Simple Men (1992)

Director:

Hal Hartley

Writer:

Hal Hartley (writer)

Release Date:

14 October 1992 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

There's no such thing as adventure and romance, only trouble and desire.

Plot:

Bitter about being double-crossed by the women he loved, (and with the police after him to boot), Bill vows to seduce the next woman he sees...

Plot Keywords:

Catholic Schoolgirl | Brother Brother Relationship | Nun | Long Island New York | Motorcycle

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Robert John Burke	...	Bill McCabe (as Robert Burke)
Bill Sage	...	Dennis McCabe
Karen Sillas	...	Kate
Elina Löwensohn	...	Elina
Martin Donovan	...	Martin
Mark Chandler Bailey	...	Mike (as Mark Bailey)
Chris Cooke	...	Vic
Jeffrey Howard	...	Ned Rifle
Holly Marie Combs	...	Kim
Joe Stevens	...	Jack
Damian Young	...	Sheriff
Marietta Marich	...	Mom (Meg)
John MacKay	...	Dad
Bethany Wright	...	Mary
Richard Reyes	...	Security Guard
James Hansen Prince	...	Frank
Ed Geldart	...	Cop at Desk
Vivian Lanko	...	Nun
Alissa Alban	...	Waitress
Margaret Bowman	...	Nurse Louise
Jo Perkins	...	Nurse Otto
Mary McKenzie	...	Vera
Matt Malloy	...	Boyish Cop

Directed by
Hal Hartley

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Hal Hartley		writer

Produced by
Jerome Brownstein	....	producer
Hal Hartley	....	producer
Ted Hope	....	producer
Bruce Weiss	....	producer

Original Music by
Hal Hartley		(as Ned Rifle)
Yo La Tengo

Cinematography by
Michael Spiller

Film Editing by
Steve Hamilton

Production Design by
Daniel Ouellette

Art Direction by
Thérèse DePrez

Costume Design by
Alexandra Welker

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gregory Jacobs	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Maggi Poorman	....	property master
Mark B. Quick	....	lead scenic
Robert K. Weinberger	....	lead carpenter

Sound Department
Reilly Steele	....	sound re-recording mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Buzzy Burwell	....	electrician
Linda Phillips	....	third electrician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Marina Marit	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Milan Boncich	....	colorist

Other crew
Chuck Coffman	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• American Playhouse
• Channel Four Films
• Fine Line Features
• True Fiction Pictures
• Zenith Entertainment

Distributors

• Fine Line Features (1992) (USA) (theatrical)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1994) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• BIM Distribuzione
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (video)
• Image Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Musidora Films (Spain)
• Transvídeo (Brazil) (video)

Other Companies

• Bon Bon  payroll services
• Jeff Kaplan Inc.  titles
• Noëlle Penraat  negative cutting
• Ruben Entertainment Insurance Services  insurance
• Sound One Corporation  post-production services
• Ten Twenty Catering  catering

Also Known As:

Uomini semplici (Italy)
Begär, besvär och enkla män (Sweden) [sv]
Gvarim Pshutim (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Homens Simples (Portugal) [pt]
Ludzie jak my (Poland) [pl]
Simple Men (Spain) [es]
Simple Men (France) [fr]
Simples Desejo (Brazil) [pt]

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

Italy | UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Houston, Texas, USA

Company:

American Playhouse

Trivia:

"There's no such thing as adventure. There's no such thing as romance. There's only trouble and desire." It's probably the best-known phrase of this movie, but actually it's a quote from 'Lang, Fritz''s movie _Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler (1922)_.

Quotes:

Sheriff: Why do women exist?

Movie Connections:

References Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Soundtrack:

Always Something

I didn't want it to end.

"Trust" was so different from anything I'd ever seen that it just knocked me out--the dialog, the meter, the slightly-affected hyper-reality of the performances. "Simple Men" showcased a refinement of writer/director Hal Hartley's style, and I found myself watching rapt, not wanting it to end, ever. Untouched, unblemished, unstained by Hollywood, Hal Hartley makes his own movies his own way. He takes life's "little problems"--the ones that big Hollywood movies only mention in passing as a cinematic trick to achieve emotional buy-in--and examines them in exquisite detail. Now when is the DVD release!?