply from Robin Oiseau (Jennifer Grey - Dirty Dancing, Ferris Buellers Day Off, Cotton Club), a young, recently divorced, lower-class woman searching for a new life and an acting career. Robin is eager for new experiences in her life and even befriends Mr. Goo (Bates), a local homeless woman who most people avoid. Margaret Mary forms a special bond with Robin and sees a chance to recapture the dreams of her youth. Obsessively, she lines up an acting audition for her new friend and a stable of eligible bachelors. But her plans are too much pressure for Robin who has faced failure al her life and instinctively runs away.
Distressed that Robin is throwing away the chance to achieve her dream - and find a good husband - Margaret Mary enlists the help of Cara as the two strike out to find her. The search leads them on an adventure into situations they have never known as they are forced to band together and rely on hidden talents and newfound friendship to succeed. When they finally catch up to Robin and face her with the tough decisions she must make to better her life, the young oman comes up with the best - and most surprising - choice of all, while the two neighbours break down the walls between them and rebuild their lives together.
- Director:
- Ernest Thompson [1],
- Starring:
- Kathy Bates [32], Shirley MacLaine [28], August Schellenberg [10], Liza Minnelli [11], Jennifer Grey [11], Richard Gilliland [3], Hal Williams [1],
- Screen Formats:
- Full Frame 1.33:1
- Language and Sound:
- English Dolby Digital Stereo
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