Opening Night

PG-13

Released Dec 25, 1977

2h 24m

Drama

List

96%

26 Reviews

Tomatometer

90%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Actress Myrtle Gordon (Gena Rowlands) is a functioning alcoholic actress who is a few days from the opening night of her latest play, concerning a woman distraught about aging. One night a car kills one of Myrtle's fans who is chasing her limousine in an attempt to get the star's attention. Myrtle internalizes the accident and goes on a spiritual quest, but fails to finds the answers she is after. As opening night inches closer and closer, fragile Myrtle must find a way to make the show go on.

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Critics Consensus

Opening Night is as dense and difficult as one would expect from John Cassavetes, but even the director's detractors will be unable to deny the power of Gena Rowlands' performance.

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Jodi G

NOT a brilliant movie. Definitely a confused & tedious one. Everything seems dated, and of course I can think of a zillion other much older films that are not dated & remain fresh & endlessly rewatchable. Gena Rowlands is absolutely BRILLIANT and not in the least dated. With the ghost element could reimagine as rather more mischievous,fun, & genuinely complex inquiry into creative process. Give me Bergman, Fellini, Truffaut, any day of the week.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/09/24

Full Review

Alec B

A tense examination of an artist in freefall. Rowlands is obviously dynamite here and I appreciate how often the movie plays like a horror film.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/10/24

Full Review

Donald A

Transfixing, captivating, moving: what more can a film strive to be? All of these adjectives describe the soul of Cassavetes' picture. It is essential viewing, especially for any actor of theatre. Cassavetes himself is fantastic, more than normally, but Rowlands is the star of the show. She's wonderful, the film won't work without her. Take her out of the equation and substitute in any actress, and the movie won't function as well. In every scene, Rowlands has the (for lack of a better word) hurt needed for the role.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/08/24

Full Review

Maria B

Absolutely fantastic performances and direction. It can seem a bit static due to the time it was shot but trust, it is an amazing movie. I fully identified with this woman as she transcends into this journey of embodiment or, perhaps, it is the character she represents that embodies her. Long but worth it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It took me about two years to force myself to get through the whole thing. There are so many intense moments of shame and a constant unveiling of uncomfortable truth the full way through, without entirely focusing on the film, you'll have to give up and walk away. But focusing on Opening Night is very rewarding. The character studies are magnificent, ringing just as true as the truth is uncomfortable. Expecting moralistic lessons and not receiving them is great. Opening night is full of deep characters who defy expectation, and ingratiated themselves even while they made me squirm. I'm glad I finally watched it the full way through in one sitting with proper attention.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

jaime h

JC is the OG one-for-them-one-for-me American indie filmmaker. Without JC there'd be no nothing!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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John Cassavetes

Director

Gena Rowlands

Myrtle Gordon

Ben Gazzara

Manny Victor

Joan Blondell

Sarah Goode

John Cassavetes

Maurice Aarons

Paul Stewart

David Samuels

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Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

Tying back to A Woman Under the Influence... [Cassavetes] explores what happens when women don't play their prescribed roles.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 23, 2019

Full Review

Richard Brody

New Yorker

Cassavetes's most cleverly constructed film is also a definitive lesson in the death-defying, all-consuming art of acting, proof of a madness beyond the Method.

Jul 5, 2016

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

Gena Rowlands turns in another virtuoso performance as the troubled actress. Cassavetes' highly personal work will please his coterie of enthusiasts, but for general audiences it will be viewed as shrill, puzzling, depressing and overlong.

Jul 28, 2008

Full Review

Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

Rowlands takes the movie by the throat...

Rated: 3.5/4

Mar 14, 2019

Full Review

Dom Nero

Esquire Magazine

Opening Night is exactly the sort challenging film that we should consider when examining the adventurous breadth of a genre that cannot, and should not, be nailed down by any simple definition or formula.

Oct 16, 2018

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Creative Loafing

An occasionally infuriating but ultimately affecting drama.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 18, 2014

Full Review

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Synopsis

Actress Myrtle Gordon (Gena Rowlands) is a functioning alcoholic actress who is a few days from the opening night of her latest play, concerning a woman distraught about aging. One night a car kills one of Myrtle's fans who is chasing her limousine in an attempt to get the star's attention. Myrtle internalizes the accident and goes on a spiritual quest, but fails to finds the answers she is after. As opening night inches closer and closer, fragile Myrtle must find a way to make the show go on.

Director: John Cassavetes
Screenwriter: John Cassavetes
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 1977, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 29, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $10.5K
Runtime: 2h 24m

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