''The Woman Chaser'' is a 1999 film directed by

Robinson Devor Robinson Devor is an American film director, screenwriter and editor. He is also a film professor at Cornish College of the Arts. Devor has directed both documentaries as well as fiction films; his filmography includes narrative works such as '' ...

and starring

Patrick Warburton Patrick Warburton (born November 14, 1964) is an American actor. On television, he has played David Puddy on '' Seinfeld'', the title character on ''The Tick'', Jeb Denton on ''Less Than Perfect'', Jeff Bingham on '' Rules of Engagement'' and L ...

, Ron Morgan, Emily Newman, Paul Malevich, and Marilyn Rising. The screenplay is based on the novel of the same name by Charles Willeford.

Synopsis

Set in 1950s

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, Richard Hudson (Warburton) is a shrewd car dealer who moves from

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

and sets up a used-car dealership. Tiring of this job, he turns the lot over to an assistant Bill (Ron Morgan) and starts writing his first film, ''The Man Who Got Away.'' It turns out to be an uncommercial picture, chronicling the story of a truck driver who goes berserk, runs over a little girl and dies fending off a platoon of police officers. In making his film, Richard enlists the help of his father-in-law, Leo (Paul Malevich), a washed-up former film director whose notable possession is a Rouault painting of a clown. Through Leo, Richard pitches his idea to the Man (Ernie Vincent), the chief executive of Mammoth Pictures who green-lights the project. Conflict inevitably arises when Richard's obsession for making the movie his way clashes with the Man. Other kooky characters include Richard's mother (Lynette Bennett), a former ballerina who lures her hirsute lug of a son into a comically eccentric pas de deux ; Richard's sexually curious stepsister, Becky (Marilyn Rising), who seduces him, and his secretary, Laura (Emily Newman), whom he impregnates with a boorish indifference.

Cast

as Richard Hudson *

Eugene Roche Eugene Harrison Roche (September 22, 1928 – July 28, 2004) was an American actor and the original " Ajax Man" in 1970s television commercials. Personal life Roche was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Mary M. (née Finnegan ...

as Used Car Dealer * Ron Morgan as Bill * Emily Newman as Laura * Paul Malevich as Leo * Lynette Bennett as Mother * Joe Durrenberger as Chet * Ernie Vincent as The Man * Josh Hammond as Young Richard.

Release

''The Woman Chaser'' premiered at the 1999 New York Film Festival and went on to play at top film festivals including Sundance, South By South West, Florida, Seattle, Stockholm and Athens winning several special jury and audience awards. On Jun 14, 2000, it was released in theater. The film had theatrical distribution in major U.S. cities and played on Sundance Channel and Showtime, becoming a cult movie. In 2015 a redux version of the film was released with half the music replaced by original score written by Hollywood film and television composer, Jeff McDonough. All the music in the film is now original, half being written by original composer Daniele Luppi, and half written and scored by Jeff McDonough. This is the updated version available on all film streaming services.

Awards

SXSW FILM FESTIVAL 2000 - Winner, Audience Award Narrative Feature - First Film: Robinson Devor FLORIDA FILM FESTIVAL 2000 - Winner, Special Jury Award Robinson Devor: For the best narrative feature. - Nominee, Grand Jury Award Best Narrative Feature: Robinson Devor SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2000 - Nominee, American Spectrum GOLDEN TRAILER AWARDS 2001 - Nominee, Golden Trailer Best Comedy: Tarmac Films

References

External links

*
Los Angeles TimesFilm ThreatIndieWireSundance Film Festival
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woman Chaser, The 1999 films 1990s black comedy films 1999 independent films American black comedy films American independent films Films about filmmaking Films about writers Films based on American novels Films set in Los Angeles Films set in the 1950s 1990s parody films Films about car dealerships American parody films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films