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Mistress

R 1992 1h 52m Comedy Drama List
72% Tomatometer 18 Reviews 38% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Struggling filmmaker Marvin Landisman (Robert Wuhl) gets a surprise phone call from Jack Roth (Martin Landau), an ex-Hollywood executive who wants to turn one of Marvin's screenplays into a movie. Marvin thinks his life's ambition is about to become a reality, until he meets the film's financial backers (Robert De Niro, Danny Aiello, Eli Wallach). Each investor has a young girlfriend whom they force Marvin to offer a role to, and then they also re-write the script until it's unrecognizable.
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Mistress

Critics Reviews

View All (18) Critics Reviews
David Stratton Variety Can't seem to decide if it's supposed to be a comedy about Hollywood small-timers trying to get an indie pic off the ground, or a somber drama in which greed and lust overwhelm art. May 16, 2008 Full Review Derek Adams Time Out The gags are too obvious; the conflict between art and money is hackneyed; and the plot goes badly off the rails in the later reels. Jun 24, 2006 Full Review Stephen Holden New York Times "Mistress" abounds with sharp comic performances that never stray into caricature or sentimentality. Rated: 4/5 May 20, 2003 Full Review Malcolm Johnson Hartford Courant Mistress consists of a series of meetings, some absurd, some touching. Primus works in a simple, unaffected style that gives the film a feeling of the unglamorous, drab, even dreary and depressing side of Tinseltown. May 23, 2018 Full Review Quentin Curtis Independent on Sunday Director Barry Primus's script lacks punch, but what it has, it doesn't pull. Dec 8, 2017 Full Review Chuck O'Leary FulvueDrive-in.com Rated: 3/5 May 7, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (18) audience reviews
Steve D Never comes close to the sum of its parts. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review jon c How much of the actress is the actress or the mistress? Struggling filmmaker Marvin Landisman (Robert Wuhl) gets a surprise phone call from Jack Roth (Martin Landau), an ex-Hollywood executive who wants to turn one of Marvin's screenplays into a movie Marvin thinks his life's ambition is about to become a reality, until he meets the film's financial backers (Robert De Niro, Danny Aiello, Eli Wallach) Each investor has a young girlfriend whom they force Marvin to offer a role to, and then they also re-write the script until it's unrecognizable Not that much happens here to be honest Felt nothing was accomplished by the end The plot goes badly off the rails and it can't decide if it's supposed to be a comedy about Hollywood small-timers trying to get an indie pic off the ground, or a somber drama in which greed and lust overwhelm art A dull misfire that should've been comic gold Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Half-baked "insider Hollywood" comedy with not many laughs and nothing new to say. Great cast though. Two standouts for me: Martin Landau as a sad sack movie producer and Christopher Walken as a unstable actor. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member A year into the pandemic now I'm just looking for modern professionally made films and this is one of them. It's well acted and lit and has good camera movement. It's far from exciting. One is very unlikely to watch this film without doing anything else on the side (folding laundry, playing computer), but it makes for perfect secondary viewing from a time when Hollywood put effort and a lot of stars into a movie nobody might ever see, and it happens to be about that too. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Most film's about making a movie within a movie usually aren't that great but this is not one of them. Great acting all around from the whole cast and a great story. Going to watch it again soon. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Frances H Great cast and darkly funny satiric script about Tinsel Town and the ethics of those who make movies. How could a movie with Robert de Niro, Martin Landau, Danny Aiello, and Eli Wallach be anything else? And a good script! Couldn't ask for more! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/03/15 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Struggling filmmaker Marvin Landisman (Robert Wuhl) gets a surprise phone call from Jack Roth (Martin Landau), an ex-Hollywood executive who wants to turn one of Marvin's screenplays into a movie. Marvin thinks his life's ambition is about to become a reality, until he meets the film's financial backers (Robert De Niro, Danny Aiello, Eli Wallach). Each investor has a young girlfriend whom they force Marvin to offer a role to, and then they also re-write the script until it's unrecognizable.
Director
Barry Primus
Producer
Robert De Niro, Bertil Ohlsson, Meir Teper
Screenwriter
Barry Primus, J.F. Lawton
Production Co
Tribeca Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 1, 2007
Box Office (Gross USA)
$53.6K
Runtime
1h 52m
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