''Parallel Lives'' is a 1994 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

mystery-

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 ...

written, directed and produced by Linda Yellen which returns some actors and similar patterns of Yellen's previous work, '' Chantilly Lace''. The film features an all-star cast: James Belushi,

James Brolin Craig Kenneth Bruderlin (born July 18, 1940), known professionally as James Brolin, is an American actor. Brolin has won two Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globes and an Emmy Awards, Emmy. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August ...

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Lindsay Crouse Lindsay Ann Crouse (born May 12, 1948) is an American actress. She made her Broadway debut in the 1972 revival of ''Much Ado About Nothing'' and appeared in her first film in 1976 in '' All the President's Men''. For her role in the 1984 film ...

Jill Eikenberry Jill Susan Eikenberry (born January 21, 1947) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is known for her role as lawyer Ann Kelsey on the NBC drama ''L.A. Law'' (1986–94), for which she is a five-time Emmy Award and four-time Go ...

Ben Gazzara Biagio Anthony "Ben" Gazzara (August 28, 1930 – February 3, 2012) was an American actor and director of film, stage, and television. He received numerous accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Drama Desk Award, in addition to nomina ...

Jack Klugman Jack Klugman (April 27, 1922 – December 24, 2012) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. He began his career in 1949 and started television and film work with roles in ''12 Angry Men (1957 film), 12 Angry Men'' (1957) and ...

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, Ally Sheedy, Helen Slater,

Mira Sorvino Mira Katherine Sorvino (; born ) is an American actress. She rose to stardom with her performance as a prostitute in the comedy film ''Mighty Aphrodite'' (1995), which won her both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Academy Award for Best S ...

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Patricia Wettig Patricia Anne Wettig (born December 4, 1951) is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for her role as Nancy Weston in the television series '' Thirtysomething'' (1987–1991), for which she received a Golden Globe Award and three ...

JoBeth Williams Margaret JoBeth Williams (born December 6, 1948) is an American actress. She rose to prominence appearing in such films as '' Kramer vs. Kramer'' (1979), '' Stir Crazy'' (1980), ''Poltergeist'' (1982), '' The Big Chill'' (1983), '' The Day After' ...

and

Treat Williams Richard Treat Williams Jr. (December 1, 1951 – June 12, 2025) was an American actor, whose career on stage and in film and television spanned five decades. He received many accolades for his work, including nominations for three Golden Globe ...

. ''Parallel Lives'' was broadcast August 14, 1994, on Showtime.

Plot

A college reunion turns into a tangled web of passion, romance and intrigue as old friends and enemies catch up with each other's lives.

Cast

* James Belushi as Nick Dimas *

as Stevie Merrill *

as Professor Spencer Jones * Helen Slater as Elsa Freedman *

as Dr. Franklin Carter *

as Senator Robert Ferguson *

as Rebecca Ferguson Stone *

as Charlie Duke *

as Matty Derosa *

as Una Pace *

as Winnie Winslow * Ally Sheedy as Louise *

as Ed Starling *

Matthew Perry Matthew Langford Perry (August 19, 1969 – October 28, 2023) was an American and Canadian actor, comedian, director and screenwriter. He gained international fame for starring as Chandler Bing on the NBC television sitcom ''Friends'' (1994– ...

as Willie Morrison *

as Lula Sparks *

as Peter Barnum *

as Imaginary Friend / President Andrews *

as Francie Pomerantz *

as the sheriff *Michael O'Rourke as Kirk O'Brien * Alan Feinstein as Dan Merrill

Production

The movie was developed by Yellen with the assistance of the Sundance Institute. As with '' Chantilly Lace'', it uses "guided improvisations" with the actors, after receiving some general character outlines, free to improvise. Parts of the film were shot in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

, and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Reception

The movie received mixed reviews. ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' critic John Leonard argued: "'Parallel Lives' is injured in its lightness of being by Yellen's added structure. But until it sinks in murky narrative waters, it's a marvel of raw edges and wild wit and surprise cunning, of craft that goes up like a kite to catch some lightning." The '' Variety'' critic Ray Loynd wrote: "When the movie works best (...), this is a movie that tends to make '' The Big Chill'' look sodden." On the other hand, Lynne Heffley opened her review for the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' with these words: "From the sublime to the ridiculous... and the ridiculous has the edge in 'Parallel Lives.' Jerry Roberts in his ''Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors'' defined the film as "a cattle call at the actors unemployment line" and film critic Lewis Beale in his video review for the ''

New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...

'' claimed that: "Linda Yellen's film wants to be hip, moving and

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer, producer. He is considered an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, known for directing subversive and sat ...

esque (overlapping dialogue and an improvisational feel), but it's simply tedious and stupid."

References

External links

* {{Linda Yellen 1994 television films 1994 films 1990s mystery drama films American mystery drama films Showtime (TV network) films Films directed by Linda Yellen Films shot in Salt Lake City Films shot in California 1994 drama films American drama television films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films English-language mystery drama films American mystery television films