''Passed Away'' is a 1992 American

ensemble Ensemble may refer to: Art * Architectural ensemble * ''Ensemble'' (album), Kendji Girac 2015 album * Ensemble (band), a project of Olivier Alary * Ensemble cast (drama, comedy) * Ensemble (musical theatre), also known as the chorus * ''En ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed and written by Charlie Peters.

Plot

Jack Scanlan is a union leader who returns to work after having a heart attack. His son Frank arranges a welcome back surprise party for Jack, which unfortunately does more than surprise him, as he has another heart attack and dies, because he was actually prone to panic attacks brought on by stress or excitement such as being startled (by things such as people yelling out the word "surprise"), which is apparently what caused his first heart attack. The members of his large, dysfunctional family are brought together and find themselves dealing with all of their emotional baggage. Everybody's assorted issues are brought to light. The relatives include his children: eldest son Johnny, a tree surgeon who wants more adventure in his life; his brother Frank, a labor leader who wants to live up to his father's expectations; their sister Terry, a dancer; her ex-husband Boyd; an embalmer Peter, who is in love with Terry; and a younger sister Nora, who is a nun based in Latin America. There are unfamiliar faces too, like a woman named Cassie who turns up at the funeral and may or may not have been their late father's mistress. It is a chance for everyone to get acquainted or reacquainted, and it's all in the family.

Cast

Bob Hoskins Robert William Hoskins (26 October 1942 – 29 April 2014) was an English actor. His work included lead roles in films and television series such as '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1978), ''The Long Good Friday'' (1980), ''Mona Lisa'' (1986), ''Who ...

as Johnny Scanlan *

Blair Brown Bonnie Blair Brown (born April 23, 1946) is an American theater, film and television actress. She has had a number of high-profile roles, including in the play '' Copenhagen'' on Broadway, the leading actress in the films ''Altered States'' ...

as Amy Scanlan, Johnny's wife *

Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London ...

as Boyd Pinter, Terry's former husband *

Frances McDormand Frances Louise McDormand (born Cynthia Ann Smith; June 23, 1957) is an American actress and producer. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, McDormand has received numerous accolades, including four Academy Awards, two Primetime Em ...

as Nora Scanlan, Johnny's younger sister *

William Petersen William Louis Petersen (born February 21, 1953) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his role as Gil Grissom in the CBS drama series ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' (2000–2015), for which he won a Screen Actors Guild Aw ...

as Frank Scanlan, Johnny's younger brother *

Pamela Reed Pamela Reed (born April 2, 1949) is an American actress. She is known for playing Arnold Schwarzenegger's hypoglycemic police partner in the 1990 movie ''Kindergarten Cop'' and as the matriarch Gail Green in ''Jericho''. She appeared as Marlene ...

as Terry Scanlan Pinter, Johnny's younger sister *

Peter Riegert Peter Riegert (born April 11, 1947) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Donald "Boon" Schoenstein in ''Animal House'' (1978), oil company executive "Mac" MacIntyre in '' Local Hero'' (1983), pickle store owner Sam Posner in '' ...

as Peter Syracusa *

Maureen Stapleton Lois Maureen Stapleton (June 21, 1925 – March 13, 2006) was an American actress. She received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Tony Awards, in addition to ...

as Mary Scanlan, Johnny's widowed mother *

Nancy Travis Nancy Ann Travis (born September 21, 1961) is an American actress. She began her career on Off-Broadway theater, before her first leading screen role in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television miniseries ''Harem'' opposite Omar Sharif. ...

as Cassie Slocombe *

Jack Warden Jack Warden (born John Warden Lebzelter Jr.; September 18, 1920July 19, 2006) was an American character actor of film and television. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for ''Shampoo'' (1975) and '' Heaven Can Wait' ...

as Jack Scanlan, Johnny's late father *

Teri Polo Theresa Elizabeth Polo (born June 1, 1969) is an American actress. She starred as Pam Byrnes-Focker in the ''Meet the Parents'' trilogy and played the role of police officer Stef Adams Foster in the Freeform series '' The Fosters'' (2013–201 ...

as Rachel Scanlan, Frank & Denise's daughter *

Deborah Rush Deborah Rush (born April 10, 1954) is an American actress. She has worked in television, film and on Broadway. In 1984, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for Michael Frayn's comedy ''Noises ...

as Denise Scanlan, Frank's wife *

Diana Bellamy Diana Alice Bellamy (September 19, 1943 – June 17, 2001) was an American character actress of stage, film, and television, during the 1980s and mid-2000s, who was often cast in both comedic and dramatic roles to great acclaim. Bellamy is know ...

as BJ *Helen Lloyd Burns - Maureen, Johnny's aunt *

Patrick Breen Joseph Patrick Breen (born October 26, 1960) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. Early life Breen was born in Brooklyn, New York, on October 26, 1960. Career He has acted primarily on TV but has also appeared in numerous films, ...

as Father Hallahan *

Dan Futterman Daniel Paul Futterman (born June 8, 1967) is an American actor, screenwriter, and producer. Futterman wrote the screenplay for the film '' Capote'', for which he received an Academy Award nomination, an Independent Spirit, Boston Society of Fi ...

as Tom *Sally Gracie as Mrs. Cassidy *

Louis Mustillo Louis Mustillo (born May 28, 1958) is an American actor who is best known as playing Vincent “Vince” Moranto on '' Mike & Molly'' from 2010 to 2016. Life and career Mustillo was born in Buffalo, New York. He attended American Academy of Dra ...

as Carmine Syracusa *Patricia O'Connell as Mrs. Finch *

Sara Rue Sara Rue (born January 26, 1979) is an American actress. She is known for her performances as Carmen Ferrara on ''Popular'', as Claude Casey on ''Less than Perfect'', and as the Attorney General in ''Idiocracy''. In 2011, she hosted The CW realit ...

as Megan Scanlan, Johnny & Amy's daughter *Tristan Tait as Sam Scanlan, Johnny & Amy's son *

Don Brockett Don Brockett (January 30, 1930 – May 2, 1995) was an American actor, comedian, producer, and director from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was known for his portrayal of Chef Brockett on ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood''. He had small parts in ma ...

as Froggie *Ann Shea as Louise *Jayce Bartok as Tony Scanlan, Frank & Denise's son *

Dylan Baker Dylan Baker (born October 7, 1959) is an American actor. He gained recognition for his roles in the films such as '' Planes, Trains and Automobiles'' (1987), ''Happiness'' (1998), '' Thirteen Days'' (2000), '' Road to Perdition'' (2002), '' Spide ...

as Unsworth *

Jim Corr James Steven Ignatius Corr, (born 31 July 1964) is an Irish musician, singer, songwriter and DJ. He is a member of the Irish folk/rock band The Corrs, the other members being his three younger sisters Andrea, Sharon and Caroline. Musical ...

as Daniel

Reception

The movie received mixed reviews. According to the review aggregator

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 ...

, 10% of 10 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 4.4/10. 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 "B-" on an A+ to F scale.

Box office

The film's first weekend generated $700,000.

References

External links

* * * 1992 films 1992 comedy films American comedy films Films scored by Richard Gibbs Films set in Pittsburgh Hollywood Pictures films 1992 directorial debut films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films {{1990s-comedy-film-stub