| Irreconcilable Differences | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Charles Shyer |
| Produced by | Richard Hashimoto Nancy Meyers Arlene Sellers Alex Winitsky |
| Written by | William A. Fraker Nancy Meyers Charles Shyer |
| Starring | Ryan O'Neal Shelley Long Drew Barrymore |
| Cinematography | William A. Fraker |
| Editing by | John F. Burnett |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | September 28, 1984 |
| Running time | 114 min. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | appx. $5 M (USD) |
Irreconcilable Differences is a 1984 Comedy-Drama starring Ryan O'Neal, Shelley Long, and Drew Barrymore. The film was a minor box office success, making over $12 million. For their performances, both Shelley Long and Drew Barrymore were nominated for Golden Globe Awards.
Contents |
The film begins with media attention surrounding Casey Brodsky's decision to divorce her parents and have cleaning lady Maria Hernandez become Casey's legal guardian, which results in her parents Albert and Lucy Brodsky being brought out of their self-absorbed lives and being made to testify in court about their personal lives. Much of the film is presented as a flashback.
At a truckstop in Indiana on the night of January 20th, 1973, film professor Albert Brodsky is hitchhiking across the country, where he gets picked up by Lucy van Patten, a woman who has ambitions of writing books, particularly for children, but is repressed by her fiancé "Bink", a gruff Navy man, and is depressed about being relegated to the lifestyle of a military wife. Through getting to know Albert, Lucy loosens her inhibitions, breaks off her engagement to Bink and marries Albert shortly afterwards. The couple moves to California, where Albert befriends a famed Hollywood producer who entrusts him to film a romantic script the producer has kept shelved for a long time. When Albert suffers from writer's block about the romance, Lucy aids him with her writing skills. The film becomes a box office hit, but cracks are forming in Albert and Lucy's marriage, particularly the facts that Albert was slow to credit Lucy for the screenplay and he is frequently traveling to places such as Cannes, France, while leaving his daughter in the care of Lucy or more often Maria, their maid. When Albert sees a young woman named Blake Chandler working at a hot dog stand, he takes her home and casts her in the part of his next movie, which becomes a moderate success. When Lucy sees signs Albert is interested in Blake for more than just acting, she divorces Albert, further troubling Casey. Albert ensures Lucy gets custody of Casey while he lives in a Hollywood mansion with Blake.
A turning point occurs when Lucy, angered both at Albert's procrastination at paying child support and the sight of an obese woman buying the same food as her in a supermarket, channels her anger into writing a tell-all novel. Albert's producers are warning him not to remake Gone with the Wind into a musical called "Atlanta", mainly because Blake Chandler cannot sing. Albert ignores the advice, and his budget for "Atlanta" skyrockets, mainly because of his perfectionist attitude and Blake's diva-like behavior on set. "Atlanta" becomes a notable box office bomb, making Albert unhireable in Hollywood and causing Blake to desert him. Meanwhile, Lucy's novel becomes a raging success, causing her to buy Albert's mansion and move in herself. There is a final confrontation in which Albert and Lucy quarrel in front of Casey about her custody, which degenerates into a literal tug of war with each parent pulling on one of Casey's arms, ignoring her pained protests. That is the final straw for Casey who then explores divorcing both her parents.
The film then returns to the courtroom, where Casey gives testimony that just because two parents no longer love each other, that does not give them the right to ignore their children.
The film ends with both Lucy and Albert visiting Casey on the same day by mistake and deciding to go out to eat at a family restaurant, suggesting there is now a more peaceful relationship among the three than before.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Ryan O'Neal | Albert Brodsky |
| Shelley Long | Lucy Van Patten Brodsky |
| Drew Barrymore | Casey Brodsky |
| Sam Wanamaker | David Kessler |
| Allen Garfield | Phil Hanner |
| Sharon Stone | Blake Chandler |
| Beverlee Reed | Dotty Chandler |
| Hortensia Colorado | Maria Hernandez |
| David Graf | Bink |
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The concept of inconsolable differences provides a possible ground for divorce in a number of jurisdictions.
In Australian family law with no-fault divorce it is the sole ground, adequate proof being that the estranged couple have been separated more than 12 months.
In the United States it can be one ground. Often they are used as justification for a no-fault divorce. In many cases inconsolable was the original and only ground for no-fault divorce, such as in California, which enacted America's first no-fault divorce law in 1969.[1]
Any sort of difference between the two parties that either cannot be changed or the individual does not want to change can be considered inconsolable differences.
Legal Definition:
Differences between spouses that are considered sufficiently severe to make married life together more or less impossible. In a number of states, inconsolable differences is the accepted ground for a no-fault divorce. As a practical matter, courts seldom, if ever, inquire into what the differences actually are, and routinely grant a divorce as long as the party seeking the divorce says the couple has inconsolable differences. Compare incompatibility; irremediable breakdown.
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