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Inside Moves
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| Inside Moves | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Richard Donner |
| Screenplay by | |
| Based on | Inside Moves by Todd Walton |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | László Kovács |
| Edited by | Frank Morriss |
| Music by | John Barry |
Production company | Goodmark Productions |
| Distributed by | Associated Film Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 113 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.2 million[1] |
Inside Moves is a 1980 American drama film directed by Richard Donner from a screenplay by Valerie Curtin and Barry Levinson, based on the novel of the same name by Todd Walton. The film stars John Savage, David Morse, Diana Scarwid, and Amy Wright. At the 53rd Academy Awards, Scarwid was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.[2]
Plot
[edit]After a suicide attempt leaves a man named Roary partially crippled, he finds himself living in a rundown house in Oakland, California. He spends a lot of time at a neighborhood bar, which is full of other disabled people, and becomes best friends with Jerry, the barman with a bad leg.
Jerry gains the attention and respect from the Golden State Warriors when he scrimmages a player and loses narrowly. After the bar owner suffers a heart attack, a new waitress named Louise is hired. Roary develops romantic feelings for Louise.
Jerry's luck turns around when one of the professional basketball players lends him the money for an operation to fix his leg. Once he is fully healed, Jerry becomes a basketball star, fulfilling his lifelong dream. However, he abandons his old friends by pretending they never existed.
Later, Jerry's old friends begin to resent him for his negligence, Roary visits Jerry and pressures him to visit the bar. Jerry offers up a half-hearted excuse for his absence, and despite Roary's feelings, begins seeing Louise in secret.
Roary finally confronts Jerry about his behavior and offers some final thoughts on their friendship and what the bar and its patrons meant during his recovery. After Roary leaves, Jerry angrily reflects on his past decisions.
Roary reunites with Louise. Jerry returns to the bar and reveals his insecurities to his old friends, who understand right away.
For the first time in 25 years, Max closes the bar, so everyone can attend Jerry's basketball game.
Cast
[edit]- John Savage as Roary
- David Morse as Jerry Maxwell
- Diana Scarwid as Louise
- Amy Wright as Anne
- Tony Burton as Lucius
- Bill Henderson as Blue Lewis
- Steve Kahan as Burt
- Jack O'Leary as Max
- Bert Remsen as Stinky
- Harold Russell as Wings
- Pepe Serna as Herrada
- Harold Sylvester as Alvin Martin
- Arnold Williams as Benny
- George Brenlin as Gil
- Gerri Dean as Hooker
- William Frankfather as Fryer
Production
[edit]In his 2006 audio commentary for Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, Donner states that he agreed to direct Inside Moves only to take his mind off being fired and replaced from Superman II.[3] He referred to Inside Moves as "the smallest film I could do that was just very near and dear to me, at that point, and I felt this is going to take my mind totally off that."
The film marked the return to the screen by disabled veteran Harold Russell, 34 years after his Oscar-winning role in The Best Years of Our Lives.[4]
Donner's biographer James Christie relates how the director would often confuse cinematographer Kovács with his fellow Hungarian Vilmos Zsigmond. When Zsigmond visited the set, Donner had T-shirts made up that read "MY NAME IS NOT LÁSZLÓ" and "MY NAME IS NOT VILMOS" for each of them. Later, they switched shirts and confused everyone.[5]
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 63 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[6] Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that "Inside Moves is such a well-acted movie, and parts of it are so effectively offbeat, that it rises above its own potential for sappiness, just as surely as its characters triumph over their troubles." Maslin also called it "a modest and sentimental movie, but also one that, on its own terms, accomplishes what it means to."[4] Emanuel Levy described the film as "a compassionate, well acted melodrama about what it means to be a disabled American."[7]
Accolades
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 53rd Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Diana Scarwid | Nominated |
| 1982 | 15th Turkish Film Critics Association (SİYAD) Awards | Best Foreign Film | Inside Moves | 8th Place |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987). American Film Distribution: The Changing Marketplace. UMI Research Press. p. 300. ISBN 978-0835717762. Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
- ^ "The 53rd Academy Awards | 1981". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 5 October 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
- ^ Donner, Richard (director) (2006). "audio commentary". Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (DVD). Warner Bros. Pictures.
- ^ a b Maslin, Janet (December 19, 1980). "'Inside Moves,' Starring John Savage". The New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
- ^ Christie, James (2010). You're the Director...You Figure It Out. The Life and Films of Richard Donner. BearManor Media. p. 152. ISBN 978-1-59393-527-6.
- ^ "Inside Moves". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
- ^ Levy, Emanuel (June 9, 2011). "Inside Moves (1980): Donner's Disability Melodrama, Starring John Savage and Diana Scarwid in Oscar-Nominated Performance". Emanuel Levy. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
External links
[edit]Inside Moves
View on GrokipediaNarrative Elements
Plot
Roary, a young man grappling with severe depression, attempts suicide by jumping from the tenth floor of an office building but survives, resulting in permanent paralysis that confines him to a wheelchair.[3][5] In the aftermath, Roary begins frequenting Max's Bar, a modest dive located near a hospital, which serves as a welcoming haven for a diverse community of disabled individuals seeking camaraderie and escape from societal isolation.[6][7] At Max's, Roary initially remains withdrawn but gradually forms bonds with the bar's colorful regulars, including the affable bartender Jerry, who walks with a limp due to a knee injury that derailed his promising basketball career; the compassionate waitress Louise, who navigates her own physical challenges; the wheelchair-bound philosopher Blue; the blind pianist Stinky; and the handless storyteller Wings.[6][5][7] When the bar's owner Max suffers a heart attack, Roary buys a part interest in the establishment, helping to improve its business and further integrating into the community. These interactions transform Max's into the story's emotional core, where shared stories, humor, and mutual support foster a sense of belonging amid personal hardships, drawing Roary out of his shell and helping him rediscover purpose through friendship.[6][7] Roary develops a particularly close friendship with Jerry, assisting him with tasks and sharing dreams of overcoming their disabilities. Jerry, meanwhile, scrimps to afford corrective surgery for his leg but diverts funds to support his troubled girlfriend, the drug-addicted Anne. A turning point occurs when Roary accompanies Jerry to a local basketball game, where Jerry impresses professional player Alvin Martin during an impromptu one-on-one match; inspired, Alvin loans Jerry the money for surgery.[6][5][7] Following the operation, Jerry regains full mobility, joins a semi-professional team, and attracts scouts from a major league, catapulting him toward his long-elusive athletic success.[6][7] As Jerry's fortunes rise, he begins to distance himself from Max's and its patrons, including starting a romance with Louise, which leaves Roary feeling abandoned and reignites his inner turmoil. This alienation peaks when Roary confronts Jerry about his transformation and apparent rejection of their shared community, leading to a heated argument that tests their bond.[5][7] Ultimately, reconciliation follows as Jerry acknowledges the value of his roots; the bar's regulars rally to support him at a crucial basketball game, affirming the enduring strength of their connections.[6][5] The film resolves with Roary experiencing significant personal growth, emerging more resilient and engaged with life, while the Max's community solidifies its role as a source of unbreakable bonds that transcend individual struggles.[3][7]Themes
Inside Moves portrays disability not merely as a physical condition but as a profound metaphor for societal alienation and emotional isolation, with the rundown bar Max's serving as a vital sanctuary for a diverse group of "misfits" who find solace and identity among their peers. The film's characters, each bearing unique impairments—ranging from mobility limitations to blindness and amputations—illustrate how physical differences mirror broader feelings of exclusion from mainstream society, particularly in a pre-disability rights era lacking formal support systems. This thematic layer draws from the source novel by Todd Walton, which emphasizes human resilience amid adversity, presenting disabilities as catalysts for deeper self-discovery rather than mere obstacles.[8][9][10] Central to the narrative are themes of friendship and mutual support among these marginalized individuals, fostering a surrogate family dynamic that contrasts the characters' external struggles with internal bonds of empathy and humor. The bar's intimate gatherings highlight how shared vulnerabilities create profound connections, offering emotional sustenance that external relationships often deny; however, the story also explores tensions between physical healing—such as surgical interventions—and persistent emotional isolation, underscoring that true recovery requires communal affirmation over individual triumphs. These motifs underscore the film's celebration of solidarity, where acts of kindness and encouragement among the group affirm the redemptive power of collective resilience.[11][5][12] Redemption and second chances emerge as key motifs, particularly through the lens of sports and personal confrontations that symbolize reclaiming agency and purpose. Characters pursue renewal not in isolation but through supportive relationships, with basketball representing a pathway to empowerment and self-worth for those previously sidelined by their conditions. This arc reflects the novel's focus on hope and potential realization, portraying redemption as an ongoing process of forgiveness—toward oneself and others—rooted in communal encouragement rather than solitary achievement.[13][14][11] Richard Donner's direction blends sentimentality with grounded realism, using the confined, dimly lit bar scenes to cultivate emotional intimacy and authenticity, allowing quiet moments of vulnerability to resonate without overt manipulation. This stylistic approach tempers the film's uplifting tone with unflinching depictions of hardship, creating a "warm inside" feeling that honors the characters' complexities while avoiding maudlin excess, as Donner himself noted in reflecting on the project's universal appeal to human "handicaps." The result is a poignant exploration of resilience, influenced by Walton's exuberant yet raw portrayal of friendship's transformative role in overcoming alienation.[15][9][12]Cast and Characters
Principal cast
The principal cast of Inside Moves (1980) features a ensemble of actors portraying the bar's diverse patrons and key figures in the story of disability and camaraderie.[16]| Actor | Character | Role Description |
|---|---|---|
| John Savage | Roary | A disillusioned man left partially paralyzed after a failed suicide attempt.[17][3] |
| David Morse | Jerry Maxwell | An aspiring basketball player sidelined by a leg injury.[3] |
| Diana Scarwid | Louise | A woman with cerebral palsy who works as a barmaid.[18][6] |
| Amy Wright | Anne | Jerry's troubled girlfriend, a prostitute and heroin addict.[6] |
| Harold Russell | Wings | A bar regular and World War II veteran missing both hands.[18] |
| Tony Burton | Lucius | A supportive bar patron and friend to the group.[16] |
