The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag (1992)
- Starring:
- Penelope Ann Miller, Eric Thal, (more)
- Director(s):
- Allan Moyle
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- PG13
- Format(s):
- DVD
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Synopsis of The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag
Penelope Ann Miller's delightful performance as the shy, part-time librarian Betty Lou Perkins is the saving grace of this comedy from Touchstone Pictures. Betty Lou is the neglected wife of small-town police detective Alex Perkins (Eric Thal). She soon feels even more neglected when Alex can't make their anniversary dinner because he has to investigate a brutal motel room slaying. Taking her dog for a walk, Betty Lou finds a gun by the river's edge that just happens to be the missing murder weapon in Alex's murder investigation. In order to get some attention, she announces that she was the one who committed the murder. Hauled behind bars, Betty Lou gets some quick assertiveness training from her cell-mate, hard-boiled prostitute Reba Bush (Cathy Moriarty). She also becomes an instant media celebrity, with crowds clamoring around her and television news reporters elevating her to legendary status. But Alex doesn't believe she committed the murder (she tells him the dead man was her lover) and continues investigating the crime. Her husband is not the only one who's suspicious -- the FBI wants to use her to lure crime lord Beaudeen (William Forsythe), who they suspect actually committed the murder, out into the open. It turns out the FBI is right; Beaudeen killed the motel room victim because he planned to blackmail him with an incriminating cassette. Beaudeen is convinced that Betty Lou has the tape and musters his forces to get it from her one way or another. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
Complete Cast of The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag
- Penelope Ann Miller - Betty Lou Perkins
- Alfre Woodard - Ann
- Cathy Moriarty - Reba
- William Forsythe - Beaudeen
- Xander Berkeley - Marchat
- Christopher John Fields - Brown
- Cordell Jackson - Bathroom Lady
- Merrill Healy - Gary
- Faye Grant - Charleen
- Lida Burris Gibson - Lydia Williams
- Ruddy L. Garner - FBI Wiretapper
- Adam Shankman - Timid Man
- Barton Segal - Barton
- Billie Neal - Gail
- Dianna Miranda - Chiropractor
- Suzanne Smith
- Frank Welker - Scarlet
- John McCauley - Farmer
- Amanda Zenil - Radical Girl
- Charles Treas - Old Man
- Meat Loaf - Larry
- Kay McDuffie - Perm
- Suzanne Kent - Townsperson
- Christine Joyce - Reporter
- Laura Boenheim - Autograph Girl
- Bernard Canepari - Mayor
- M.J. Etua - Reporter
- Reathel Bean - Bob Barnes
- Eric Thal - Alex Perkins
- Julianne Moore - Elinor
- Andy Romano - Herrick
- Ray McKinnon - Frank
- Michael O'Neill - Jergens
- Paul Bates - Officer Finney
- Billy Holcomb - Farmer
- Barry Hannah - Court Clerk
- Margaret Graham - Perm
- Nash Germany - Teenage Boy
- Jane Smithwick - Freckled Girl
- Marian Seldes - Margaret Armstrong
- Jeff O'Haco - Bar Fighter
- Bill Mullen - Officer George
- Marisa Miller - April
- Billy Hopkins
- Don Opper - Dell
- Mark Magill - Glen
- Red West - Judge
- Deborah Spector - Cashier
- Ellen McElduff - Joan
- Gale Mayron - Pearl
- Catherine Keener - Suzanne
- Robert Jackson - Irate Man
- Lesha Campbell - Teenage Girl
- Ann Fisher-Wirth - Young Matron
- Ralph Braseth - Reporter
- Director(s):
- Allan Moyle
- Writer(s):
- Grace Cary Bickley
- Producer(s):
- Scott Kroopf, Robert W. Cort
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- PG13(Profanity, Questionable for Children, Violence)
- Categories:
- Comedy
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