Another Day in Paradise (1997)

Director:

Larry Clark

Writers:

Eddie Little (book)
Christopher B. Landon (written by) ...

Release Date:

1999 (Austria)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

We live at the abyss.

Plot:

In the hope of a big score, two junkie couples team up to commit various drug robberies which go disastrously wrong leading to dissent, violence and murder.

Plot Keywords:

Shot In The Back | Male Female Relationship | Female Criminal | Smoking In Bed | Danger

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

James Woods	...	Mel
Melanie Griffith	...	Sid
Vincent Kartheiser	...	Bobbie
Natasha Gregson Wagner	...	Rosie
James Otis	...	Reverend
Branden Williams	...	Danny
Brent Briscoe	...	Clem
Peter Sarsgaard	...	Ty
Paul Hipp	...	Richard Johnson
Kim Flowers	...	Bonnie Johnson
John Gatins	...	Phil
Ryan Donahue	...	Barry
Christopher Doyle	...	Conan
Dick Hancock	...	Breather
Pamela Gordon	...	Waitress

Also Known As:

Paradise (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, sexuality, drug use and language.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | USA:R (Certificate #36165) | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Chile:18 | France:-16 | Germany:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:Unrated (director's cut) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Firestone Boulevard, Norwalk, California, USA

Company:

Chinese Bookie Pictures

Trivia:

Director Larry Clark didn't believe that Vincent Kartheiser, then 18, was of a legal age for his role (involving nudity, sexual situations, and drug use) and wouldn't cast him until he was able to prove his age. Kartheiser was cast once he produced his driver's license.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Vincent Kartheiser, alone in a toilet cubicle, climbs into the roof cavity through the overhead access hole. The hand of a crew member can be seen coming up from bottom of frame, giving him a boost.

Quotes:

Bobbie: Are you a doctor, Melvin?
Mel: Yeah. I'm a doctor, shooting you up with heroin. That's right.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Stuart Little 2 (2002)

Soundtrack:

The Gremmie Part 1

Nicely done

This one worked for me. The superb acting and fine camera work made this very believable. The scenes are some of the most realistic I've seen. Particularly noteworthy are the scenes involving extreme tension.

Throughout the picture I felt an urging to like these characters, sensing that they were, deep down, decent people who somehow got wrapped up in this type of life.

I'm not generally a fan of Griffith, but this role suits her well and her acting is top-notch. Woods is almost always exceptional, and his work here is no exception. The younger stars also perform quite well with this challenging, emotional material. And I thought the acting of the minor characters was excellent, suggesting the director had his act together on this one.

You have to acclimate to the language and level of tension early on or the movie will drive you nuts. But if you do, it begins to involve you deeply in the characters' situations and lives.