''Leaving Normal'' is a 1992 American

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

road film A road movie is a film genre in which the main characters leave home on a road trip, typically altering the perspective from their everyday lives. Road movies often depict travel in the hinterlands, with the films exploring the theme of alienatio ...

directed by

Edward Zwick Edward M. Zwick (born October 8, 1952) is an American filmmaker and producer of film and television. He has worked primarily in the comedy drama and historical drama, epic historical film genres, including ''About Last Night (1986 film), About L ...

and starring

Christine Lahti Christine Ann Lahti (born April 4, 1950) is an American actress and filmmaker. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1984 film '' Swing Shift''. Her other film roles include '' ...And Justice for All'' (19 ...

and

Meg Tilly Meg Tilly (born Margaret Elizabeth Chan on February 14, 1960) is an American-Canadian actress and writer. For her role in the 1985 film ''Agnes of God'', she won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting A ...

. Written by

Ed Solomon Edward James Solomon (born September 15, 1960) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for writing the screenplays to ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' (1989), ''Men in Black'' (1997), and '' Now You See Me'' (2013). Life and career Solo ...

, the film is about the cross country adventure of two women and the hardships and characters they encounter.

Plot

Darly Peters is a brassy waitress and former stripper who used to use the stage name Pillow Talk. Darly is on her way to Alaska to claim a home being built for her and return to the family she abandoned eighteen years earlier. She meets Marianne Johnson, a quiet waif who just walked out on her abusive husband. Darly allows Marianne to tag along as they journey across country to Alaska. Along the way, they meet a collection of colorful characters, including a strange-talking waitress named 66, and Walt, a road guy who recognizes Darly as the former Pillow Talk and wants to pay her big money for sex. The women finally make it to Alaska, where Darly finds that the house she was expecting to find has never been built. The two set up in a house trailer and, with the Alaskan wilderness as a backdrop, they begin to reevaluate their lives.

Cast

as Marianne Johnson *

as Darly Peters *

Lenny Von Dohlen Lenny Von Dohlen Jr. (December 22, 1958 – July 5, 2022) was an American television, film, and stage actor. With a 40-year career that primarily featured work in independent films and guest appearances on numerous prominent series, he was prob ...

as Harry Rainey *

Maury Chaykin Maury Alan Chaykin (July 27, 1949 – July 27, 2010) was an American–Canadian actor, best known for his portrayal of detective Nero Wolfe, as well as for his work as a character actor in many films and television programs. Personal lif ...

as Leon "Crazy-As" Pendleton *

Patrika Darbo Patrika Darbo (born April 6, 1948) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Nancy Wesley and Shirley Spectra in the television soap operas '' Days of Our Lives'' and '' The Bold and the Beautiful'', respectively. In 2016, Darbo won ...

as 66 *

Eve Gordon } Eve Gordon (also known as Eve Bennett-Gordon) is an American actress. Her television roles include playing Marilyn Monroe in the Emmy Award-winning miniseries ''A Woman Named Jackie'', Congressional aide Jordan Miller in the short-lived sit ...

as Emily Singer *

James Eckhouse James Hays Eckhouse (born February 14, 1955) is an American actor, best known for playing Characters of Beverly Hills, 90210, Jim Walsh on ''Beverly Hills, 90210''. He also directed three episodes of the show. Career Before his part on ''Beve ...

as Rich Singer *

Brett Cullen Peter Brett Cullen (born August 26, 1956) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Dan Fixx in ''Falcon Crest'' (1986-1988), Sam Cain in '' The Young Riders'' (1989-1990), Governor Ray Sullivan in ''The West Wing'' (2005-2006), Go ...

as Kurt *

James Gammon James Richard Gammon (April 20, 1940 – July 16, 2010) was an American actor, known for playing grizzled " good ol' boy" types in numerous films and television series. Gammon portrayed Lou Brown, the manager in the movies '' Major League'' and ...

as Walt * Lachlan Murdoch as Marshall * Robyn Simons as Sarah * Ken Angel as Nuqaq *

Darrell Dennis Darrell Dennis is an Indigenous Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter and radio personality from the Secwepemc Nation in the interior of British Columbia. Darrell’s acting career began at the age of 17 when he walked into his first profes ...

as Clyde * Barbara Russell as Izuzu Mother * Ahnee Boyce as Izuzu Judy * Marc Levy as Dave * Peter Anderson as Spicy *

Gordon Tootoosis Gordon Tootoosis, (October 25, 1941 – July 5, 2011) was a First Nations actor of Cree and Stoney descent. Tootoosis was a descendant of Yellow Mud Blanket, brother of the famous Cree leader Pîhtokahanapiwiyin. He was acclaimed for his comm ...

as Hank Amaruk *

Rutanya Alda Rutanya Alda (born Rūta Skrastiņa; October 13, 1942) is a Latvian-American actress. She began her career in the late 1960s, and went on to have supporting parts in '' The Deer Hunter'' (1978), '' Rocky II'' (1979), and ''Mommie Dearest'' (1981). ...

as Palmer Hospital Nurse * Ray Godshall as Mort * Tom Heaton as Alec *

Deirdre O'Connell Eleanore Deirdre O'Connell (16 June 1939 – 9 June 2001) was an Irish American actress, singer, and theatre director who founded the Focus Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Biography O'Connell was born in the South Bronx district of New York City, o ...

as Ellen * Gordon Tipple as Danny * John 'Bear' Curtis as Michael * Paul Jarrett as Charlie *

as Jerk in Bar * Andrew Johnston as Nearest Guy * Benjamin Ratner as Next Nearest Guy *

Timothy Webber Timothy Webber is a Canadian television, film, and stage actor best known for his performance as Djordje in the film '' My Father's Angel'', for which he was a Best Supporting Actor nominee at the 21st Genie Awards.

as Spicy's Friend * Sam Bob as Delivery Guy * Marlane O'Brien as Clara * Brenda McDonald as Motel Clerk

Production

;Filming locations * Hyder, Alaska, USA * Stewart, British Columbia, Canada *

Britannia Beach Britannia Beach ( Sḵwx̱wú7mesh: Shisháyu7áy, ) is a small unincorporated community in the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District located approximately 55 kilometres north of Vancouver, British Columbia on the Sea-to-Sky Highway on Howe Sound. ...

, British Columbia, Canada *

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, British Columbia, Canada *

Yoho National Park Yoho National Park ( ) is a National Parks of Canada, national park of Canada. It is located within the Canadian Rockies, Rocky Mountains along the western slope of the Continental Divide of the Americas in southeastern British Columbia, bordered ...

, British Columbia, Canada

Reception

;Critical response The film received mixed-to-negative reviews. On the aggregate review site

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film received a 40% favorable rating from critics.

References

External links

* * *
''Leaving Normal''
at

Film.com RealNetworks, Inc. is a provider of artificial intelligence and computer vision based products. RealNetworks was a pioneer in Internet streaming software and services. They are based in Seattle, Washington, United States. The company also p ...

{{Edward Zwick 1992 films 1990s female buddy films 1990s drama road movies American female buddy films American drama road movies 1990s English-language films Films directed by Edward Zwick Films set in Alaska Films set in Wyoming Films shot in Alaska Films shot in British Columbia Films with screenplays by Ed Solomon Universal Pictures films 1992 drama films 1990s American films