Desperate Characters

Play trailer

Desperate Characters

R

1971

1h 31m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

Tomatometer

3 Reviews

45%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

Sophie Brentwood (Shirley MacLaine) is depressed, and not without good reason. Her group of friends is disintegrating, her Brooklyn. N.Y., neighborhood is in sharp decline and her marriage to an emotionally closed-off lawyer named Otto (Kenneth Mars) is falling apart. Sophie tries to reach out to old acquaintances and her husband's ex-partner (Chris Gampel), but these efforts ultimately leave her feeling even more lonely. She desperately hopes a weekend getaway with Otto will put things right.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

The movie's characters are decent people, but morally exhausted. They have no way or desire to keep going; yet they hang on raggedly to a city existence that's taken any sense of balance or sanity.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 2, 2018

Full Review

Dohoro

Los Angeles Free Press

The film is a little masterpiece of mood and message.

Jan 9, 2020

Full Review

Tony Mastroianni

Cleveland Press

Miss MacLaine, cast against type, offers an intelligent, quiet performance, indicating moods with a look, a glance or the way she walks.

Nov 15, 2018

Full Review

Read all reviews

Audience Member

A mediocre and dated film that has benefited over time for capturing Brooklyn and NYC at a very grim moment in its era. A time capsule movie.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A good cast, but a predictable and boring story, it's very similar to other movies that came out around the same time. It's not that bad, though, it's just not good either.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A decent but morally exhausted married couple deals with the inevitable onslaught of disillusionment and paranoia in middle-aged urban life. If you find the film exhausting, take that as a sign that it's point is being made.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Really good movie from the early 70's. Sophie & Otto are a conventional couple living in Brooklyn and their cozy traditional world is slowly threatened by the shadow of the new upcoming decade; drugs, violence, homeless people & peep shows are right at their door... Shirley MacLaine is very good as the disturbed housewife persuaded she had been infected with rabies.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

[url="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/desperate_characters/dvd.php?select=1"][img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/coverv/41/121441.jpg[/img][/url] They don't make flicks like this one anymore, or rarely. Great dialogue and great acting. I highly recommend.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Frank D. Gilroy

Director

Shirley MacLaine

Sophie Bentwood

Kenneth Mars

Otto Bentwood

Gerald S. O'Loughlin

Charlie

Sada Thompson

Claire

Jack Somack

Leon

View more photos

Synopsis

Sophie Brentwood (Shirley MacLaine) is depressed, and not without good reason. Her group of friends is disintegrating, her Brooklyn. N.Y., neighborhood is in sharp decline and her marriage to an emotionally closed-off lawyer named Otto (Kenneth Mars) is falling apart. Sophie tries to reach out to old acquaintances and her husband's ex-partner (Chris Gampel), but these efforts ultimately leave her feeling even more lonely. She desperately hopes a weekend getaway with Otto will put things right.

Director: Frank D. Gilroy
Producer: Frank D. Gilroy
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 5, 2014
Runtime: 1h 31m

Most Popular at Home Now