Stanley and Iris

Infobox_Film
name = Stanley and Iris


caption = original film poster for "Stanley and Iris"
director = Martin Ritt
writer = Harriet Frank Jr.
Irving Revatch (screenplay)
Based on the novel "Union Street" by Pat Barker
starring = Jane Fonda
Robert De Niro
Swoosie Kurtz
Martha Plimpton
producer = Arlene Sellers
Allen Winitsky
music = John Williams
cinematography = Donald McAlpine
editing = Sidney Levin
distributor = Metro Goldwyn Mayer
released = February 9, 1990
runtime = 104 min.
country = USA
language = English
gross = $5.816 million (USA)
amg_id = A46459
imdb_id = 0100680

"Stanley and Iris" (1990) is a romantic drama film directed by Martin Ritt and starring Jane Fonda and Robert De Niro. The screenplay by Harriet Frank Jr. and Irving Ravetch is based of the novel "Union Street" by Pat Barker.

The original music score is composed by John Williams and the cinematography is by Donald McAlpine. The film is marketed with the tagline "Some people need love spelled out for them."

Plot summary

Iris Estelle King is a working-class mother with a job at a large commercial bakery who is still getting over the death of her husband though her life working paycheck to paycheck does not give her much time to grieve. She is sharing her house with her two children, Kelly and Richard, her unemployed sister Sharon, and her thuggish brother-in-law Joe. Joe assaults Sharon and crime in the community is commonplace including robbery, burglary and assault.

One of the few bright spots in her life is her blossoming friendship with Stanley Everett Cox, a nice guy who she first meets when he comes to her aid when her purse is taken by a street thug. Stanley works in the bakery's cafeteria. Stanley longs for country life and Iris is a city girl. However, Iris starts noticing a few odd things about Stanley. He cannot sign his name, does not drive and lives with his father. It slowly dawns on Iris that he can not read. When his boss figures this out, Stanley loses his job. Iris spots Stanley at a bar and he confides in her how difficult it is to be illiterate; you cannot find where you are going because you cannot read signs. The loss of his job is an especially troubling development, as Stanley is evicted and has to put his father in a retirement home. His father dies in the home and Stanley feels very guilty over not having a job and being able to give his father a better place to spend his final years. Stanley is homeless and out of work, but is living in a garage.

Iris' tensions at home become even greater when teenage Kelly announces that she is pregnant. Stanley asks for Iris' help in learning to read and their relationship blossoms. After several triumphs and failures, Stanley successfully overcomes his problem, eventually securing a patent for a machine he has invented that cools hot pastry. The relationship between Stanley and Iris also has ups and downs. Ultimately, Iris decides that grieving over her husband should not take over her life and finds love again. Kelly has a baby girl, whom she names Estelle. After moving to Detroit and finding success there, Stanley returns to New England for Iris and her family. As they prepare to go to Detroit as husband and wife, Iris asks Stanley if he thinks he can handle the problems of her family, to which he replies "Anything is possible."

Main cast

Trivia

* During the filming in Waterbury, Connecticut, local Vietnam veterans picketed the production protesting Jane Fonda's controversial anti-war activities of a decade and a half earlier.
* This was actress Jane Fonda's last film before she retired from acting (she returned to the screen 15 years later in the romance comedy "Monster-in-Law" (2005)).
* This was director Martin Ritt's last film before his death on December 8, 1990.
* This film was shot on location in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and Waterbury, Connecticut.

External links

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