Touchstone and Beyond: "The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag"
Feature Presentation: The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag
Cast of Characters
- Penelope Ann Miller as Betty Lou
- Eric Thal as Alex
- Alfre Woodward as Ann
- Julianne Moore as Elinor
- William Forsythe as Beaudeen
Elevator Pitch
Betty Lou is your typical small-town wife who is underappreciated by her husband and often forgotten by those who matter to her. When an underworld figure is murdered, Betty Lou finds the gun while walking her dog, her rationality snaps, and she decides to confess to the murder of Amos Lansing.
Her husband Alex, a busy detective with the police department, knows she is innocent, but can’t figure out why she would confess to a crime she didn’t commit. Betty Lou gains fame for her bravado claim, and ultimately, runs afoul of the real mobster named Beaudeen who killed the victim. When her friend Ann is kidnapped, Betty Lou must work with her husband to save her friend.
The only problem for Betty Lou is, can the small town mouse who is often ignored and forgotten, summon enough courage to face some deadly characters, and survive?
The Orson Welles Award of Brilliance
This film is stacked with some credible actors who would skyrocket to success after this movie. We have Julianne Moore, Alfre Woodward, and Stanley Tucci. Plus, Cathy Moriarity is in the movie as well. The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag is loaded with an incredible list of talent that has aged like fine wine.
I always liked Penelope Ann Miller. She maintains a strong presence on screen, and it is hard not to enjoy her work.
The Alan Smithee Award of Anonymity
The plot of this movie is ridiculous. Why would anyone confess to murder? Why would a woman seek attention by claiming she killed another person. The subject matter of the film is far too serious to write off as a comedy, and thus the point of the movie is lost.
The fact that the film can’t decide what it wants to be is a problem in continuity. At one point it’s a lighthearted comedy, then a serious gangster movie, and then a dose of romantic comedy. There is so much taking place in the story that the audience could easily be lost with the point of the story.
Eric Thal is good, but he was never able to maintain a lead role without a strong lead costar. In The Puppet Masters he had Donald Sutherland which elevated his performance. Here, Thal is easily forgotten when he is not in the scene.
The title is descriptive, but it is ridiculous. The movie would never be made today with that title.
I felt no connection with the lead character. It was hard to feel bad for Betty Lou, because I feel like the film never took enough time to establish any sort of emotional connection with the character and the audience. I rooted for Beaudeen to succeed.
Production Team
- Directed by Allan Moyle
- Produced by Touchstone Pictures / Interscope Communications / Nomura Babcock & Brown
- Written by Grace Cary Bickley
- Release Date: August 21, 1992
- Budget: $13 million
- Domestic Box Office Gross: $3,721,911
I Know Their Name
Any fan of 24 will spot Xander Berkeley’s Marchat. He’s been in many films, but his legendary status was cemented with his work on 24 and will always be a standout in any film role.
Deep Dive Behind the Scenes
- The film opened with a weekend box office take of just over a million dollars.
- Singer Chris Issak was the first choice for the role of Alex.
- Daryl Hannah was signed on for the role of Betty Lou but dropped out before production began. Lucky her.
- Look carefully throughout the film, and you just might spot the singer Meatloaf, who plays the husband of Catherine Keener’s character.
- Stanley Tucci, who played Amos Lansing was not credited for his work in the film.
- While the film may have been a box office failure and criticized heavily by film critics, the movie did receive a DVD release in 2003, and a Blu-Ray release in 2011.
Bill’s Spicy Take
It’s okay if some movies are erased from existence.
Oscar Thoughts
These rankings are awarded based on my love for Hitchcock films:
{Frenzy Award-Skip this Film, Torn Curtain Award-Desperate for Something to Watch, For the Birds-A Perfect Film for Any Device, Rear Window Award- You Must Watch This Film on a Big Screen because this film is cinema.}
The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag gets my Frenzy Award. There is nothing of value in spending your time watching this film. The only reason I would say someone should take their free time and look up this film of the Touchstone age was only if it would guarantee money would directly travel into Penelope Ann Miller’s bank account.
The story is lacking, the supporting cast is filled with talent that gets little to do, and ultimately the way the main character is portrayed would make any film lover question why we should root for them.
Just because I think Miller is great, it doesn’t make this movie great, and that’s why I suggest you skip this film.
Coming Attractions
Next week, a look back at the Hollywood Pictures drama, Roommates.