''Heights'' is a 2005 American
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
Chris Terrio and written by
Amy Fox, based on her 2001 stage play of the same name. It follows a pivotal twenty-four hours in the interconnected lives of five
New Yorkers.
It stars
Elizabeth Banks,
James Marsden,
Glenn Close,
Jesse Bradford, and
John Light. Numerous prominent actors such as
Eric Bogosian,
George Segal
George Segal Jr. (February 13, 1934 – March 23, 2021) was an American actor. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s for playing both dramatic and comedic roles. After first rising to prominence with roles in acclaimed films such as '' Ship o ...
, and
Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (; born 18 June 1952) is an Italian actress and model. The daughter of Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and Italian film director Roberto Rossellini, she is noted for her successful tenure as a Lancôme ...
appear in supporting roles.
''Heights'' was produced by
Merchant Ivory Productions. It premiered at the
2005 Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2005, and received a
limited theatrical release
__FORCETOC__
Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few cinemas across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
in the United States on June 17, 2005, through
Sony Pictures Classics.
Plot
Over the course of 24 hours, a group of New Yorkers, whose lives are interconnected, must make pivotal decisions about their relationships. Most notably, Isabel, a photographer, is having second thoughts about her engagement to Jonathan, while her award-winning actress mother Diana suspects that her husband is having an affair and thus questions the open nature of her marriage.
Cast
*
Glenn Close - Diana Lee
*
Elizabeth Banks - Isabel Lee
*
James Marsden - Jonathan Kestler
*
Jesse Bradford - Alec Lochka
*
John Light - Peter Cole
*
Rufus Wainwright - Jeremy
*
Denis O'Hare - Andrew
*
Eric Bogosian - Henry
*
George Segal
George Segal Jr. (February 13, 1934 – March 23, 2021) was an American actor. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s for playing both dramatic and comedic roles. After first rising to prominence with roles in acclaimed films such as '' Ship o ...
- Rabbi Mendel
*
Andrew Howard - Ian
*
Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (; born 18 June 1952) is an Italian actress and model. The daughter of Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and Italian film director Roberto Rossellini, she is noted for her successful tenure as a Lancôme ...
- Liz
*
Matthew Davis - Mark
*
Michael Murphy - Jesse
*Chandler Williams - Juilliard Macbeth
*
Bess Wohl - Juilliard Lady Macbeth
*
Thomas Lennon - Marshall
*
Jim Parsons
James Joseph Parsons (born March 24, 1973) is an American actor. From 2007 to 2019, Parsons played Sheldon Cooper in the CBS sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory''. He has received various awards, including four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstandin ...
- Oliver
*
Angel Desai - Laura
Release
In January 2004,
Sony Pictures Classics acquired distribution rights to the film for North and Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia and Spain. The film premiered at the
2005 Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2005, before receiving a
limited theatrical release
__FORCETOC__
Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few cinemas across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
on June 17.
Reception
Critical response
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
gave the film a positive review, stating that "its chief pleasure comes through simple voyeurism. It is entertaining to see the lives of complex people become brutally simple all of a sudden.
Variety noted the quality of the ensemble acting.
Box office
''Heights'' grossed $1.2million in the United States and Canada, and $0.1million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $1.3million.
Awards
The film received an award from the
Casting Society of America for Best Independent Feature Film Casting (with the award going to James Calleri).
References
External links
*
2005 films
2005 directorial debut films
2005 drama films
2000s American films
2000s English-language films
American drama films
American films based on plays
Films set in New York City
Merchant Ivory Productions films
Sony Pictures Classics films
English-language drama films
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