In suburban New Canaan, Connecticut, 1973, middle-class families experimenting with casual sex and substance abuse find their lives beyond their control.
Director:
Ang Lee
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Title: The Ice Storm (1997)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Kevin Kline | ... | Ben Hood | |
| Joan Allen | ... | Elena Hood | |
| Sigourney Weaver | ... | Janey Carver | |
| Henry Czerny | ... | George Clair | |
| Tobey Maguire | ... | Paul Hood | |
| Christina Ricci | ... | Wendy Hood | |
| Elijah Wood | ... | Mikey Carver | |
| Adam Hann-Byrd | ... | Sandy Carver | |
| David Krumholtz | ... | Francis Davenport | |
| Jamey Sheridan | ... | Jim Carver | |
| Kate Burton | ... | Dorothy Franklin | |
 |
William Cain | ... | Ted Shackley |
| Michael Cumpsty | ... | Philip Edwards | |
| Maia Danziger | ... | Mrs. Gadd | |
| Katie Holmes | ... | Libbets Casey | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
During the 1973 Thanksgiving weekend, the Hoods are - relationship-wise, skidding out-of-control, isolated from each other; Benjamin reels from drink-to-drink, His wife, Elena's losing patience with Ben's incessant lies. Home for the holidays, their son, Paul, heads into Manhattan,in search of a rich girl from his prep school.Wendy, the teenage daughter, roams the neighborhood, exploring the liquor and lingerie of her friends' parents, looking for something - anything - new. Then, an ice storm hits, and their problems seem inconsequential, and nothing will ever be the same. Written by Emory Herbertson <shrikes.fox@worldnet.att.net>
Taglines:
The American Dream was over. But the hangover was just beginning. See more »Genres:
DramaMotion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for sexuality and drug use, including scenes involving children, and for language | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Train Conductor: Good morning ladies and gentlemen. This train, originating from New York's Grand Central Station, is back in service. Next stop will be New Canaan, Connecticut. New Canaan, Connecticut next stop.
Paul Hood: [narration] In issue 141 of the Fantastic Four, published in November, 1973, Reed Richards had to use his anti-matter weapon on his own son, who Aannihilus has turn into the Human Atom Bomb. It was a typical predicament for the Fantastic Four, because they weren't like other superheroes. ...
See more »
Written by Gene McDaniels
Used by Permission of Lonport Music Corp.
Performed by Les McCann and Eddie Harris
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Sigourney Weaver appears with Elijah Wood in this film. She previously appeared in Alien, while Wood appeared in The Faculty, which was also about parasitic extra-terrestrials. Wood then appeared in the Lord of the Rings films with another Alien cast member, Ian Holm. The films also featured Brad Dourif, who appeared in Alien: Resurrection. See more »Goofs
Fantastic Four #141 has a December 1973 cover date, and went on sale in September. In no case is it factually correct to say that it was published in November. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Train Conductor: Good morning ladies and gentlemen. This train, originating from New York's Grand Central Station, is back in service. Next stop will be New Canaan, Connecticut. New Canaan, Connecticut next stop.
Paul Hood: [narration] In issue 141 of the Fantastic Four, published in November, 1973, Reed Richards had to use his anti-matter weapon on his own son, who Aannihilus has turn into the Human Atom Bomb. It was a typical predicament for the Fantastic Four, because they weren't like other superheroes. ...
See more »
Connections
Featured in At the Movies: The Peacemaker/Soul Food/The Edge/The Ice Storm/The Assignment (1997) See more »Soundtracks
Compared To WhatWritten by Gene McDaniels
Used by Permission of Lonport Music Corp.
Performed by Les McCann and Eddie Harris
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products
See more »
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
26 November 1997 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Ice Storm See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$18,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend USA:
$75,183, 28 September 1997Gross USA:
$8,038,061Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$8,038,061Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
'The Ice Storm' is an incredibly bleak and dark film set in the 70s about two connected families during the holiday break of Thanksgiving. The first family consists of Ben (Kevin Kline) and Elena (Joan Allen), and their two kids -- 16-year-old Paul (Tobey Maguire) just home from boarding school, and 14-year-old Wendy (Christina Ricci) a wannabe anti-war/anti-Nixon elitist who is coming to terms with her own sexuality. The second family consists of Janey (Sigourney Weaver) whom Ben is having an affair with, her husband Jim (Jamey Sheridan), and their two boys -- the neurotic intro-vert Mikey (Elijah Wood) and his younger shy pyro-maniac brother Sandy (AdamN Hann Byrd). The film takes place during Thanksgiving day and the day after in the lives of these people -- including Ben and Elena's marriage being put to the test at a swinger's party with Janey and Jim, Paul's love conquest in New York City with a girl from boarding school named Libbets (Katie Holmes), and Wendy's sexual misadventures with Mikey and Sandy both.
'The Ice Storm' is an incredibly powerful and relevant ensemble piece about the complexity of family and relationships both sexual and non-sexual. Ang Lee once again proves he is a director of great skill and exquisite understanding of human emotions, and James Schamus provides a harrowing and painfully realistic screenplay. Kevin Kline delivers yet another near-flawless dramatic performance, while Sigourney Weaver is great in her interesting yet limited role. The children of the ensemble cast (Maguire, Byrd, Wood, Ricci, Holmes, Krumholtz) are all excellent, especially Christina Ricci who owns her role. However, the real scene-stealer in my eyes is the marvelous Joan Allen who plays her role with such intensity and elegance that I'm shocked she didn't receive a Best Actress Oscar Nomination.
In conclusion, 'The Ice Storm' is a powerful little movie that's interesting yet not exciting. It isn't groundbreaking by any standards, but it's incredibly well-made. 'The Ice Storm' was totally ignored at the '98 Oscar Ceremony, but that comes to no enormous surprise. It was competing in the same year 'L.A. Confidential', 'Boogie Nights', 'Amistad', 'The Sweet Hereafter', 'As Good as It Gets' and the dreadfully overrated 'Titanic' were. A small little character study like 'The Ice Storm' didn't stand a chance. If you can appreciate a movie like this, I highly recommend this oldie I just got around to seeing. Grade: A-