Home 1980s 1981 Movies Heartaches

Heartaches

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Heartaches, movie, image,
Margot Kidder in a publicity still for the 1981 film Heartaches.

92 minutes – Comedy
Language: English
Release date: July 4, 1981
Canadian distributor:

This female buddy movie has often been compared to Don Shebib’s first feature, Goin’ Down the Road. There are some similarities, but this script is by Terence Heffernan and it’s quite different in many ways. The essential story centres on two woman, Bonnie Howard (Annie Potts) and Rita Harris (Margot Kidder). Although married to race car driver Stanley Howard (Robert Carradine), the neglected and lonely Bonnie ends up pregnant following a one-night stand and decides to leave town, in part to escape her dull life, and in part to see about an abortion. On a bus to Toronto she meets the foul-mouthed man-hunter, Rita who is an outgoing, free-spirit looking for her own impossible dream. The movie follows them through a series of vignettes and we get to enjoy the contrast between the streetwise Rita and the still relatively innocent Bonnie. Once in the big city they get an apartment together and find menial work in a mattress factory. Rita falls for Marcello (Winston Rekert), the handsome nephew of the factory owner but is ultimately betrayed when his fiancée arrives from Italy. Meanwhile, Bonnie`s husband comes looking for her and when confronted about why she left she is forced to tell him the truth. Heartaches is an accomplished, well-directed film but viewers used to Shebib’s earlier work may find it overly sentimental. It was nominated for eleven Genie Awards and won for Lead Actress (Kidder), Foreign Actress (Annie Potts) and Original Screenplay (Terence Heffernan).

Heartaches, movie, poster,

Crew:

Producer:

David J. Patterson
Jerry Raibourn

Executive Producer:

Joseph Beaubien
Nicole M. Boisvert
Lawrence Nesis

Co-Producer:

Bruce Mallen

Associate Producer:

André Djaoui

Director:

Don Shebib

Screenwriter:

Terence Heffernan

Cinematographer:

Vic Sarin

Editor:

Gerry Hambling
Peter Boita

Composer:

Simon Michael Martin

Art Director:

Carmi Gallo

Costume Designer:

Julie Whitfield

Cast: Roles:

Margot Kidder
Annie Potts
Robert Carradine
Winston Rekert
George Touliatos

Guy Sanvido
Arnie Achtman
Michael Zelniker
Jefferson Mappin
Maureen Fitzgerald
Albert Bernardo
Rena Tenen
Alberto De Rosa
Gino Marrocco
Susan Conway

Rita Harris
Bonnie Howard
Stanley Howard
Marcello
Mario
Aldo
Alvin
Andy
Willy
Anna
Stefane
Angela
Anselmo
Guido
Theresa