Once Around

Director: Lasse Hallstrom Lasse Hallstrom

Overview

"Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom made his American movie debut with this romantic comedy, starring Holly Hunter as Renata Bella, an aimless Bostonian thirtysomething who attends a seminar for aspiring condo salespersons. Here she meets hotshot salesman Sam Sharpe (Richard Dreyfuss), who immediately falls in love with her. After the marriage, Sam's well-meaning but obnoxious insistence on insinuating himself into every aspect of Renata's life rubs the rest of her family the wrong way. Though the script occasionally veers into both cliché and sentimentality, Once Around ends up a thoroughly charming experience, thanks to Hallstrom's knowing direction and the marvelous chemistry between Hunter and Dreyfuss."

Product Details

Release Date:	12/28/2004
UPC:	0025192422027
Original Release:	1991
Rating:	R
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:55:00
Sales rank:	32,201

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Richard Dreyfuss	Sam Sharp
Holly Hunter	Renata Bella
Danny Aiello	Joe Bella
Laura San Giacomo	Jan
Gena Rowlands	Marilyn Bella
Roxanne Hart	Gail Bella
Danton Stone	Tony Bella
Tim Guinee	Peter Hedges
Greg Germann	Jim Redstone
Griffin Dunne	Rob
Cullen O. Johnson	Sonny
Joan Gay	Aunt
Cullen Oliver Johnson	Sonny
Lou Criscuolo	Uncle
Myra Taylor	Trainer #1
Michael Steve Jones	Trainer #2
Sabah	Belly Dancer
Caroline Parton	Honey Beach
Susanne Reed	Young Jan Bella,Young Joe Bella,Young Renata Bella,Young Jan Bella
John Bennes	Minister
Archie Fallon	Little Boy
Meg Simon	Actor
William Wolkovich	Lithuanian Priest
Dorothy Stevenson-Bigby	Justice of the Peace
Sheilagh Weymouth	Actor
Allen A. Mele	Roving Violinist
Jonathan A. Cramer	Young Tony Bella
Gerald A. Benullo	Wedding Guest
Sal Ruffino	Wedding Guest
David H. Kramer	Voices
Robyn Finn	Voices
Garry Goodrow	Voices
Jim Kirk	Voices
Dominic Marcus	Voices
Craig Sechler	Voices
David Kramer	Voices
Myrtha D. Severe	Voices
Kate Skinner	Voices
Susan Felcher	Voices
Sheilach Weymouth	Voices
Fran Kumin	Actor
James Horner	Composer

Technical Credits

Malia Scotch Marmo

Lasse Hallstrom	Director
Malia Scotch Marmo	Screenwriter
G. Mac Brown	Executive Producer
Griffin Dunne	Producer
Amy Robinson	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Swedish director Lasse Hallström's first American picture met with a generally tepid reception from audiences and critics, but it's worth another look in retrospect. Once Around is of a piece with the director's shaggy, gently satirical portraits of tightly knit families and the forces that threaten to break them apart. The plot -- vulnerable Renata Bella (Holly Hunter) takes up with a smarmy condo salesman (Richard Dreyfuss) who alienates the rest of her clan -- is the stuff of television melodrama, but Hallström seizes on the script's ethnic clashes and meandering dialogue to craft a messier, more authentic vision of a proud American family. Despite the two performers' conspicuous lack of chemistry in 1989's Always, here they complement each other well. The over-animated Dreyfuss is used to good effect, as his impulsive, eccentric outbursts are played for tension as opposed to punchlines; it becomes understandable that Hunter's slightly manic Renata would be smitten with him.