''Walking to the Waterline'' is a 1998 American
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
written and directed by
Matt Mulhern
Matt Mulhern (born July 21, 1960) is an American actor and historian who has starred in such films as '' One Crazy Summer'' and '' Biloxi Blues'', and such television series such as '' Major Dad'', '' JAG'', and '' Rescue Me'' (playing Lt. John ...
and starring
Matt Mulhern
Matt Mulhern (born July 21, 1960) is an American actor and historian who has starred in such films as '' One Crazy Summer'' and '' Biloxi Blues'', and such television series such as '' Major Dad'', '' JAG'', and '' Rescue Me'' (playing Lt. John ...
,
Alan Ruck
Alan Douglas Ruck (born July 1, 1956) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Cameron Frye, Ferris Bueller's best friend, in John Hughes's film ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986); Stuart Bondek, a lecherous, power-hungry member of ...
,
Matthew Broderick, and
Hallie Foote
Barbara Hallie Foote (born March 31, 1950) is an American actress.
Life and career
Born Barbara Hallie Foote in Manhattan, the daughter of Lillian Vallish Foote and writer and director Horton Foote, she was raised in Nyack, New York and New Hamps ...
. The film premiered at the
Florida Film Festival on June 13, 1998. The film aired in heavy rotation on
IFC.
Premise
Once a successful television
sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
star, Francis McGowan is now a struggling actor who returns to his family home on the
Jersey Shore
The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May Po ...
to sell it following his father's death. While there, he interacts with his agent Michael Woods, his childhood friend Duane Hopwood, and tour guide Lucy Bammer, with whom he drifts into a casual affair while his wife and children wait for him to return home.
Cast
*
Matt Mulhern
Matt Mulhern (born July 21, 1960) is an American actor and historian who has starred in such films as '' One Crazy Summer'' and '' Biloxi Blues'', and such television series such as '' Major Dad'', '' JAG'', and '' Rescue Me'' (playing Lt. John ...
as Francis McGowan
*
Alan Ruck
Alan Douglas Ruck (born July 1, 1956) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Cameron Frye, Ferris Bueller's best friend, in John Hughes's film ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986); Stuart Bondek, a lecherous, power-hungry member of ...
as Duane Hopwood
*
Matthew Broderick as Michael Woods
*
Hallie Foote
Barbara Hallie Foote (born March 31, 1950) is an American actress.
Life and career
Born Barbara Hallie Foote in Manhattan, the daughter of Lillian Vallish Foote and writer and director Horton Foote, she was raised in Nyack, New York and New Hamps ...
as Lucy Bammer
*
Jon Cypher as Fred Blumquist
*
Hal Holbrook
Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. (February 17, 1925 – January 23, 2021) was an American actor, television director, and screenwriter. He first received critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show that he developed called ''Mark Twain Tonight!'' ...
as Man on the Beach
*
Beverly Archer as Pam Whitman
*
Michael Boatman
Michael Patrick Boatman (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his roles as New York City mayoral aide Carter Heywood in the ABC sitcom ''Spin City'', as U.S. Army Specialist Samuel Beckett in the ABC drama ser ...
as Marshall
Production
''Walking to the Waterline'' was Matt Mulhern's directorial debut and was filmed during 1997 in
Ocean City and
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497. . His sophomore effort, the 2005 drama ''
Duane Hopwood'', focused on one of the supporting characters he created for this film.
Mulhern starred in the film and was able to enlist Ruck, Broderick, Holbrook, and Boatman to the cast as they were friends of his.
Release
''Walking to the Waterline'' premiered at the
Florida Film Festival on June 13, 1998.
Critical reception
Josh Ralske of ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' reviewed the film, writing "There's a sweet underlying sadness to the film, but it's much too soft around the edges."
References
External links
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*{{Mojo title
1998 films
1998 drama films
American independent films
1998 independent films
American drama films
Films about actors
Films shot in New Jersey
Films set in New Jersey
1998 directorial debut films
1990s English-language films
1990s American films