accidental tourist reviews

The Accidental Tourist

“Yes, that is my son,” the man says, identifying the body in the intensive care unit. Grief threatens to break his face into pieces, and then something closes shut inside of him. He has always had a very controlled nature, fearful of emotion and revelation, but now a true ice age begins, and after a year his wife tells him she wants a divorce. It is because he cannot seem to feel anything.

“The Accidental Tourist” begins on that note of emotional sterility, and the whole movie is a journey toward a smile at the end.

The man’s name is Macon Leary ( William Hurt ), and he writes travel books for people who detest traveling. He advises his readers on how to avoid human contact, where to find “American food” abroad and how to convince themselves they haven’t left home. His own life is the same sort of journey, and maybe it began in childhood. His sister and two brothers still live together in the house where they were born, and any life outside of their routine would be unthinkable.

Macon’s wife ( Kathleen Turner ) moves out, leaving him with the dog, Edward, who does like to travel and is deeply disturbed by the curious life his masters have provided for him. He barks at ghosts and snaps at strangers. It is time for Macon to make another one of his overseas research trips, so he takes the dog to be boarded at a kennel, and that’s where he meets Muriel Pritchett ( Geena Davis ). Muriel has Macon’s number from the moment he walks through the door. She can see he’s a basket case, but she thinks she can help. She also thinks her young son needs a father.

Macon isn’t so sure. He doesn’t use the number she gives him. But later, when the dog trips him and he breaks his leg, he takes Edward back to the kennel, and this time he submits to a little obedience training of his own. He agrees to acknowledge that Muriel exists, and before long they are sort of living together (lust still exists in his body, but it lurks so far from the center of his feelings that sex hardly seems to cheer him up).

The peculiarity about these central passages in the film is that they are quite cheerful and sometimes even very funny, even though Macon himself is mired in a deep depression. Davis, as Muriel, brings an unforced wackiness to her role in scenes like the one where she belts out a song while she’s doing the dishes. But she is not as simple as she sometimes seems, and when Macon gets carried away with a little sentimental generalizing about the future, she warns him, “Don’t make promises to my son that you are not prepared to keep.” There is also great good humor in the characters in Macon’s family: brothers Porter ( David Ogden Stiers ) and Charles ( Ed Begley Jr.) and sister Rose ( Amy Wright ), a matriarch who feeds the family, presides over their incomprehensible card games and supervises such traditional activities as alphabetizing the groceries on the kitchen shelves. One evening Macon takes his publisher, Julien ( Bill Pullman ), home to dinner and Julien is struck with a thunderbolt of love for Rose. He eventually marries her, but a few weeks later Julien tells Macon that Rose has moved back home with the boys; she was concerned that they had abandoned regular meals and were eating only gorp.

This emergency triggers the movie’s emotional turning point, which is subtle but unmistakable. Nobody knows Rose as well as Macon does, and so he gives Julien some very particular advice: “Call her up and tell her your business is going to pieces. Ask if she could just come in and get things organized. Get things under control. Put it that way.

Use those words. Get things under control, tell her.” In context, this speech is hilarious. It is also the first time in the film that Macon has been able to extend himself to help anybody, and it starts him on the road to emotional growth. Clinging to the sterility and loneliness that has been his protection, he doesn’t realize at first that he has turned the corner. He still doubts that he needs Muriel, and when she buys herself a ticket and follows him to Paris, he refuses to have anything to do with her. When his wife also turns up in Paris, there is a moment when he thinks they may be able to patch things together again, and then finally Macon arrives at the sort of moment he has been avoiding all of his life: He has to make a choice. But by then the choice is obvious; he has already made it, by peeking so briefly out of his shell.

The screenplay for “The Accidental Tourist,” by Kasdan and Frank Galati , is able to reproduce a lot of the tone and dialogue of the Anne Tyler novel without ever simply being a movie version of a book. The textures are too specific and the humor is too quirky and well-timed to be borrowed. The filmmakers have reinvented the same story in their own terms. The movie is a reunion for Kasdan, Hurt and Turner, who all three launched their careers with “ Body Heat ” (1981). Kasdan used Hurt again in “ The Big Chill ” (1983) and understands how to employ Hurt’s gift for somehow being likable at the same time he seems to be withdrawn.

What Hurt achieves here seems almost impossible: He is depressed, low-key and intensely private through most of the movie, and yet somehow he wins our sympathy. What Kasdan achieves is just as tricky; I’ve never seen a movie so sad in which there was so much genuine laughter. “The Accidental Tourist” is one of the best films of the year.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

Kathleen Turner as Sarah
William Hurt as MacOn
Ed Begley Jr. as Charles
Amy Wright as Rose
David Ogden Stiers as Porter
Geena Davis as Muriel
Bill Pullman as Julian
Robert Gorman as Alexander
Bradley Mott as Mr. Loomis

Based On The Novel by

Carol Littleton

Produced by

Charles Okun
Michael Grillo

Screenplay by

Frank Galati

Photographed by

John Bailey
John Williams

Directed by

Lawrence Kasdan

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The Accidental Tourist Reviews

This eccentric family invented by Anne Tyler leaves the page finding strange new life with screenwriter/director Lawrence Kasdan. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Jun 15, 2022

It's perfect in every way -- like Lost In Translation, The Piano and a few others, it's the sort of intimate movie that irrevocably touches certain viewers while leaving the rest shrugging their shoulders.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Dec 28, 2021

As a comedy, Accidental Tourist is smart, witty and sophisticated.

Full Review | Oct 11, 2019

It has that slow rhythm, but without calm, very much to the taste of its director. [Full Review in Spanish]

Full Review | Sep 4, 2019

The strength of the film is that of the novel: an intoxicating brew of irresistable characters.

Full Review | Dec 9, 2017

The emotional complexities unearthed are distinctly adult.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Jul 16, 2015

The film tries so hard to be funny, but ends up feeling like a rejected Woody ALlen script idea.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Aug 15, 2011

A mature, well-made film for teens and adults.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 2, 2011

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 8, 2008

Kasdan's film lacks the spirit of Tyler's novel; he seems to be the wrong director to translate the author's affectionate and humorous treatment of the characters. Fortunately, Geena Davis as the eccentric dog-walker elevates the otherwise morose mood.

Full Review | Original Score: C+ | Jul 2, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 27, 2005

A genuinely beautiful and human story out of the Hollywood mills. Subtly amazing work from all concerned.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Jun 4, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | May 17, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Feb 5, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 8, 2004

This is a warm movie told in the temperature of almost-recognizable life; it's a believable love story, joked up a bit but not too much.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Apr 20, 2004

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Jan 24, 2004

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 5, 2003

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Aug 22, 2003

Beautifully-acted comedy-drama that doesn't overdose on its quirks.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 14, 2003

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The Accidental Tourist

The Accidental Tourist is a slow, sonorous and largely satisfying adaptation of Anne Tyler's bestseller of one man's intensely self-contained passage from a state of grief to one of newfound love.

By Variety Staff

Variety Staff

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The Accidental Tourist is a slow, sonorous and largely satisfying adaptation of Anne Tyler’s bestseller of one man’s intensely self-contained passage from a state of grief to one of newfound love.

William Hurt is an uptight, travel book writer from the slightly eccentric, financially comfortable Leary family of unmarried middle-aged siblings in this essentially simple narrative story awash in warmth and wisdom about the emotional human animal.

Weighty tone is set from the opening scene where Kathleen Turner, having just made tea for Hurt upon his return from a travel-writing excursion, calmly informs him she’s moving out. Then, in a series of strange, unpredictable and out-of-character encounters with his unruly dog’s trainer (Geena Davis), Hurt finds himself in another, vastly different, relationship. Davis is unabashedly forward, poor, openly vulnerable, a flamboyant dresser and most importantly, has a sickly son (Robert Gorman) who fills the parental void in Hurt’s life.

Popular on Variety

That Hurt remains expressionless and speaks in a monotone, except at the very end, puts a damper on the hopefulness of his changing situation. Davis is the constant, upbeat force in the proceedings. Turner is equally compelling and sympathetic throughout.

1988: Best Supp. Actress (Geena Davis).

Nominations: Best Picture, Score, Adapted Screenplay

Production: Warner. Director Lawrence Kasdan; Producer Lawrence Kasdan, Charles Okun, Michael Grillo; Writer Frank Galati, Lawrence Kasdan; Camera John Bailey Editor Carol Littleton; Music John Williams Art Bo Welch
Crew: (Color) Widescreen. Available on VHS, DVD. Extract of a review from 1988. Running time: 121 MIN.
With: William Hurt Kathleen Turner Geena Davis Amy Wright Bill Pullman Ed Begley Jr

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Cast & crew
User reviews

The Accidental Tourist

An emotionally distant writer of travel guides must carry on with his life after his son is killed and his marriage crumbles. An emotionally distant writer of travel guides must carry on with his life after his son is killed and his marriage crumbles. An emotionally distant writer of travel guides must carry on with his life after his son is killed and his marriage crumbles.

Lawrence Kasdan
Frank Galati
William Hurt
Kathleen Turner
Geena Davis
119 User reviews
40 Critic reviews
52 Metascore
4 wins & 11 nominations total

Top cast 32

Macon Leary

Sarah Leary

Muriel Pritchett

Porter Leary

Charles Leary

Julian Hedge

(as Robert Gorman)
Lucas Loomis

Morgue Detective #1
(as W.H. Brown)
Morgue Detective #2
Mrs. Barrett
Laura Canfield
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

Trivia While filming The Fly (1986) , Geena Davis was reading the novel on which this film was based. In fact, she would read it to Jeff Goldblum while he went through the hours-long process of having prosthetic make-up applied to his body. Goldblum also appeared in Lawrence Kasdan 's earlier films, The Big Chill (1983) and Silverado (1985) .
Goofs After returning from England, Macon reaches into his pocket for his keys twice.

Macon : I'm beginning to think that maybe it's not just how much you love someone. Maybe what matters is who you are when you're with them.

Connections Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Working Girl/I'm Gonna Git You Sucka/Rain Man/Torch Song Trilogy/Haunted Summer (1988)
Soundtracks I'M GONNA LASSO SANTA CLAUS Written by Frankie Adams and 'Wilbur Jones'

User reviews 119

Oct 6, 2002
How long is The Accidental Tourist? Powered by Alexa
January 6, 1989 (United States)
United States
Die Reisen des Mr. Leary
324 Hawthorne Road, Roland Park, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Warner Bros.
See more company credits at IMDbPro
$32,632,093
Dec 26, 1988

Technical specs

Runtime 2 hours 1 minute
Dolby Stereo

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The accidental tourist.

Common Sense Says
Parents Say 0 Reviews
Kids Say 0 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

By Randy White , based on child development research. How do we rate?

A mature, well-made film for teens and adults.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 15+?

An unwed couple live together, but the sex is only suggested. A married couple s

Any Positive Content?

Sex, romance & nudity.

An unwed couple live together, but the sex is only suggested. A married couple start to undress each other, but nothing is shown.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents need to know that this is a serious film that deals with adult themes of loss, sex, and depression. As such, it's not recommended for all but the most mature preteens and teens. Kids may have a hard time relating to the adult problems and may be disturbed by the weakness of adults portrayed here. They may also be unsympathetic to the carefully drawn characters that resonate with adults. But for families dealing with divorce and other turmoil, the film might be a good way to open the subject of coping with loss and changing family structures. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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What's the Story?

In THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST, Macon (William Hurt) writes travel guides for globetrotters who want adventure-free trips. A year after his young son's death, Macon is further damaged when his wife Sarah (Kathleen Turner) announces she's leaving him. Depressed and alone, Macon's only remaining companions are his bizarre siblings and his dog. The dog's strange behavior leads Macon to Muriel (Geena Davis), a wacky dog trainer who lives alone with her young son. Macon finds Muriel forward and rejects her romantic overtures, but Muriel persists and Macon eventually moves in with her. When his wife Sarah calls, Macon attempts to return to his old life, but realizes that Muriel's extraordinary openness -- her "oddness" as he calls it -- brings him out of his shell and makes him a better person.

Is It Any Good?

This emotionally harrowing story will be tough going for most children. The depiction of a man who has shut down emotionally -- who no longer experiences life on any level -- is quite foreign to most children. They might be confused by seeing such weakness in an adult, as many kids believe that grownups are always strong and in control. And kids might not be ready to appreciate some of the movie's subtle strengths, like the wonderful eccentricities of Macon's family.

Still, there is good deal to admire in this Oscar-nominated picture. The poignant screenplay was adapted from Anne Tyler's best-selling novel, and the cinematography evokes a sense of timelessness. The acting is strong throughout, especially Geena Davis in her Oscar-winning turn as an eccentric animal behaviorist. Hurt is perfectly cast as the guy who writes travel guides for business travelers who don't really want to go anywhere. But there's complexity and a wry wit beneath his chilly exterior. Audiences will smile when he says "I really don't care for movies. They make everything seem so . . . close up."

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the mature themes discussed in this film, including overcoming loss and the fallibility of parents and other adults. What loss has each family member experienced, and how have they dealt with it? How can families use loss to bring them closer together?

Movie Details

In theaters : April 3, 1988
On DVD or streaming : February 21, 1995
Cast : Geena Davis , Kathleen Turner , William Hurt
Director : Lawrence Kasdan
Studio : Warner Bros.
Genre : Drama
Topics : Book Characters
Run time : 123 minutes
MPAA rating : PG
MPAA explanation : mature themes and sexuality.
Last updated : October 7, 2022

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About Schmidt

Review/Film; Going Nowhere, Slowly

By Janet Maslin

Dec. 23, 1988

Anne Tyler's fiction is as revealing of the tiny intimacies that bind people together as of the larger gaps that keep them apart. A key revelation of character, in one of Miss Tyler's novels, is more apt to occur while someone is driving a car or putting away groceries than during a more conventionally dramatic situation. Her writing is beautifully attuned to the minutiae of daily routines, to the seemingly trivial habits that both define and circumscribe her characters' lives. But in the film version of ''The Accidental Tourist,'' which opens today at Cinema 2, it's the broad strokes that stand out.

''The Accidental Tourist,'' which was unaccountably voted the best film of 1988 by the New York Film Critics' Circle this month, is about a man whose professional life defines his psyche: Macon Leary (Willam Hurt), who has written a series of travel guides for businessmen who wish they could stay home. He roams the world in search of soft bedspreads and American-style restaurants, considering it a victory to ''locate a meal in London not much different from a meal in Cleveland.''

Macon has trained himself to travel light and leave no footprints, and he has channeled all of his fastidiousness into perfecting this as a science. ''There are very few necessities in this world,'' he has written, ''that do not come in travel-sized packets.'' Macon is also, at the time that the story begins, mourning the loss of his only child, a 12-year-old boy who was shot in a restaurant holdup; as a consequence of this, Macon's long marriage to Sarah (Kathleen Turner) has come to an end. But there is reason to believe that this quiet, methodical, pleasure-denying loner wasn't substantially different before these tragedies occurred.

''The Accidental Tourist'' observes the long, slow reawakening that occurs in Macon after he has hit rock bottom. Though this process is presented in tiny, artful increments in Miss Tyler's novel, it's not the kind of transformation that can easily be captured on the screen. For one thing, Macon barely seems to change at all until this lengthy and meandering film is almost over. Mr. Hurt flinches his way through the story with a pained morose expression that doesn't lift until the film's final moments.

''The Accidental Tourist,'' which was directed by Lawrence Kasdan, is the kind of literary adaptation that forgets that films have a language of their own. A lot of Miss Tyler's dialogue is used in the film, but its effect here is very different from its effect on the page. ''There's something muffled about they way you experience things,'' Sarah tells him. ''It's as if you were trying to slip through life unchanged.'' Speaking of the design on the cover of Macon's travel books, she says, ''That traveling armchair isn't just your logo. It's you.''

A novel can successfully incorporate such pronouncements into its larger scheme, but a film is better off conveying the same ideas in more visual and indirect ways. But ''The Accidental Tourist'' often relies on Miss Tyler's methods without tempering them, and gives a tone of crashing obviousness to material that need not have seemed that way. In addition, the screenplay by Mr. Kasdan and Frank Galati doesn't do much to compensate for moments when Miss Tyler's dialogue lacks a conversational ring.

If ''The Accidental Tourist'' is essentially a one-theme story, it nonetheless has a diffuse and rambling plot. Abandoned by Sarah, and living at home with a very unruly dog, Macon eventually breaks his leg and moves in with the rest of his family. In the ancestral house, presided over by Macon's prematurely middle-aged sister, Rose (Amy Wright, who turns this contentedly eccentric character into the film's brightest light), the other Leary brothers have already come home to roost.

Together, the siblings alphabetize things in the pantry, play card games no one else can understand, refuse to answer their telephone and otherwise reinforce the habits that have made it impossible for them to live with anyone else. Only in these family scenes (with David Ogden Stiers and Ed Begley Jr. playing Macon's brothers) does this dark, somber film have any glimmer of vitality or humor.

Also on the scene is a dog trainer named Muriel Pritchett, a pushy, loudly dressed woman whose nonstop chatter serves as the conversational equivalent of shooting herself in the foot. Muriel doesn't hold much allure for Macon at first, but this doesn't stop her; she sets her cap for him anyhow and hounds him until she breaks down his resistance.

The novel treats Muriel as a charmingly offbeat character, but she's abrasively cute even on the page. On film, in the person of Geena Davis (who tries hard but is sandbagged by her role), she is quite insufferable, as is the notion that she represents Macon's emotional salvation.

Kathleen Turner is a welcome presence in the film, but her scenes with Mr. Hurt never suggest the weariness and familiarity of a 20-year union; without this, the wife's function in the story is less clear than it could be. Bill Pullman is nicely enterprising as Macon's publisher, who visits the Leary household as a curiosity seeker and winds up with a lot more than he bargained for.

''The Accidental Tourist'' is rated PG (''Parental Guidance Suggested''). It includes discreet bedroom scenes and mildly off-color language. Leaving No Footprints THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST, directed by Lawrence Kasdan; screenplay by Frank Galati and Mr. Kasdan, based on the book by Anne Tyler; director of photography, John Bailey; edited by Carol Littleton; music by John Williams; production designer, Bo Welch; produced by Mr. Kasdan, Charles Okun and Michael Grillo; released by Warner Brothers. At Cinema 2, Third Avenue at 60th Street. Running time: 122 minutes. This film is rated PG. Macon ... William Hurt Sarah ... Kathleen Turner Muriel ... Geena Davis Rose ... Amy Wright Porter ... David Ogden Stiers Charles ... Ed Begley Jr. Julian ... Bill Pullman Alexander ... Robert Gorman

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Thursday, March 30, 2017

The accidental tourist: a wistful tale of emotional healing, 4 comments:.

"Wistful." The perfect description. I am often baffled by the Academy's choices in the music categories. Too often. "they store their groceries in alphabetical order" Sounds like something on the autism spectrum, if some of my son's quirks are anything to go by. An interesting quirk. "one of his tips is to always carry a book on planes, so you can read and not have to interact with other passengers" I always have a book with me. Doesn't everyone. Or is that one of my quirks. H'm.

I saw this film years ago and had forgotten all about it until your post. Clearly, I need to see this again. Caftan Woman (above) nailed it when she said "wistful" is the perfect description. I completely agree.

I missed The Accidental Tourist when it was in release and somehow never caught up to it. I suspect it's Geena Davis, an actress I never warmed to for some reason. Body Heat, on the other hand, I own and have watched time and again. A masterful neo-noir - with an excellent score by John Barry, by the way. As for the Academy - its voting habits seem to me a mystery in so many key categories...

Such interesting characters and relationships. I normally don't happen to read books about relationships per se, but this one was captivating and far more interesting in its every-day events and twists as the main character works his way through grief over the loss of his only child. As different a journey for the reader as it is for the main characters. Luzia Highly recommended KRW Personal Injury Lawyers

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The accidental tourist.

Directed by Lawrence Kasdan

After the death of his son, travel writer Macon Leary seems to be sleep walking through life. Macon's wife is having similar problems. They separate, and Macon meets a strange, outgoing woman who brings him 'back down to earth', but his wife soon thinks their marriage is still worth another try.

William Hurt Kathleen Turner Geena Davis Amy Wright David Ogden Stiers Ed Begley Jr. Bill Pullman Robert Hy Gorman Bradley Mott Seth Granger Amanda Houck Caroline Houck London Nelson Gregory Gouyer Bill Lee Brown Donald Neal Peggy Converse Maureen Kerrigan Jake Kasdan Paul Williamson Walter Sparrow Todd J. Adelman Meg Kasdan David Q. Combs Jonathan Kasdan Thomas Paolucci Neana N. Collins Roland Riallot Audrey Rapoport

Director Director

Lawrence Kasdan

Producers Producers

Michael Grillo Lawrence Kasdan Charles Okun

Writers Writers

Frank Galati Lawrence Kasdan

Original Writer Original Writer

Casting casting.

Wallis Nicita

Editor Editor

Carol Littleton

Cinematography Cinematography

John Bailey

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

Phyllis Carlyle John Malkovich

Production Design Production Design

Art direction art direction.

Tom Duffield

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Cricket Rowland

Stunts Stunts

Composer composer.

John Williams

Costume Design Costume Design

Makeup makeup.

Leonard Engelman Vincent Callaghan

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Lynda Gurasich

Warner Bros. Pictures

Releases by Date

Theatrical limited, 23 dec 1988, 03 jan 1989, 06 jan 1989, 24 feb 1989, 10 mar 1989, 05 apr 1989, 26 may 1989, 28 oct 1989, releases by country.

Theatrical PG
Theatrical 12
Theatrical U
Theatrical G
Theatrical M/12
Theatrical limited PG

121 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Sam 9

what a strange, forgotten, and tonally mixed American domestic drama. this film being a Best Picture nominee is both incredibly mind-boggling and so expected to me. it’s so unsure of what it is; you have a weirdly sweeping John Williams score that feels like it came out of a light fantasy dramedy or maybe one of the Harrison Ford-lead action movies, at least for the expositional scenes, like the fugitive or witness.

then you have the cinematography and lighting which look like they’re out of a Brian De Palma movie? it’s dark and gritty in an almost apocalyptic way. the use of backup zooms and overcrowding shadows do not match the mood that the score or the initial plot possess. …

Review by Mary Conti 2

**Part of the Best Picture Project**

In which Geena Davis plays a quirky woman who seems to have very little of a life beyond her desire to get William Hurt out his depression and see the value of life again.

IF ONLY THERE WAS A TROPE TO DESCRIBE THIS KIND OF WOMAN.

Review by DNA cinephile🏳️‍🌈 ★★★★

The Accidental Tourist. 1988. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan.

Lawrence Kasdan’s screenplay of Anne Tyler’s book is brilliant. The script was well written. However, Geena Davis could have been given more lines. Nevertheless, in my opinion, Davis’s character Muriel was the best medicine for Hurt’s character Macon. Macon’s son died and due to this Macon was extremely depressed. In addition, his wife Sarah portrayed by Kathleen Turner asked for separation. Macon continues grinding away at life but not thriving until he meets Muriel who has a son of her own named Alexander.

With the aforementioned variables at play, the film moves with great cinematography and an adequate score. This is not an action packed suspense or thriller but, it is a…

Review by claireeliza ★★★ 1

William Hurt: "oh no woe is me Geena Davis and Kathleen Turner are fighting over me pls help me"

Review by Dylan ★★½

“I'm beginning to think that maybe it's not just how much you love someone. Maybe what matters is who you are when you're with them.”

This is unquestionably a forgotten film of American cinema. Since I don't see many people logging it on here, I wanted to watch it for myself and give my unsolicited opinion. The plot is surprisingly gripping, and the film has strong dialogue and a solid script. While subtle in nature, which might bore others, I did not find this aspect to be a major issue. I enjoyed how the film examined the various meanings of love and conveyed the idea that you don't really have to live life according to a schedule. However, I thought…

Review by Lebowskidoo 🇨🇦 🎬 🍿 ★★★★

"It's wrong to think we could plan everything, as though it were a business trip. I don't believe that anymore. Things just happen."

This is a quiet little movie. Sure, it won awards and has movie stars, but it's still just a simple, soft-spoken story, not the usual Hollywood flash. It's a comedy/drama, dipping a toe in both equally, like life itself, I suppose.

William Hurt plays Macon Leary, a travel writer whose son has died tragically and then his wife leaves him. His dog, a corgi named Edward (the real star of the show, a major scene-stealing fuzzball), has not been the same since Mason's son died. Enter Muriel, a kooky dog trainer, who takes an instant liking to…

Review by Rafael "Parker!!" Jovine ★★★

After the passing of his son in a shooting, a man's life whose work is tour around around the world starts to crumble down but there might be life at the end of the tunnel.

Before there was "Solo: A Star Wars Story," Lawrence Kasdan wrote a movie that encapsulates to perfection the word average. Its hard to call this romantic movie, a bad movie, but its also hard to call it good. The script has his moments, there are some endearment and cute moments, but it felt all generic.

Performances are serviceable, though if you are really into dogs you might get pissed at Geena Davis' character's form of training, which often than not borderlines into the realm of animal cruelty.

All in all, if you are seriously into romantic movies from the 80s, you may enjoy this, otherwise I guess you can skip this.

Review by Christian Ryan 11

I’m sorry, but unless Lawrence Kasdan is working off a George Lucas story, with ample pulp to drown out the pretention, his writing just comes off as fucking unbearable to me. I bailed on this after 45 minutes to go listen to my ten-year-old practice violin. She’s been playing for about three days now, and shows zero inclination for the instrument, but still manages to make better noise with it than this overrated hack can make with his pen.

Review by Colin the dude ★★★ 6

Are we just never going to talk about William Hurt being in 5 Best Picture nominees in 6 years? And this was when you were limited to 5 slots. Brad Pitt starred in 4 consecutive nominees but 3 of those were when the field was widened to up to 10 films. Bill Hurt was on an Oscar bait tear in the 80s and everyone's forgotten it.

Review by Scout Tafoya ★★★★

Absolutely offensive that when you search for William Hurt on here the first things that show up are those hideously chintzy Marvel posters. Also wanted to say Hurt could still show up in Robin Hood or The King's Daughter and make those movies great for a few seconds.

www.rogerebert.com/tributes/william-hurt-1950-2022

This is a movie that makes for a fascinating time capsule now (Bill Pullman doesn't have the voice yet!). Pretty amazing to think there were once movies about relationships and loss that were only occasionally hamstrung by an overeager subtext. Shot competently if not particularly expressively, with an eye towards rendering environments in as melancholy a fashion possible in order to reflect the mental state of our sad sack hero.…

Review by Cole Duffy ★½

Genuinely awful. The best performance comes from the dog.

Review by Krommedijk ★★★★ 2

One thing before I get to the film: the Academy should have given Kathleen Turner an Oscar for her part. It's almost criminal that she didn't get an Oscar for her part as Sarah Leary.

William Hurt plays Macon Leary, a man broken by the death of his son - an event responsible for the disintegration of his marriage. He only comes out of his self-imposed shell when he meets a shrewd, aggressive young woman (Davis), who works at an animal shelter, and who couldn't be less his type. Things tend to go another way than he expected beforehand.

This well-crafted, very faithful adaptation of Anne Tyler's novel is slow and takes its time, but that doesn't bother me because it's going somewhere and the characters and their development throughout the film are strong. I do bother the fact that this film is still quite underappreciated.

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The Accidental Tourist (1988)

Directed by lawrence kasdan.

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Description by Wikipedia

The Accidental Tourist is a 1988 American drama film starring William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, and Geena Davis. It was directed by Lawrence Kasdan and scored by John Williams. The film's screenplay was adapted by Kasdan and Frank Galati from the novel of the same name by Anne Tyler. One of the most acclaimed films of 1988, it was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Supporting Actress, winning Best Supporting Actress for Davis. John Williams was nominated by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for Best Original Score.

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ADMIN AREA MY BOOKSHELF MY DASHBOARD MY PROFILE SIGN OUT SIGN IN

THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST

by Anne Tyler ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 11, 1985

How do "impossible" couples evolve? In this most recent, luminous novel by Tyler, a "fairly chilly" man, muffled in loneliness, learns that a man and a woman can come together "for reasons the rest of the world would never guess." One can leave the principality of self to tour another's—to love "the surprise of her. . .the surprise of himself when he was with her." Macon Leary, married to Sarah, is an author of travel books for businessmen whose "concern was how to pretend they had never left home"—who want safe and comforting accommodations and food, who want to travel "without a jolt." Macon and Sarah, devastated by the senseless murder of their 12-year-old son in a fast-food shop holdup, are about to part. Sarah will leave this man that she claims remains "unchanged," who refuses to argue with the knowledge that the world is vile. Immobilized by a broken leg (was that accident an unconscious wish?), Macon will settle in with the family he started with—two brothers (one divorced) and sister Rose—in ultimate safety, where like plump, brooding fowl, the four deliberate in soothing converse, rearrange the straws of domesticity, Enter the "impossible" Muriel Pritchett, shrill as a macaw, single mother of a pale, wretched young boy, scrabbling for a living at various jobs, and existing messily on a cacophonous Baltimore street. Muriel has arrived at the Leary compound to whip into line Edward, Macon's pugnacious Welsh corgi who's fond of treeing bicyclists and family members. Muriel cows Edward while talking nonstop, and gradually Macon will find himself in "another country" of noise and color, where red slippers with feathers are necessary accessories to a woman in the morning. From a perspective where Macon feels he's a "vast distance from everyone who mattered" and a marriage where he and his wife seem to have "used each other up," Macon will find in foreignness his own "soft heart." Again in Tyler's tender, quiet prose, a delicate sounding of the odd and accidental incursions of the heart. Tone-perfect, and probably her best to date.

Pub Date: Sept. 11, 1985

ISBN: 0345452003

Page Count: 356

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: Oct. 6, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1985

LITERARY FICTION

Share your opinion of this book

More by Anne Tyler

BOOK REVIEW

by Anne Tyler

THINGS FALL APART

by Chinua Achebe ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 23, 1958

This book sings with the terrible silence of dead civilizations in which once there was valor.

Written with quiet dignity that builds to a climax of tragic force, this book about the dissolution of an African tribe, its traditions, and values, represents a welcome departure from the familiar "Me, white brother" genre.

Written by a Nigerian African trained in missionary schools, this novel tells quietly the story of a brave man, Okonkwo, whose life has absolute validity in terms of his culture, and who exercises his prerogative as a warrior, father, and husband with unflinching single mindedness. But into the complex Nigerian village filters the teachings of strangers, teachings so alien to the tribe, that resistance is impossible. One must distinguish a force to be able to oppose it, and to most, the talk of Christian salvation is no more than the babbling of incoherent children. Still, with his guns and persistence, the white man, amoeba-like, gradually absorbs the native culture and in despair, Okonkwo, unable to withstand the corrosion of what he, alone, understands to be the life force of his people, hangs himself. In the formlessness of the dying culture, it is the missionary who takes note of the event, reminding himself to give Okonkwo's gesture a line or two in his work, The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger .

Pub Date: Jan. 23, 1958

ISBN: 0385474547

Page Count: 207

Publisher: McDowell, Obolensky

Review Posted Online: April 23, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1958

More by Chinua Achebe

by Chinua Achebe

THE EDUCATION OF A BRITISH-PROTECTED CHILD

THE SECRET HISTORY

by Donna Tartt ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 16, 1992

The Brat Pack meets The Bacchae in this precious, way-too-long, and utterly unsuspenseful town-and-gown murder tale. A bunch of ever-so-mandarin college kids in a small Vermont school are the eager epigones of an aloof classics professor, and in their exclusivity and snobbishness and eagerness to please their teacher, they are moved to try to enact Dionysian frenzies in the woods. During the only one that actually comes off, a local farmer happens upon them—and they kill him. But the death isn't ruled a murder—and might never have been if one of the gang—a cadging sybarite named Bunny Corcoran—hadn't shown signs of cracking under the secret's weight. And so he too is dispatched. The narrator, a blank-slate Californian named Richard Pepen chronicles the coverup. But if you're thinking remorse-drama, conscience masque, or even semi-trashy who'll-break-first? page-turner, forget it: This is a straight gee-whiz, first-to-have-ever-noticed college novel—"Hampden College, as a body, was always strangely prone to hysteria. Whether from isolation, malice, or simple boredom, people there were far more credulous and excitable than educated people are generally thought to be, and this hermetic, overheated atmosphere made it a thriving black petri dish of melodrama and distortion." First-novelist Tartt goes muzzy when she has to describe human confrontations (the murder, or sex, or even the ping-ponging of fear), and is much more comfortable in transcribing aimless dorm-room paranoia or the TV shows that the malefactors anesthetize themselves with as fate ticks down. By telegraphing the murders, Tartt wants us to be continually horrified at these kids—while inviting us to semi-enjoy their manneristic fetishes and refined tastes. This ersatz-Fitzgerald mix of moralizing and mirror-looking (Jay McInerney shook and poured the shaker first) is very 80's—and in Tartt's strenuous version already seems dated, formulaic. Les Nerds du Mal—and about as deep (if not nearly as involving) as a TV movie.

Pub Date: Sept. 16, 1992

ISBN: 1400031702

Page Count: 592

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1992

More by Donna Tartt

by Donna Tartt

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The Accidental Tourist Review

01 Jan 1988

121 minutes

Accidental Tourist, The

In the words of Leary's wife Sarah (Kathleen Turner), he writes for businessmen "so they can travel to the most wonderful exotic places in the world and never be touched by them."

Leary also travels through life without being touched by it. His child was shot dead in a hold-up, and while his wife tries valiantly to come to terms with it, Macon buries the tragedy. One stormy night she walks out, exasperated, and he is left alone with only his dog (the wonderful Welsh corgi Edward) and his bewilderment. Well and truly on a down-curve, he breaks his leg, returns to his eccentric family, refuses to answer the phone and is dragged reluctantly into a relationship with Edward's trainer Muriel Pritchett (Geena Davis, who won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for her wonderfully quirky performance).

Somehow, The Accidental Tourist manages to be both deeply sad and deeply funny. Hurt's performance is quite extraordinarybaffled by life's injustice, cynical and emotionally barren, he conveys his character on many occasions with merely a facial expression: he is mesmerising to watch. Macon's mad family, Edward the dog and Geena Davis' pushy, slightly bonkers Muriel Pritchett balance his melancholy, and the end result is a quiet, gentle and amusing film. Hardly a smile crosses Macon's heart-broken face until the very last shot, when his slowly unfolding grin, as he realises he's made one good decision at last, is a joy to behold. The sort of video you may well want to immediately rewind and sit through all over again.

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The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler

Publication Date: April 9, 2002
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN-10: 0345452003
ISBN-13: 9780345452009
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Review: The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler

“People could, in fact, be used up -- could use each other up, could be of no further help to each other”

The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler cover

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The Accidental Tourist

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Duration: 121 mins

Cast and crew

Director: Lawrence Kasdan
Screenwriter: Frank Galati, Lawrence Kasdan
William Hurt
Kathleen Turner
Geena Davis
David Ogden Stiers
Ed Begley Jr
Bill Pullman

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Review: The Accidental Tourist (1988)

Wesley Lovell

The Accidental Tourist

Source Material

Review You can feel the ’80s permeating off this film from the eccentric fashion to the contemporaneous dialogue. Perhaps it made more of an impression in its day, but today it seems hopelessly out of date. The only reason the film succeeds at all is the magic of Geena Davis who enlivens much of the production while William Hurt and Kathleen Turner seem to suck the life out of their own scenes. Davis is the only actor to display anything in the way of credible emotion despite seeming loony for the early parts of the film. Desperate to find someone to be with, she shamelessly flirts with a travel guide writer attempting to kennel his dog while he flies off to write his next book.

Hurt’s writer is damaged goods having lost his son to a senseless act of violence. His only really good scene is when he must identify his son’s body) and his wife has left him because he’s been unable to connect with her. For much of the film Hurt’s performance seems to make sense, but even after he’s realized what he wants to do and who he wants to be with, he doesn’t seem to perk up emotionally leaving us wondering what kind of life it must be to live with him. His family is unnecessarily quirky and doesn’t really seem to be of need to the plot except to stretch it to its two-hour length. David Ogden Stiers, Ed Begley Jr and Amy Wright appear, opine and evaporate. There are a few kernels of wisdom within the framework of the film, but overall it’s a rather pale film lacking imagination or interest. Review Written July 26, 2010

One response to “Review: The Accidental Tourist (1988)”

This is not a ‘pale film’ but a classic that bears repeated viewing. Finely nuanced characterisation and well-paced plotting throughout. Fully deserving of oscar nominations.

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