Passed Away (1992) Hollywood/Comedy-Drama RT: 96 minutes Rated PG-13 (language) Director: Charlie Peters Screenplay: Charlie Peters Music: Richard Gibbs Cinematography: Arthur Albert Release date: April 24, 1992 (US) Cast: Bob Hoskins, Blair Brown, Tim Curry, Frances McDormand, William Petersen, Pamela Reed, Peter Riegert, Maureen Stapleton, Nancy Travis, Jack Warden, Teri Polo, Deborah Rush, Diana Bellamy, Don Brockett, Patrick Breen, Sara Rue, Tristan Tait, Jayce Bartok, Dan Futterman, Helen Lloyd Breed, Sally Gracie, Louis Mustillo, Patricia O’Connell, Dylan Baker, Jim Corr. Box Office: $4M (US)
Rating: ***
It’s not that they don’t make them like Passed Away anymore; they simply stopped making them for theatrical release. Movies of this kind now premiere on streaming services like Netflix because the makers know they don’t stand a ghost of a chance at multiplexes. Who would possibly choose a low-key ensemble dramedy over some big FX-laden noisefest? I’m raising my hand as I type these words with the other.
I went to see Passed Away when it opened in April ’92. It was an impulse decision after I found a free AMC pass in my wallet. I forgot I had it. My friend Julie and I just got out of the forgettable crime-thriller White Sands. We had just enough time to grab the tickets before it started. I was planning to see it anyway. It had a lot of good actors in it, but the real draw for this Rocky Horror devotee was Tim Curry. He makes everything he’s in watchable, even absolute dreck like Congo (1995).
The story centers on the Scanlan family, an Irish-American clan mourning the loss of their patriarch Jack (Warden, Used Cars). His death makes eldest son Johnny (Hoskins, Who Framed Roger Rabbit), a tree surgeon going through a mid-life crisis, the new head of the family. And what a bunch they are! His brother Frank (Petersen, Manhunter), a labor leader, is an obtuse, image-conscious sort who plans to take over the family business. He’s like a dumbed-down version of a Kennedy. Rebellious sister Terry (Reed, Kindergarten Cop) shows up with her conceited ex-husband Boyd (Curry). They’ve been divorced for four years and she still hasn’t told anybody they split up. Sister Nora (McDormand, Fargo) really is a sister as in nun. Based in Latin America, she’s also something of an activist. She brings a political refugee home with her. Naturally, INS comes looking for the guy.
There are many other characters in Passed Away like Johnny’s wife Amy (Brown, Continental Divide) who doesn’t understand his sudden need for adventure and Peter (Riegert, Animal House), the funeral home embalmer who still carries a torch for Terry (they knew each other in high school). There are assorted children including Frank’s pregnant (and unmarried) daughter Rachel (Polo, Meet the Parents), sourpuss aunts and family friends. The guest that really stands out is Cassie (Travis, So I Married an Axe Murderer), a mystery woman who shows up at the wake, held at the family home at the insistence of the widow Mary (Stapleton, Cocoon). Nobody knows who she is. Everybody assumes she was the deceased’s mistress. Johnny becomes intrigued by her.
Written and directed by Charlie Peters (Music from Another Woman), Passed Away is a pretty good movie. It’s uneven in tone; it struggles a bit in balancing the comedic and dramatic. At the same time, it understands that there’s humor to be found in any situations where family comes together. The Scanlans are just this side of dysfunctional. It’s not that they don’t get along; it’s not a Jerry Springer scenario. They just get on each other’s nerves, no different from any other family really. Frank’s wife (Rush, My Blue Heaven) goes around the house putting sticky notes on everything she wants before the body is even cold. Terry resents that Nora was always seen as “the good daughter”. Boyd, not even a family anymore, is only there begrudgingly. He feels he has nothing in common with his former in-laws. Then, of course, you get unbelievable situations (e.g. having to temporarily relocate Jack’s body, Rachel going into labor at the worst time possible) that can only happen to this family. Haven’t we all said something like this at one time? It’s a completely relatable situation even at its most unbelievable.
When a movie has this many characters, some of them are going to go underdeveloped. That is to say, they’re not going to be too far developed beyond name and personal crisis. The only one afforded any real development is Johnny. He’s going through that phase where he reflects on life and asks what he has to show for it. Hoskins crushes it, but he was one of those actors who always did that. He delivers a solid performance as does the rest of the cast. What’s truly great is that they’re in perfect step as a team. They never seem to be tripping over each other as is sometimes the case with films with large casts.
I hadn’t watched Passed Away since the early 90s. It’s still as good as I remember. I didn’t realize that was Sara Rue (The Big Bang Theory) playing Johnny’s youngest daughter Megan. She’s not in it much, but she leaves a bit of an impression. I wish Peters had done more with Stapleton, the mother who’s wiser and more aware of things than they know. She gets off a few good lines. I like that the movie is genuinely heartfelt with its message about accepting family full-on, faults and all. It does so with a light touch. It’s not perfect, but neither is anybody in any family. It’s kind of fitting actually.
