''A Fish in the Bathtub'' is a 1999 comedy film directed by

Joan Micklin Silver Joan Micklin Silver (May 24, 1935 – December 31, 2020) was an American director of films and plays. Born in Omaha, Silver moved to New York City in 1967 where she began writing and directing films. She is best known for Hester Street (film), ' ...

. It stars real life couple

Jerry Stiller Gerald Isaac Stiller (June 8, 1927 – May 11, 2020) was an American actor and comedian. He spent many years as part of the comedy duo Stiller and Meara with his wife, Anne Meara, to whom he was married for over 60 years until her death in 2015 ...

and

Anne Meara Anne Meara Stiller (September 20, 1929 – May 23, 2015) was an American actress and comedian. Along with her husband Jerry Stiller, she was one-half of the prominent 1960s comedy team Stiller and Meara. Their son is actor, director, and producer ...

and

play Sam and Molly, a married husband and wife whose marriage has been stretched to the brink after 40 years of incessant bickering over the smallest of things, not the least of which is Sam's inexplicable decision to keep a fish in the bathtub. This, along with a daily harangue from the cantankerous Sam, forces Molly to finally pack a bag and go to son Joel's home, which sets the stage for the family to fight through this bump in the road and get life back on track. The film has been generally poorly received.

Contact Music Contactmusic.com is an online magazine of cultural criticism based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, and ...

referred to it as "Just not that humorous". ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' criticized the film's dialogue, stating that "...the bickering goes too far..." ''Killer Movies'' referred to its plot as "...nothing particularly new or significant or eye-popping..."

Cast

as Sam *

as Molly *

Mark Ruffalo Mark Alan Ruffalo (; born November 22, 1967) is an American actor and producer best known for playing Bruce Banner / Hulk since 2012 in the superhero franchise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and in the television series '' She-Hulk: Attorne ...

as Joel * Jane Adams as Ruthie *

Doris Roberts Doris May Roberts ( Green; November 4, 1925 – April 17, 2016) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades of television and film. She received five Emmy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild award during her acting career, which bega ...

as Freida *

Louis Zorich Louis Zorich (February 12, 1924 – January 30, 2018) was an American actor. He played sporting good salesman Burt Buchman, Paul Buchman's father, on the NBC series ''Mad About You'' from 1993 to 1999. Early years Zorich was born in Chicago, I ...

as Morris *

Phyllis Newman Phyllis Newman (March 19, 1933 – September 15, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She won the 1962 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Martha Vail in the musical ''Subways Are for Sleeping'' on Broadway, ...

as Sylvia Rosen *

Val Avery Val may refer to: Val-a Film * ''Val'' (film), an American documentary about Val Kilmer, directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo Military equipment * Aichi D3A, a Japanese World War II dive bomber codenamed "Val" by the Allies * AS Val, a So ...

as Abe *

Bob Dishy Bob Dishy is an American actor of stage, film, and television. Biography He is best remembered today for playing Sergeant John J. Wilson, Columbo's polite, respectful assistant in two episodes of ''Columbo'' ("Now You See Him" and "The Greenho ...

as Lou Moskowitz *

Mordecai Lawner Mordecai Lawner (June 9, 1928 – November 27, 2014) was an American film and theater actor. His film credits included Woody Allen's ''Annie Hall'' in 1977, ''Raw Deal (1986 film), Raw Deal'' in 1986, ''Ghostbusters II'' in 1989, and ''A Fish in t ...

as Bernie *

Peter McRobbie Peter McRobbie (born 31 January 1943) is a Scottish-born American character actor, best known for his roles as John C. Twist in the 2005 romantic drama film '' Brokeback Mountain'', Mike Sheenan in the 2006 action film ''16 Blocks'', Pop Pop ...

as Father Malaccky * Jonathan Hogan as Eldon Krantz *

Elizabeth Franz Elizabeth Franz (born Betty Jean Frankovich) is an American stage and television actress. Life and career Franz was born Betty Jean Frankovich in Akron, Ohio, the daughter of a factory worker. She won a Tony Award for her role as Linda Lo ...

as Bea Greenberg

References

External links

* 1990s American films 1990s English-language films 1999 films 1999 independent films 1999 romantic comedy-drama films American independent films American romantic comedy-drama films Films directed by Joan Micklin Silver Films shot in New York City {{1990s-comedy-film-stub