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''Flesh and Bone'' is a 1993 American
neo noir Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates literally to English as "black film", indicating s ...
mystery thriller film written and directed by
Steve Kloves Stephen Keith Kloves (born March 18, 1960) is an American filmmaker. He wrote and directed the 1989 film ''The Fabulous Baker Boys'' and is mainly known for his adaptations of novels, especially for all but one of the ''Harry Potter'' films (the ...
that stars Meg Ryan, Dennis Quaid and James Caan.
Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (; born ) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Paltrow gained notice for her early work in films ...
is featured in an early role, for which she received some praise.


Plot

A family in rural Texas finds a boy, Arlis, who says he is lost. They take him into their home, feed him, and give a place to sleep. But the boy later lets his father, Roy ( James Caan), into the house to commit a robbery. When they are discovered, Roy brutally murders the family, which the boy witnesses. The sole survivor is a baby girl. Time passes, and Arlis ( Dennis Quaid) lives a solitary life in which he drives a truckload of goods and novelties to restock vending machines and arcade games in roadside stores and restaurants. Making a stop at a roadhouse where a rowdy party is being held, he spots Kay ( Meg Ryan), a woman who pops up out of a cake at the party and then passes out because she's been drinking liquor. Arlis ends up giving her a ride home, a long drive, while continuing to make his rounds. Upon coming home, Kay sees that her husband Reese has sold the furniture, having lost their money gambling. She packs up her remaining belongings and leaves with Arlis. They spend more time together and grow close. Meanwhile, a young woman named Ginnie (
Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (; born ) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Paltrow gained notice for her early work in films ...
) now travels with a much older Roy. She is a grifter who will pretend to be a mourner in order to steal the jewelry from a dead body at a funeral home. Ginnie brings an injured Roy to his estranged son, Arlis, to tend to his injury. Passing the house where he grew up, Arlis realizes that Kay was the infant who survived the long-ago murders. Roy figures this out as well. He begins talking about tying up loose ends. It leads to a confrontation, and Arlis shoots Roy dead. Ginnie goes off on her own, and Kay and Arlis go their separate ways.


Cast

* Dennis Quaid as Arlis Sweeney * Meg Ryan as Kay Davies * James Caan as Roy Sweeney *
Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (; born ) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Paltrow gained notice for her early work in films ...
as Ginnie * Scott Wilson as Elliott * Gail Cronauer as Emma * John Hawkes as Groom


Location

Principal photography began on October 5, 1992 and completed on December 26, 1992. It was filmed in Lockhart and Marfa, Texas, as well as at the Mustang Mott store owned by Maxine McCoy, in
Westhoff, Texas Westhoff is an unincorporated community in northwestern DeWitt County, Texas, United States. The population of the town peaked at near 500 in the mid-1920s, and since the 1960s most official documents list the town population at 410, where it rem ...
. Producer Mark Rosenberg died of a heart attack suffered on the film's location in
Stanton, Texas Stanton is a city in and the county seat of Martin County, Texas, United States. Stanton was founded as Marienfeld by German immigrants that were some of the first settlers in this region of Texas. The population was 2,492 at the 2010 census. Hi ...
. As the end credits begin, the film is dedicated to him.


Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, ''Flesh and Bone'' holds a 65% approval rating from 26 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 57 out of 100 based on 21 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale.


References


External links

* * * * * 1993 films 1993 drama films 1990s English-language films American drama films American neo-noir films Films about con artists Films directed by Steve Kloves Films scored by Thomas Newman Films set in Texas Films shot in Texas Films with screenplays by Steve Kloves Paramount Pictures films Southern Gothic films 1990s American films {{1990s-drama-film-stub