Melvin and Howard
by Jonathan Demme
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Chip Taylor, Elizabeth Cheshire, Jason Robards, Mary Steenburgen, Paul Le MatDirector: Jonathan Demme
Brand: Universal
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 95 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-03-02
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of Melvin and Howard
Movie Review: Quirky Film Deserves A Look
Summary: 4 Stars
Here's a strange tale of a couple and their on-and-off again marriage and the stupid things they do.....and the eventual flak over money billionaire Howard Hughes supposedly left the man.
Paul LaMat plays the husband and supposed beneficiary. He's just fun to watch, a likable, never-loses-his-cool kind of guy. Mary Steenburgen plays his wife and kind of surprised me by how much skin she showed, not the usual scenario with her. Both of them are somewhat low-lifes. Heck, even Hughes (Jason Robards) is pictured to look kind of scummy character in here. Then again, his last years on this earth were a bit strange!
It's a fictional story but those of us who remember, there WAS a lot of flak over the will of Howard Hughes. Despite this being on the grungy side (typical for movies between 1970-1981) this is still an appealing film in a sweet kind of way.
One thing for sure: it's different and very entertaining.
Summary of Melvin and Howard
Nevada milkman melvin dummar helps a bum and winds up in howard hughes will. Best supporting oscar for mary steenburgen. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 03/02/2004 Starring: Paul Le Mat John Glover Run time: 95 minutes Rating: R Director: Jonathan DemmeJonathan Demme would later become one of America's premiere directors, with an Oscar for The Silence of the Lambs and numerous nominations to his credit, but it was this sublime 1980 comedy that put him on the Hollywood map. Esteemed critic Pauline Kael called it "an almost flawless act of sympathetic imagination," referring to the movie's semifictional treatment of the true story of Melvin Dummar (played to perfection by Paul LeMat), an average guy whose life was turned upside down when he was made beneficiary of a $156 million will allegedly signed by millionaire Howard Hughes. Demme and Oscar-winning screenwriter Bo Goldman do not concern themselves with the validity of Dummar's claim; they're more interested in showing how Melvin's life is transformed--not necessarily for the better--by the influx of sudden wealth. Melvin doesn't take easily to being rich, and in telling his story Melvin and Howard becomes a true American classic, guaranteed to stand the test of time and improve with age like John Ford's The Grapes of Wrath. It's also a rousing good comedy, largely due to Mary Steenburgen's Oscar-winning performance as Melvin's wife and the everyday integrity of Melvin as an admirably scrappy hero. With Jason Robards as the long-haired Hughes, whom Melvin had given a ride one cold desert night, never knowing that his simple act of kindness toward the hermit-like Hughes would eventually change his life. With its comical blend of fact and speculation, Melvin and Howard is a tribute to the little guy, celebrating the American dream and the average folks who struggle to make it real. --Jeff Shannon
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