''Simple Men'' is a 1992 American film written and directed by

Hal Hartley Hal Hartley (born November 3, 1959) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and composer who became a key figure in the American independent film movement of the 1980s and '90s. He is best known for his films '' The Unbelievable Tr ...

and starring

Robert John Burke Robert John Burke (born September 12, 1960) is an American actor known for his roles in '' RoboCop 3'' (1993), '' Tombstone'' (1993), and '' Thinner'' (1996). During the 2000s Burke became well known for his portrayal of Mickey Gavin on '' Rescue ...

, Bill Sage,

Karen Sillas Karen Sillas is an American stage and film actress. Early life The daughter of a Greek father and a Swedish mother, Sillas was born in Brooklyn. She graduated from the Acting Conservatory of the State University of New York at Purchase. Car ...

, and Martin Donovan. It was the debut film of actress

Holly Marie Combs Holly Marie Combs Ryan (born December 3, 1973) is an American actress and producer. She is known for her roles as Kimberly Brock in the CBS series '' Picket Fences'' (1992–1996), Piper Halliwell in The WB series ''Charmed'' (1998–2006) and ...

, in a supporting role. It was entered into the

1992 Cannes Film Festival The 45th Cannes Film Festival was held from 7 to 18 May 1992. The Palme d'Or went to the '' Den goda viljan'' by Bille August. The festival opened with ''Basic Instinct'', directed by Paul Verhoeven and closed with ''Far and Away'', directed by R ...

Plot

Brothers Bill and Dennis reunite after their anarchist father escapes from the hospital. Bill is angry after being double-crossed after a robbery by his girlfriend, and he promises to break the heart of the next woman he meets, while Dennis is fresh out of college and somewhat naive about the world. Dennis is set on finding their father, and Bill is broke, so they set off to find him. Their motorcycle breaks down near a diner in the middle of nowhere, where they meet the beautiful Kate, mysterious Elina, and short-tempered Martin. They decide to stay for a few days and gradually become entangled in local life.

Cast

- Bill McCabe (as Robert Burke) * Bill Sage - Dennis McCabe *

- Kate *

Elina Löwensohn Elina Löwensohn (born 11 July 1966) is a Romanian-American actress. She had roles in the films '' Simple Men'' (1992), ''Schindler's List'' (1993), '' Amateur'' (1994), '' Nadja'' (1994) and '' The Wisdom of Crocodiles'' (1998). Life and caree ...

- Elina * Martin Donovan - Martin * Mark Chandler Bailey - Mike (as Mark Bailey) * Chris Cooke - Vic * Jeffrey Howard - Ned Rifle *

- Kim * Joe Stevens - Jack *

Damian Young Damian Young (born October 27, 1961) is an American actor notable for his appearance in the Hal Hartley film ''Amateur'' (1994). He also featured in Hartley's earlier film ''Simple Men'' (1992), and has appeared in theatre, television and film. ...

- Sheriff *

Marietta Marich Marietta Marich (; née Cox; April 5, 1930 – September 28, 2017) was an American actress, singer, writer, stage director, and television host. Born in Dallas, Texas, Marich became a prominent stage actress in Houston beginning in the 1950s. Sh ...

- Mom (Meg) * John MacKay - Dad * Bethany Wright - Mary *

Richard Reyes Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

- Security Guard * Margaret Bowman - Nurse Louise

Music

''Simple Men'' features the song " Kool Thing" by the American

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

band Sonic Youth. A portion of dialogue from the film can be heard in the song ''Paradise'' off the hip-hop album E&A by Eyedea and Abilities.

References

External links

* * 1992 films 1992 comedy-drama films American comedy-drama films Films directed by Hal Hartley American avant-garde and experimental films Films set in Houston Films shot in Houston 1990s avant-garde and experimental films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films {{1990s-comedy-drama-film-stub