Curly Sue
Encyclopedia
Curly Sue is a 1991 comedy
film
starring James Belushi
, Alisan Porter
and Kelly Lynch
. The film was written and directed by John Hughes. Music for the movie was provided by Georges Delerue
, with the end title song "You Never Know" performed by Ringo Starr
.
The movie was Hughes' final film as a director. It also marked the film debut of Steve Carell
, who would not act in another feature film until 2003 with Bruce Almighty
.
) into believing she backed her Mercedes
into Bill, in hopes of a free meal. But after Grey accidentally hits Bill for real, she insists on putting the two up for the night, even over the objections of her snotty fiance. After a confrontation with Bill exposing the truth of the con, Grey lets them stay for as long as they need to when she understands the precarious position the homeless pair are in. As they get to know each other, Bill becomes convinced that this is where Curly Sue belongs - in a home, cared for by someone that can give her the advantages that his homeless, nomadic existence lacks. He strives to give her the life she deserves, altering his own life to meet those standards.
Curly Sue was released in North America on October 25, 1991, and grossed US$33,691,313 in that market.
Warner Home Video
released it on DVD on June 1, 2004, with commentary and an introduction by Alisan Porter as special features.
gave the film one and a half stars out of four in his Movie Guide, and called it "A John Hughes formula movie where the formula doesn't work". The staff of Halliwell's Film Guide called it "Gruesomely sentimental and manipulative". Nigel Andrews of the Financial Times
declared, "John Hughes here graduates from the most successful comedy in film history to scripting and directing a large piece of non-biodegradable tosh." Curly Sue holds a 17% rating according to Rotten Tomatoes
.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
starring James Belushi
James Belushi
James Adam "Jim" Belushi is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is the younger brother of comic actor John Belushi.-Early life:Belushi was born in Chicago...
, Alisan Porter
Alisan Porter
Alisan Porter is an American actress, singer and dancer.-Life and career:Porter was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. Porter is Jewish. Her maternal grandmother, whose father Joseph Klein was a prominent Worcester rabbi, ran the Charlotte Klein Dance Center in Worcester...
and Kelly Lynch
Kelly Lynch
Kelly Lynch is an American actress. Once a model for the Elite modeling agency, Lynch appeared in the film Drugstore Cowboy which starred Matt Dillon, and the film Road House which starred Patrick Swayze....
. The film was written and directed by John Hughes. Music for the movie was provided by Georges Delerue
Georges Delerue
Georges Delerue , was a French film composer who composed over 350 scores for cinema and television. He won numerous important awards including Rome Prize , Emmy Award , Genie Award , ACE Award and Academy Award for Best Original Score in 1979 for A...
, with the end title song "You Never Know" performed by Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
.
The movie was Hughes' final film as a director. It also marked the film debut of Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
, who would not act in another feature film until 2003 with Bruce Almighty
Bruce Almighty
Bruce Almighty is a 2003 American comedy film directed by Tom Shadyac and written by Steve Koren, Mark O'Keefe and Steve Oedekerk. It stars Jim Carrey as Bruce Nolan, a down-on-his-luck TV reporter who complains to God that He isn't doing His job correctly, and is then offered the chance to try...
.
Plot
Bill Dancer (Belushi) and his young companion Curly Sue (Porter) are the archetypal homeless folks with hearts of gold. Their scams are aimed not at turning a profit, but at getting enough to eat. After moving from Detroit to Chicago, the duo tricks the rich and beautiful divorce lawyer Grey Ellison (Kelly LynchKelly Lynch
Kelly Lynch is an American actress. Once a model for the Elite modeling agency, Lynch appeared in the film Drugstore Cowboy which starred Matt Dillon, and the film Road House which starred Patrick Swayze....
) into believing she backed her Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
into Bill, in hopes of a free meal. But after Grey accidentally hits Bill for real, she insists on putting the two up for the night, even over the objections of her snotty fiance. After a confrontation with Bill exposing the truth of the con, Grey lets them stay for as long as they need to when she understands the precarious position the homeless pair are in. As they get to know each other, Bill becomes convinced that this is where Curly Sue belongs - in a home, cared for by someone that can give her the advantages that his homeless, nomadic existence lacks. He strives to give her the life she deserves, altering his own life to meet those standards.
Main cast
- James BelushiJames BelushiJames Adam "Jim" Belushi is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is the younger brother of comic actor John Belushi.-Early life:Belushi was born in Chicago...
... Bill Dancer - Alisan PorterAlisan PorterAlisan Porter is an American actress, singer and dancer.-Life and career:Porter was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. Porter is Jewish. Her maternal grandmother, whose father Joseph Klein was a prominent Worcester rabbi, ran the Charlotte Klein Dance Center in Worcester...
... Curly Sue - Kelly LynchKelly LynchKelly Lynch is an American actress. Once a model for the Elite modeling agency, Lynch appeared in the film Drugstore Cowboy which starred Matt Dillon, and the film Road House which starred Patrick Swayze....
... Grey Ellison - John GetzJohn Getz-Personal life:Getz, one of four children, was born in Davenport, Iowa, and grew up in the Mississippi River Valley. He began acting while attending the University of Iowa, where he helped found the Center for New Performing Arts...
... Walker McCormick - Fred Dalton ThompsonFred Dalton ThompsonFred Dalton Thompson , is an American politician, actor, attorney, lobbyist, columnist, and radio host. He served as a Republican U.S...
... Bernard Oxbar - Cameron ThorCameron ThorGregory Cameron Thor is an actor best known for playing Lewis Dodgson, a character from the film Jurassic Park. While his character was a major part of the sequel novel, The Lost World, the character was left out of the movie. He also appeared in the 1991 films Hook and Curly Sue. He is currently...
... Maitre d' - Branscombe RichmondBranscombe RichmondBranscombe Richmond is an American character actor and stuntman. He is sometimes credited in films as Richmond Branscombe, Ranscombe Richmon, Ranhome Quickman or Branscom Richmond....
... Albert - Steve CarellSteve CarellSteven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
... Tesio (credited as Steven Carell)
Release
Curly Sue debuted at No. 2 at the box office.Curly Sue was released in North America on October 25, 1991, and grossed US$33,691,313 in that market.
Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
released it on DVD on June 1, 2004, with commentary and an introduction by Alisan Porter as special features.
Reception
The film received mostly negative reviews from critics. Leonard MaltinLeonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
gave the film one and a half stars out of four in his Movie Guide, and called it "A John Hughes formula movie where the formula doesn't work". The staff of Halliwell's Film Guide called it "Gruesomely sentimental and manipulative". Nigel Andrews of the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
declared, "John Hughes here graduates from the most successful comedy in film history to scripting and directing a large piece of non-biodegradable tosh." Curly Sue holds a 17% rating according to Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten 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...
.