Alex and Emma
Encyclopedia
Alex & Emma is a 2003 Franchise Pictures
' romantic comedy
starring Kate Hudson
and Luke Wilson
. It was directed
by Rob Reiner
based on a screenplay
by Jeremy Leven
. It opened June 20, 2003.
100,000 debt to the Cuba
n mafia
or face dire consequences. After his laptop is destroyed, he hires Emma (Hudson), a stenographer who talks as much as she writes. As Alex dictates his novel to Emma, the movie cuts away to scenes from the novel, where Adam (Wilson) interacts with a series of nannies (all played by Hudson) falling for the last one. Eventually life imitates art, and Alex and Emma fall in love.
Fyodor Dostoevsky
, who dictated his novel
, The Gambler
, in 30 days in order to pay off a gambling
debt—and in the process, fell in love with his young stenographer.
The film was modeled after the Audrey Hepburn
movie, Paris When It Sizzles.
giving it an 11% rating by calling it: "a dull and unfunny comedy where the leads fail to generate any sparks". Alex & Emma was a flop, grossing just over USD
$15 million at the box office.
Franchise Pictures
Franchise Pictures LLC was an independent motion picture production and distribution company founded by Elie Samaha and Andrew Stevens. They were known for their production in the action film genre...
' romantic comedy
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
starring Kate Hudson
Kate Hudson
Kate Garry Hudson is an American actress. She came to prominence in 2001 after winning a Golden Globe and receiving several nominations, including a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her role in Almost Famous. She then starred in the hit film How to Lose a Guy in 10...
and Luke Wilson
Luke Wilson
Luke Cunningham Wilson is an American film actor known for his roles in Old School, Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tenenbaums, Legally Blonde, Idiocracy and Death at a Funeral.-Early life:...
. It was directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Rob Reiner
Rob Reiner
Robert "Rob" Reiner is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and political activist.As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie and Edith Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s...
based on a screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
by Jeremy Leven
Jeremy Leven
Jeremy Leven is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and novelist. Born in South Bend, Indiana, Leven lives in Woodbridge, Connecticut, Nantucket, and Paris....
. It opened June 20, 2003.
Plot
Alex (Wilson) is the author, who must repay a USD$United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
100,000 debt to the Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
or face dire consequences. After his laptop is destroyed, he hires Emma (Hudson), a stenographer who talks as much as she writes. As Alex dictates his novel to Emma, the movie cuts away to scenes from the novel, where Adam (Wilson) interacts with a series of nannies (all played by Hudson) falling for the last one. Eventually life imitates art, and Alex and Emma fall in love.
Production
Developed under the working title, Loosely Based on a True Love Story, the movie is loosely based on a true love story of authorAuthor
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky was a Russian writer of novels, short stories and essays. He is best known for his novels Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov....
, who dictated his novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
, The Gambler
The Gambler (novel)
The Gambler is a short novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky about a young tutor in the employment of a formerly wealthy Russian general. The novella reflects Dostoyevsky's own addiction to roulette, which was in more ways than one the inspiration for the book: Dostoyevsky completed the novella under a...
, in 30 days in order to pay off a gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
debt—and in the process, fell in love with his young stenographer.
The film was modeled after the Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn was a British actress and humanitarian. Although modest about her acting ability, Hepburn remains one of the world's most famous actresses of all time, remembered as a film and fashion icon of the twentieth century...
movie, Paris When It Sizzles.
Reception
The film was widely panned by critics, with Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
giving it an 11% rating by calling it: "a dull and unfunny comedy where the leads fail to generate any sparks". Alex & Emma was a flop, grossing just over USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
$15 million at the box office.
Main cast
- Kate HudsonKate HudsonKate Garry Hudson is an American actress. She came to prominence in 2001 after winning a Golden Globe and receiving several nominations, including a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her role in Almost Famous. She then starred in the hit film How to Lose a Guy in 10...
- Emma Dinsmore / Ylva / Elsa / Eldora / Anna - Luke WilsonLuke WilsonLuke Cunningham Wilson is an American film actor known for his roles in Old School, Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tenenbaums, Legally Blonde, Idiocracy and Death at a Funeral.-Early life:...
- Alex Sheldon / Adam Shipley - David PaymerDavid PaymerDavid Paymer is an American actor and television director, seen in such films as Quiz Show, Searching for Bobby Fischer, City Slickers, Crazy People, State and Main, Payback, Get Shorty, Carpool, The American President, Ocean's Thirteen, and Drag Me to Hell...
- John Shaw - Sophie MarceauSophie MarceauSophie Marceau is a French actress director, screenwriter, and author. She has appeared in 38 films. As a teenager, Marceau achieved popularity with her debut films La boum and La boum 2 , receiving a César Award for Most Promising Actress...
- Polina Delacroix - Cloris LeachmanCloris LeachmanCloris Leachman is an American actress of stage, film and television. She has won eight Primetime Emmy Awards—more than any other performer—and one Daytime Emmy Award...
- Grandmother - Rob ReinerRob ReinerRobert "Rob" Reiner is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and political activist.As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie and Edith Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s...
- Wirschafter - Chino XLChino XLDerek Keith Barbosa , better known by his stage name Chino XL, is an American hip hop lyricist, battle rapper, and actor of Puerto Rican and African American descent...
- Tony / Flamenco Dancer #2 - Lobo Sebastian - Bobby / Flamenco Dancer #1
- Jordi Caballero - Flamenco Dancer #3
- Paul WillsonPaul WillsonPaul Lee Willson is an American actor, most notable for his television work.Willson has played numerous guest characters on a variety of shows including Curb Your Enthusiasm, Boston Public, Caroline in the City, and Star Trek: Voyager...
- Whistling John Shaw - Alexander Wauthier - Andre Delacroix
- Leili Kramer - Michele Delacroix
- Rip TaylorRip TaylorCharles Elmer "Rip" Taylor, Jr. is an American actor and comedian.-Early life:Taylor was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Elizabeth, a waitress, and Charles Elmer Taylor, Sr., a musician. As a young man, Taylor served in the Korean War while in the U.S...
- Polina's Father - Gigi Bermingham - Madame Blanche
- Jordan Lund - Claude
- François Giroday - Croupier
- Robert Costanzo - Bus Driver
- Earl Carroll - Bernard Pompier
- Michael St. Michaels - Casino Owner
- Danica Sheridan - Receptionist