Spring Forward Movie Review 1999

Playwright and director Gilroy's debut stays close to his stage roots in this fastidious character drama involving the budding relationship of two men who work for the parks department in a small New England town. Regular joes Murph (Beatty), a world-weary senior close to retirement, and Paul (Schreiber), a feisty ex-con who wants a second chance, are seeming opposites who bond over the course of numerous events on the job, ranging from the death of Murph's gay son to a chance encounter with a vixen with the hots for Paul. Dead-on dialogue and restrained style, along with pitch perfect performances shine even when drama gets stagnant. Filmed mostly sequentially over the course of a year, seasons and character changes are laudably real.

Distribution

MGM Home Entertainment, 2500 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90404-6061, Phone: (310)449-3000, Fax: (310)449-3100, URL: http://www.mgmhomevideo.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 111 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Buddies, Impending Retirement, Workin' for a Livin', Gays, Dads, Ex-Cons

Screenplay

Tom Gilroy

Cast

Ned Beatty, Liev Schreiber, Campbell Scott, Ian Hart, Peri Gilpin, Bill Raymond, Catherine Kellner, Hallee Hirsh

Cinematography

Terry Stacey

Director

Tom Gilroy

Music

Hahn Rowe