Woman Wanted (2000)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Directors:

Kiefer Sutherland
Alan Smithee

Writers (WGA):

Joanna McClelland Glass (novel)
Joanna McClelland Glass (screenplay)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A new woman comes between a widower and his adult son.

Plot Keywords:

Widower | Love | Housekeeper | Unfaithfulness | Pearl Necklace

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Holly Hunter	...	Emma Riley
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Wendell Goddard
Michael Moriarty	...	Richard Goddard
Carrie Preston	...	Monica
Allegra Fulton	...	Gracie
Shirley Douglas	...	Peg
Sean McCann	...	Kevin
Jackie Richardson	...	Lydia
Jordan Zalis	...	Raymond (at 13)
Richard Eden	...	Michael
Jonathan Barrett	...	Daniel
Joanna McClelland Glass	...	Ariadne (as Joanna Glass)
Elaine Pigden	...	Marion
Rhiannon Benedict	...	Betsy (as Valerie Wynne)
Mauralea Austin	...	Maggie

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

Canada:110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Old Market Square, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Company:

Phoenician Entertainment

Trivia:

Kiefer Sutherland's mother, Shirley Douglas is in this film.

Soundtrack:

Everything I Have Is Yours

A superb performance from Hunter highlights this gem of amovie

It is a complete mystery why this gem of a movie has apparently failed to find a theatrical release and been shown first on cable TV. " Woman Wanted " has a strong cast and demonstrates again that Holly Hunter is one of the most gifted actresses around today. Coming on top of her wonderful performance in " Living Out Loud " and a great turn on stage in the off-broadway play " Impossible Marriage " it is a delight in this movie to see her combining wistful emotion with a fierce self-confidence that really makes you care what happens to the enigmatic character of Emma Riley. Emma is the " Woman Wanted " hired as a housekeeper by the Goddard father and son strongly played by Michael Moriarty and Kiefer Sutherland (who also directs the movie) and the way Hunter plays the role evokes memories of characters from earlier movies such as Miss Firecracker, Always and Once Around. She somehow manages to look a dead ringer for Carnelle in Miss Firecracker, even though that movie is over 10 years old, and totally different from the Judith the 40 something New Yorker in Living Out Loud. Perhaps this is the true meaure of a great actor.

" Woman Wanted " comes over a shade or two darker than the excellent book by Joanna McClelland Glass (who also wrote the screenplay) which is a shame as the movie could have done with some of the book's lighter moments to offset a sombre mood . But take nothing away from the main performers who have a good chemistry - especially Sutherland and Hunter - and the line from Sutherland about the emergency room being a good substitute for family is a classic.

Above all, though, I shall remember " Woman Wanted " for the emotional power of Hunter's performance as Emma Riley and to borrow Spielberg's words she is a true " architect of character. "