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I'll Do Anything

December 18, 2023

I'll Do Anything is a 1994 American comedy-drama film written and directed by James L. Brooks. While a large part of the film is a satire of the film industry, it also skewers relationships from various angles. Its primary plot concerns a down-on-his-luck actor who suddenly finds himself the sole caretaker of his six-year-old daughter.

I'll Do Anything
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJames L. Brooks
Written byJames L. Brooks
Produced byJames L. Brooks
Polly Platt
StarringNick Nolte
Albert Brooks
Julie Kavner
Joely Richardson
Tracey Ullman
Whittni Wright
CinematographyMichael Ballhaus
Edited byRichard Marks
Music byHans Zimmer
Production
company
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • February 4, 1994 (1994-02-04)
Running time
115 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$40 million
Box office$10 million

Plot edit

In 1980, on the night he fails to win an Emmy Award, Matt Hobbs proposes to his longtime girlfriend Beth. He says the only thing holding him back is his dedication to his career, one which may not always work out, and Beth says that's one of the things she loves most about him. Seven years later, with a baby crying and no job for Matt, Beth is overflowing with resentment. By 1993, the pair have been divorced for several years and are living on opposite coasts. Matt auditions for a role in pompous, self-absorbed, and clueless film producer Burke Adler's new project but fails to get the part. He does however agree to chauffeur Adler occasionally. Matt flies to Georgia to pick up his daughter Jeannie for what he believes is a brief visit and discovers Beth is facing a prison term and Jeannie will be living with him for the duration of her sentence. The two return to Hollywood and struggle with their new circumstances and building a relationship (Matt hasn't seen the six-year-old since she was four). When Matt goes in to make a screen test for a lead in a film, he leaves Jeannie with a friend at the studio, and when he picks her up he's stunned to learn she's been cast in a sitcom. There are multiple sub-plots, including one focusing on Matt's relationship with staff script-reader Cathy Breslow and another concerning test screening analyst Nan Mulhanney and her tumultuous relationship with Adler.

Cast edit

Production edit

Originally I'll Do Anything was conceived and filmed by James L. Brooks as an old-fashioned movie musical and parody of "Hollywood lifestyles and movie clichés", costing $40 million.[1] It featured songs by Carole King, Prince, and Sinéad O'Connor, among others, with choreography by Twyla Tharp.[1] When preview audience reactions to the music were overwhelmingly negative, all production numbers from the film were cut and Brooks wrote several new scenes, filming them over three days and spent seven weeks editing the film. Brooks noted: "Something like this not only tries one's soul - it threatens one's soul."[1] He later said of the film,

I conceived the story as a musical because musicals have a heightened sense of reality. Through song you can get closer to the truth. But even before I had any music I believed I had a complete script. I wrote it like any script. As far as the music was concerned, I only knew where I wanted the songs to go. [...] The point is that with or without musical numbers, the story worked.[1]

Reception edit

I'll Do Anything received mixed to positive reviews from critics. It currently holds a rating of 67% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 18 reviews.

In his three-star review in the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert called it "one of those offcenter comedies that gets its best moments simply by looking at people and seeing how funny, how pathetic, how wonderful they sometimes can be . . . it's a bright, edgy, funny story about people who have all the talent they need, but not all the luck . . . It is helpful, I think, to simply forget about the missing songs, and recognize that I'll Do Anything is a complete movie without them - smart, original, subversive."[2] Janet Maslin of The New York Times described it as "droll" and "improbably buoyant."[3]

Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B−" on scale of A to F.[4]

Box office edit

The film was a box office failure. Produced on a budget of $40 million, I'll Do Anything grossed only a little over $10.4 million, making it one of the worst performing films of the year when compared to its cost.[5]

Year-end lists edit

Music edit

One of the original songs meant to be performed in the film is heard during the closing credits and is included on the soundtrack album released by Varèse Sarabande, along with four instrumental tracks by the film's composer, Hans Zimmer.[9] While other versions of songs penned by Prince resurfaced on some of his later projects, Girl 6 and The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale, none of the actual performances from the movie were ever officially released.

Although James L. Brooks has mentioned he would like to release a director's cut restoring the musical numbers and including a making-of documentary, that project has yet to come to fruition.[citation needed] The film's commercially released version is available on DVD.

In a 2013 interview, Zimmer said that a release of the musical version is unlikely: "The deal structure on those songs was so complicated and so expensive, and it would cost so much money in rights to put it out.” [10]

In an interview on Off Camera with Sam Jones, Jackson Browne stated that his song "I'll Do Anything", released on the 1993 album I'm Alive was originally written to be the title song for the movie. It was to be a comedic song sung by Albert Brooks where he is begging a test audience to favorably review his latest film.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Robert W. Butler (1994-02-03). "Anything to save the movie James L. Brooks dumped the music, rewrote the scenes and did more filming for 'I'll Do Anything'". The Kansas City Star. p. E1.
  2. ^ Ebert, Roger. "I'll Do Anything movie review (1994) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com/. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  3. ^ Janet Maslin review in The New York Times, February 4, 1994
  4. ^ . Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.
  5. ^ "World's Champs & Chumps". Variety. February 13, 1995. p. 7.
  6. ^ Maslin, Janet (December 27, 1994). "CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; The Good, Bad and In-Between In a Year of Surprises on Film". The New York Times. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  7. ^ Simon, Jeff (January 1, 1995). "Movies: Once More, with Feeling". The Buffalo News. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  8. ^ Lovell, Glenn (December 25, 1994). "The Past Picture Show the Good, the Bad and the Ugly -- a Year Worth's of Movie Memories". San Jose Mercury News (Morning Final ed.). p. 3.
  9. ^ I'll Do Anything soundtrack at SoundtrackCollector.com
  10. ^ Kyle Buchanan (November 5, 2013). "Hans Zimmer Tells Juicy Stories About the Classic Films He's Scored". Vulture.com. Retrieved June 22, 2015.

External links edit

December 18, 2023
anything, this, article, lead, section, short, adequately, summarize, points, please, consider, expanding, lead, provide, accessible, overview, important, aspects, article, july, 2020, 1994, american, comedy, drama, film, written, directed, james, brooks, whil. This article s lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article July 2020 I ll Do Anything is a 1994 American comedy drama film written and directed by James L Brooks While a large part of the film is a satire of the film industry it also skewers relationships from various angles Its primary plot concerns a down on his luck actor who suddenly finds himself the sole caretaker of his six year old daughter I ll Do AnythingTheatrical release posterDirected byJames L BrooksWritten byJames L BrooksProduced byJames L BrooksPolly PlattStarringNick NolteAlbert BrooksJulie KavnerJoely RichardsonTracey UllmanWhittni WrightCinematographyMichael BallhausEdited byRichard MarksMusic byHans ZimmerProductioncompanyGracie FilmsDistributed byColumbia PicturesRelease dateFebruary 4 1994 1994 02 04 Running time115 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget 40 millionBox office 10 million Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Reception 4 1 Box office 5 Year end lists 6 Music 7 References 8 External linksPlot editIn 1980 on the night he fails to win an Emmy Award Matt Hobbs proposes to his longtime girlfriend Beth He says the only thing holding him back is his dedication to his career one which may not always work out and Beth says that s one of the things she loves most about him Seven years later with a baby crying and no job for Matt Beth is overflowing with resentment By 1993 the pair have been divorced for several years and are living on opposite coasts Matt auditions for a role in pompous self absorbed and clueless film producer Burke Adler s new project but fails to get the part He does however agree to chauffeur Adler occasionally Matt flies to Georgia to pick up his daughter Jeannie for what he believes is a brief visit and discovers Beth is facing a prison term and Jeannie will be living with him for the duration of her sentence The two return to Hollywood and struggle with their new circumstances and building a relationship Matt hasn t seen the six year old since she was four When Matt goes in to make a screen test for a lead in a film he leaves Jeannie with a friend at the studio and when he picks her up he s stunned to learn she s been cast in a sitcom There are multiple sub plots including one focusing on Matt s relationship with staff script reader Cathy Breslow and another concerning test screening analyst Nan Mulhanney and her tumultuous relationship with Adler Cast editNick Nolte Matt Hobbs Whittni Wright Jeannie Hobbs Albert Brooks Burke Adler Julie Kavner Nan Mulhanney Joely Richardson Cathy Breslow Tracey Ullman Beth Hobbs Chelsea Field Screen Test Actress Joely Fisher Female D Person Vicki Lewis Millie Anne Heche Claire Ian McKellen John Earl McAlpine Angela Alvarado Lucy Joel Thurm Martin Dominik Lukas Espeleta Ricky Justina Hardesty Essa Robert Joy U S Marshal Maria Pitillo Flight Attendant Suzzanne Douglas Rainbow House Star Joseph Malone Assistant Director Jake Busey Burke s Fired Driver Harry Shearer Audience Research Captain Rosie O Donnell Make Up Person Ken Page Hair Person Perry Anzilotti Rainbow House Supporting Actor Wren T Brown Floor Manager Arvie Lowe Jr Rainbow House Child Heather DeLoach Rainbow House Child Steve Vinovich Rainbow House Director Andy Milder Warm Up Man Ron Perkins Victor Aaron Lustig Jack Elisabeth Boyd Elisabeth Kate McNeil Stacy Patrick Cassidy Ground Zero Villain Woody Harrelson Ground Zero Hero Tricia Leigh Fisher Airplane Passenger Sandy Helberg Theater Critic uncredited Scott Krinsky Focus Group Member uncredited Maggie Roswell Woman uncredited Production editOriginally I ll Do Anything was conceived and filmed by James L Brooks as an old fashioned movie musical and parody of Hollywood lifestyles and movie cliches costing 40 million 1 It featured songs by Carole King Prince and Sinead O Connor among others with choreography by Twyla Tharp 1 When preview audience reactions to the music were overwhelmingly negative all production numbers from the film were cut and Brooks wrote several new scenes filming them over three days and spent seven weeks editing the film Brooks noted Something like this not only tries one s soul it threatens one s soul 1 He later said of the film I conceived the story as a musical because musicals have a heightened sense of reality Through song you can get closer to the truth But even before I had any music I believed I had a complete script I wrote it like any script As far as the music was concerned I only knew where I wanted the songs to go The point is that with or without musical numbers the story worked 1 Reception editI ll Do Anything received mixed to positive reviews from critics It currently holds a rating of 67 on Rotten Tomatoes based on 18 reviews In his three star review in the Chicago Sun Times Roger Ebert called it one of those offcenter comedies that gets its best moments simply by looking at people and seeing how funny how pathetic how wonderful they sometimes can be it s a bright edgy funny story about people who have all the talent they need but not all the luck It is helpful I think to simply forget about the missing songs and recognize that I ll Do Anything is a complete movie without them smart original subversive 2 Janet Maslin of The New York Times described it as droll and improbably buoyant 3 Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade B on scale of A to F 4 Box office edit The film was a box office failure Produced on a budget of 40 million I ll Do Anything grossed only a little over 10 4 million making it one of the worst performing films of the year when compared to its cost 5 Year end lists editTop 10 runner ups not ranked Janet Maslin The New York Times 6 Honorable mention Jeff Simon The Buffalo News 7 7th worsts Glenn Lovell San Jose Mercury News 8 Music editOne of the original songs meant to be performed in the film is heard during the closing credits and is included on the soundtrack album released by Varese Sarabande along with four instrumental tracks by the film s composer Hans Zimmer 9 While other versions of songs penned by Prince resurfaced on some of his later projects Girl 6 and The Vault Old Friends 4 Sale none of the actual performances from the movie were ever officially released Although James L Brooks has mentioned he would like to release a director s cut restoring the musical numbers and including a making of documentary that project has yet to come to fruition citation needed The film s commercially released version is available on DVD In a 2013 interview Zimmer said that a release of the musical version is unlikely The deal structure on those songs was so complicated and so expensive and it would cost so much money in rights to put it out 10 In an interview on Off Camera with Sam Jones Jackson Browne stated that his song I ll Do Anything released on the 1993 album I m Alive was originally written to be the title song for the movie It was to be a comedic song sung by Albert Brooks where he is begging a test audience to favorably review his latest film nbsp 1990s portalReferences editThis article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources I ll Do Anything news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2010 Learn how and when to remove this template message a b c d Robert W Butler 1994 02 03 Anything to save the movie James L Brooks dumped the music rewrote the scenes and did more filming for I ll Do Anything The Kansas City Star p E1 Ebert Roger I ll Do Anything movie review 1994 Roger Ebert www rogerebert com Retrieved 2021 11 07 Janet Maslin review in The New York Times February 4 1994 Cinemascore Archived from the original on 2018 12 20 World s Champs amp Chumps Variety February 13 1995 p 7 Maslin Janet December 27 1994 CRITIC S NOTEBOOK The Good Bad and In Between In a Year of Surprises on Film The New York Times Retrieved July 19 2020 Simon Jeff January 1 1995 Movies Once More with Feeling The Buffalo News Retrieved July 19 2020 Lovell Glenn December 25 1994 The Past Picture Show the Good the Bad and the Ugly a Year Worth s of Movie Memories San Jose Mercury News Morning Final ed p 3 I ll Do Anything soundtrack at SoundtrackCollector com Kyle Buchanan November 5 2013 Hans Zimmer Tells Juicy Stories About the Classic Films He s Scored Vulture com Retrieved June 22 2015 External links editI ll Do Anything at IMDb I ll Do Anything at AllMovie I ll Do Anything at Box Office Mojo I ll Do Anything at Rotten Tomatoes They Just Gotta Trust This Guy Los Angeles Times profile Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title I 27ll Do Anything amp oldid 1187582763, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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