Touchstone and Beyond: "Roommates"
Feature Presentation: Roommates
Cast of Characters
- Peter Falk as Rocky
- D.B. Sweeney as Michael
- Julianne Moore as Beth
- Ellen Burstyn as Judith
Elevator Pitch
Michael is an orphan after the tragic death of his dad in Vietnam and his mother only a couple of years later. Rocky refuses to let his grandson be shipped off to an orphanage. The aged grandfather takes Michael in and successfully raises the boy to adulthood. Michael becomes a doctor, and when Rocky needs to move out of his apartment, Michael invites him to live with him.
Michael becomes a doctor, meets Beth, they get married and once again, Rocky is asked to move in with them. As the years pass, Beth and Michael have kids, but tragedy strikes the family. The years that Rocky has spent trying to raise Michael with the love and affection needed to be a success is all put into the question. Can Michael overcome his loss and do the right thing for his family?
The Orson Welles Award of Brilliance
Peter Falk is perfect in the role of Rocky. I loved this movie when I first saw it in 1995, and now watching this film once again, I am taken with the heart and reality of love that Falk brought to the role of Rocky. It’s the voice and emotion that Falk infuses Rocky with that makes the interactions between him and Michael so touching.
The last scene, where Rocky tells Michael he was always proud of him brings tears to my eyes. Falk should have gained some award recognition for his work.
Pittsburgh as a filming location is one of the cities that is not used enough on the big screen.
Peter Falk dancing in the bowling alley is pure joy.
The Alan Smithee Award of Anonymity
Julianne Moore did so much with her character Beth, but she should have been given a better conclusion to her arc in the film than what took place.
Michael needed more depth with his kids. Sweeney comes across as flat and uninterested in his children. There is no background to the birth of the kids, it’s rushed and aged a few years to help the narrative move along. I find it difficult to believe that Michael cares as much about his kids.
Ellen Burstyn is wasted in the film. She plays the insensitive grandmother role that was typical in the 90’s. She has little to do except complain about everything.
Production Team
- Directed by Peter Yates
- Produced by Hollywood Pictures / Interscope Communications / Nomura Babcock & Brown
- Written by Max Apple / Stephen Metcalfe
- Release Date: March 3, 1995
- Budget: $22 million
- Domestic Box Office Gross: $12,096,881
I Know Their Name
William H. Macy as the doctor treating Beth after the car accident is pure 90’s casting. Macy was well known for his work in ER but seeing him here in this 1995 film is a piece of nostalgia that this 90’s kid loves.
Deep Dive Behind the Scenes
- The movie had an opening weekend gross of just over four million dollars.
- Famed composer Elmer Bernstein created the score for the film.
- The film was nominated for one Oscar, Best Makeup in 1996.
- Peter Falk’s makeup took on average four hours a day to apply.
- The film was reportedly developed by Alan Parker, and he had hoped to have John Cusack star.
- William H. Macy is uncredited in the film for his brief role as a doctor.
Bill’s Spicy Take
I think the movie would have been better with John Cusack in the role of Michael.
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.}
I love this movie. Roommates was a film that was always on cable throughout most of the late 90’s, and I have lost count the number of times I have watched it. I loved Peter Falk as Rocky, and while D.B. Sweeney had a certain appeal thanks to the brilliant tale called The Cutting Edge, I loved the movie because of Falk.
The humanity that Falk gives to Rocky is something not many older characters get in film today, and for the first time in the later part of his career, Falk shows the power and majesty of his skill, which many forget about because of the modern-day nature to hyperfocus on popular characters such as Lt. Columbo.
Falk’s Rocky is the grandfather who everyone would want, and you would hope to be. He stayed healthy, had a purpose in life, and loved his family. What more could you ask for. Through the layers of makeup and nuanced performance, Roommates is a treasure that needs to be seen by everyone.
Roommates gets my Rear Window Award. This is what cinema should be, and what viewers crave in today’s modern multiplex world of sequels and remakes.
Coming Attractions
Next week, a look back at the Winonna Ryder drama Boys.