''A Slipping-Down Life'' is a 1999 romantic

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Toni Kalem Toni Z. Kalem (born August 29, 1956) is an American actress. Kalem is best known for her portrayal of Angie Bonpensiero on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''. Kalem grew up in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey. She appeared in such f ...

. Based on a novel by

Anne Tyler Anne Tyler (born October 25, 1941) is an American novelist, short story writer, and literary critic. She has published twenty-five novels, including '' Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant'' (1982), '' The Accidental Tourist'' (1985), and '' Breathi ...

, it stars

Lili Taylor Lili Anne Taylor (born February 20, 1967) is an American actress. She came to prominence with supporting parts in the films '' Mystic Pizza'' (1988) and '' Say Anything...'' (1989), before establishing herself as one of the key figures of 1990s i ...

and

Guy Pearce Guy Edward Pearce (born 5 October 1967) is an Australian actor. List of awards and nominations received by Guy Pearce, His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, and nominations for an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a British Academy Film Aw ...

Plot

Shy loner Evie (Taylor) hears musician Drumstrings Casey (Pearce) on the radio one night and becomes infatuated with him. She pursues him, carving his name (sadly, backwards) in her forehead with broken glass, and eventually they meet and then marry. They both still struggle to make something of their lives.

Cast

as Evie Decker *

as Drumstrings Casey * Irma P. Hall as Clotelia * John Hawkes as David Elliot *

Veronica Cartwright Veronica Cartwright (born April 20, 1949) is an English-born American actress. She appeared in science fiction and horror films, and has three Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Her younger sister is actress Angela Cartwright. As a child actre ...

as Mrs. Casey *

Marshall Bell Archibald Marshall Bell (born September 28, 1942) is an American character actor. He has appeared in many character roles in movies and television. He is known for roles in '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge'' (1985), '' Stand b ...

as Mr. Casey *

Johnny Goudie John Charles Goudie (born October 14, 1968, Coral Gables, Florida) is a Cuban-American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumental musician, record producer, actor, and podcaster based in Austin, Texas. Over his five-decade career, he has received ...

as Jesse *

Shawnee Smith Shawnee Smith (born July 3, 1969) is an American actress and singer. She began her acting career at a young age, making her feature film debut at age 11 in '' Annie'' (1982). A few years later, she made her stage debut in '' To Gillian on Her 37 ...

as Faye-Jean Lindsay *

Sara Rue Sara Rue (born Sara Schlackman; January 26, 1979) is an American actress. She is best known for her performances as Carmen Ferrara on '' Popular'', as Claude Casey on ''Less than Perfect'', and as the Attorney General in '' Idiocracy''. In 2011, s ...

as Violet *

Bruno Kirby Bruno Kirby (born Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu Jr.; April 28, 1949 – August 14, 2006) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles in '' City Slickers'', '' When Harry Met Sally...'', '' Good Morning, Vietnam'', ''The Godfather Part II'' ...

as Kiddie Arcades Manager *

Tom Bower Thomas Michael Bower (born 28 September 1946) is a British writer and former BBC journalist and television producer. He is known for his investigative journalism and for his unauthorised biographies, often of business tycoons and newspaper pr ...

as Mr. Decker * Margaret Bowman as Mrs. Harrison * Jo Ann Farabee as Woman at Salon *

Harv Morgan Bernard Harvey (born August 17, 1985), known professionally as Harv, is an American record producer, musician and songwriter from Kansas City, Kansas and based in Los Angeles. He has produced for music industry artists such as Justin Bieber, Sk ...

as Dick St. Clair *

Jason Russell Waller Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek mythology, mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece is featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was m ...

as Audience Member #1 *

Lew Temple Lew Temple (born October 2, 1967) is an American actor known for roles in ''Domino'' and ''Waitress'', and for playing Axel in the third season of '' The Walking Dead''. Early life Temple was raised in Texas. He was the 1982 Baseball MVP at Ro ...

as Audience Member #2 *

Jason Kavalewitz Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece is featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea, t ...

as Young Sexband

Distribution

''A Slipping-Down Life''

premiere A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a performer in that work. History Raymond F. Betts attributes the introduction of the ...

d on January 22, 1999, at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

, distributed by

Lions Gate Entertainment Starz Entertainment Corp, formerly known officially as Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation and commonly as Lions Gate and/or Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment industry, entertainment company currently headquartered in Santa Monica ...

. It was given limited theatrical release in the United States on May 14, 2004.

Awards

The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 1999 Sundance Festival. In 2004 it won the Special Jury Prize at the

Indianapolis International Film Festival Indy Film Fest, formerly known as the Indianapolis International Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Indianapolis, United States. The festival champions films that entertain, challenge, and expand perspectives in Indianapolis and b ...

and Lili Taylor won the Achievement Award at the

Newport Beach Film Festival The Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) is an annual film festival in Newport Beach, California, typically held in late April. In 2022, it was announced that the festival had permanently changed its date to be held in October, as the festival bega ...

. In that year it was also nominated for a

Golden Trailer Award The Golden Trailer Awards are an American annual award show for film trailers founded in 1999. The awards also honor the best work in all areas of film and video game marketing, including posters, television advertisements and other media, in 10 ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Slipping-Down Life, A 1999 films 1999 romantic drama films Films based on American novels American independent films American romantic drama films 1999 independent films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films English-language romantic drama films Films scored by Peter Himmelman English-language independent films