Louise Fletcher Movies
Louise Fletcher's acting career can be divided into two stages. She started out appearing on television shows such as Wagon Train and The Untouchables during the late '50s, but left acting in 1964, two years after marrying movie producer Jerry Bick, to raise a family. She did not return to her craft until appearing in Robert Altman's well-regarded feature film Thieves Like Us in 1974. Fletcher then appeared in the spy thriller Russian Roulette (1975) before Milos Forman cast her in what was to become her signature role, that of the iron-willed, sadistic Nurse Ratched who tormented Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). Her believable portrayal won her a Best Actress Oscar and a Golden Globe. Perhaps the highest honor is that her Ratched has become a movie icon, one that has been frequently emulated and parodied in numerous subsequent films.Fletcher was born in Birmingham, AL, to a deaf Episcopalian minister and a deaf mother. She started acting in summer stock following her graduation from the University of North Carolina. Fletcher next moved to Los Angeles and found work as a receptionist before breaking into television. Standing 5'10", the strikingly beautiful Fletcher was often taller than her leading men, something that hindered her first bid at stardom.
Since her success with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Fletcher has found steady employment as a supporting and character actress on television -- where she received a 1996 Emmy nomination for a guest-star appearance on the highly acclaimed CBS series Picket Fences -- and in feature films. She also has a busy stage career. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Michael Landon Jr. directs this period drama set in 1850s Appalachia and concerning a young girl who carries a crushing burden. Ten-year-old Cadi Forbes' (Liana Liberato) sister has died as the result of a tragic accident, and now the surviving sibling can't help feeling somewhat responsible for her sister's untimely death. Desperate to shake the guilt she feels and absolve her dearly departed kin from her Earthly sins, Cadi seeks out the assistance of the one person rumored to have the power of achieving both goals -- the mysterious Sin Eater (Peter Wingfield). In the midst of her redemptive quest, however, young Cadi uncovers a malevolent secret that threatens to destroy her family and divide her tightknit community. Only after discovering the truth about Jesus Christ and the human condition does Cadi realize that there is only one man capable of providing absolution of sin, and the word of that man can only be found in the Holy Bible. Henry Thomas and Louise Fletcher star in a feature adaptation of the novel by best-selling Christian author Francine Rivers. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louise Fletcher, Henry Thomas, (more)
- 2007
Oscar Wilde's Salome is given a new contemporary interpretation in this independent drama from director Erick Ifergan. Sally (Nina Brosh) is a young woman who lonely and emotionally isolated, despite her beauty. When she isn't busy looking after her ailing mother (Louise Fletcher), Sally works as a hair stylist in a salon along the seedy side of Hollywood Boulevard. One day Sally encounters Johnny (Vincent Gallo), a street preacher who spends his days talking to passers-by and handing out leaflets in which he testifies to his belief in God's love. Sally is drawn to Johnny and the gentle passion of his message, and she attempts to seduce him. While Johnny is drawn to her, in time he decides that his calling to the Lord is more important than a physical relationship with Sally and while she tries to follow in his spiritual path, ultimately he rejects her. Sally, however, refuses to allow Johnny to ignore her need for him. Also known as Hollywood Salome, most of Johnny 316 was shot in 1998, but the film was not completed until 2006. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Gallo, Nina Brosh, (more)
Erick Avari, Mimi Rogers, Louise Fletcher, and Kal Penn star in director Bob Roe's heartfelt tale of devastating loss, unfading love, and the courage that it takes to carry on despite being consumed by grief. The living embodiment of the American Dream, Indian immigrant Madhav Singh (Avari) was a successful businessman, loving father, and happily married husband until a sudden tragedy claimed the life of his beloved wife Jaishree. These days the shattered widower wanders through a series of meaningless routines by day, and spends sleepless nights attempting to ward off the mournful nightmares that lie just on the other side of consciousness. When Madhav's son Samir (Penn) and his girlfriend Nicole (Sheetal Sheth) arrive in town for the weekend to celebrate the engagement of a close friend, the shattered father is surprised to find himself becoming reacquainted with his old friend April (Rogers). April always had a special place in her heart for Madhav despite the vocal objections of her mother (Fletcher), and now it feels like the connection between the longtime friends has grown stronger than ever before. But Madhav isn't quite sure he's ready to let go of the past just yet, a fact that becomes painfully obvious as the difficulty of balancing his grief with his will to carry on starts to take a heavy emotional toll as he is faced with one of the most important decisions of his entire life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Erick Avari, Kal Penn, (more)
Duncan (Joshua Jackson), a depressed twentysomething living in a rundown section of Minneapolis, has just lost another job. He has another source of income, letting his brother use his apartment for extramarital trysts. On a rare visit to his grandparents, Ronald (Donald Sutherland) and Ruth (Louise Fletcher), Duncan meets Kate (Juliette Lewis), Ronald's spirited home health-care worker. Later, when Duncan learns that there's an opening for a handyman in the building, he takes the job. He begins to spend more time with his grandparents, hanging out with Ronald, who, among his many health problems, suffers from Parkinson's disease. He also has occasion to see Kate, and the two cautiously begin a romantic relationship. Kate is "one of those people," as Duncan puts it, who moved to Minneapolis because of the Replacements. Unlike Duncan, who has never left Minneapolis, Kate has never stayed in any one place for too long. She's anxious to get out and explore the world, while Duncan seems immobilized. Yet they connect, if only for a time. As Duncan reconnects with his grandparents and grows more intimate with Kate, he begins to deal with his grief over the sudden death of his father. Meanwhile, with his health deteriorating, Ronald begins to think of ending his life, and turns to his grandson for help. Aurora Borealis was directed by James Burke from an original screenplay by Brent Boyd. The film had its world premiere at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joshua Jackson, Donald Sutherland, (more)
A kid who is still struggling with the loss of a parent has an unexpected challenge thrown in his path in this coming-of-age drama. Adam (Evan Peters) has just wrapped up his last year in middle school, and is waiting out the summer before he enters high school. Adam is still dealing with the death of his mother and younger sister in a car wreck two years earlier. In tribute to them, Adam hasn't cut his hair since the accident, while Adam's father (Chris Eigeman) prefers to blunt his own sorrows by drinking and giving his son bad advice. Given to angry outbursts of violence, Adam finds he's better off turning to his grandmother (Louise Fletcher) or Father Dan (Kevin Sorbo), an open-minded priest who prefers talking to kids on the basketball court rather than in the church rectory. Over the summer, Adam makes friends with Johnny (Bryan Burke), but he also gains an enemy -- Jerry (Donato Mario Alleva), an older student with a bullying personality and a hatred of long hair. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Evan Peters, Christopher Eigeman, (more)
As the "black sheep" of her wealthy family, struggling artist and single mother Britt Calhoun (Dana Delany) is reluctant to return home for the Christmas holidays. Finally persuaded to do so, Britt finds that her imperious mother Maggie (Doris Roberts) is still more concerned about "what people will think" than what people may be like inside. Even so, Britt is determined to mend fences with Maggie, if for no other reason than to convince the father of her child that she can lead a stable home life. But a dark cloud hangs over the Yuletide proceedings: Maggie is in the first stages of Alzheimer's, and it may never be possible to stage a reconciliation. Produced for the Hallmark channel, A Time to Remember debuted November 23, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Doris Roberts, Dana Delany, (more)
Director Lawrence D. Foldes teams with producer Victoria Page Meyerink to weave a haunting tale of family tragedy and painful memories starring Geneviève Bujold, Louise Fletcher, and Lisa Brenner. Troubled by traumatic memories of being forcefully removed from her grandmother's serine New England bed and breakfast, Amanda is forced to return to the house of her childhood as the fragmented memories of her past slowly begin to come together. With past secrets relating to the events that simultaneously shaped her childhood and destroyed her family gradually rising to the surface, the betrayal of the past and her inexplicable hesitance towards the inn's young caretaker lead to a startling revelation that will bring three generations of blurred memories into sharp focus. As Exorcist star Jason Miller's last film, this was released posthumously. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lisa Brenner, Geneviève Bujold, (more)
Sisters Gabrielle C. and Maria Burton direct the independent comedy Manna From Heaven, written by their mother, Gabrielle B. Burton, and produced by their siblings at Five Sisters Productions. In Buffalo, NY, during the '50s, the wind blows in cash money to the tune of 20 thousand dollars. Believing it was a tangible gift from God, Sister Teresa (Ursula Burton) tries to gather up the money and pay it back 30 years later. However, her family members don't want to give up their free money and can't even get along, including card dealer Inez (Wendie Malick) and con artists Bunny (Shirley Jones) and Ed Burns (Frank Gorshin, in his final film role). Also starring Seymour Cassel, Shelley Duvall, Cloris Leachman, Harry Groener, Faye Grant, Jill Eikenberry and Louise Fletcher. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Burton, Ursula Burton, (more)
A man tries to get away from a violent madman, only to discover that the madman is following him in this thriller. Joe (John Mellencamp) is a police photographer who is buckling under the strain of his job as he documents the work of a serial killer preying on young women in Rochester, NY. The killer, an introverted loner named Rye (Michael Zelnicker), trails Joe, convinced they share a spiritual bond, since both are obsessed with Rye's grisly handiwork. Joe takes a leave of absence to get away from the killings, but his home life is stressful enough as he helps care for his aging aunt (Louise Fletcher), whose health is failing, and his brother Sammy (Billy Burke), who is mentally handicapped. Lora (Terrylene) is a woman who works around the house; she can't hear or speak, but that doesn't prevent a romance from growing between her and Joe. But as Lora and Joe grow closer, she begins having nightmares that bear a striking resemblance to Rye's latest crimes, which have been carefully arranged so that Joe will be likely to find them first. Afterimage marked the first screen role for musician John Mellencamp since the 1990 feature Falling From Grace, which he also directed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Mellencamp, Terrylene, (more)
A woman blowing off steam after a bad day inadvertently signs out a death warrant on a number of people close to her in this suspense drama. Anna (Camilla Overbye Roos) has not been having a good time of it lately: she's been chewed out by her boss, she's had an argument with her best friend, her husband keeps making eyes at a waitress, she's been having trouble with her babysitter, and even the checker at the supermarket is giving her static. Decidedly unhappy, Anna stops by a neighborhood bar and has a few cocktails; after the alcohol has gone to her head, she starts discussing her problems with a mysterious stranger who tells her he can do something about all the people who are bothering her if she'll simply sign her name on a cocktail napkin. Anna does so, and promptly forgets about it, waking up the next morning with an industrial-strength hangover. However, a few days later Anna's boss is killed, and over the next few days several other people with whom Anna was cross start dropping like flies. Anna realizes that the mysterious stranger had her sign out a contract on everyone who wronged her, and now she must find him before anyone else dies -- or he comes back to murder her and close the circle. The Contract also features Jeff Fahey, Louise Fletcher, Andrew Keegan, and Amy Weber. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Camilla Overbye Roos, Jeff Fahey, (more)
- 2000
Produced for Canadian television in 2000, Touched by a Killer is based on The Rage of the Blue Moon, a play by Richard Vetere. Isabella Hoffman stars as successful but emotionally needy investigative reporter Nikki Barrington, who has come to believe that death row inmate Tyler Nash (James Wilder) has been wrongly accused of murdering a young woman at a bar. Falling in love with the charming Nash, Nikki does everything in her power to free him from prison before it is too late. She manages to succeed in this pursuit, whereupon the grateful Nash pledges eternal devotion. Before long, however, the ex-prisoner's behavior takes an ominous turn for the worse; and by film's end, a terrified Nikki must disprove what she spent the first part of the film "proving." In America, Touched by a Killer was purchased by the Lifetime cable channel, where it was first shown in 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Isabella Hoffman, James Wilder, (more)
- 2000
When a slippery street musician falls for his beautiful neighbor, he suddenly finds himself drawn into a dangerous world of treachery and deceit. Tivoli was the kind of neighbor a guy couldn't help but notice, and Silver Man had been noticing her more with each passing day. But Tivoli is currently entangled in a volatile relationship with her pathological boyfriend Jake, who currently owes a large debt to feared gangster Leo the Lion. Now, as Silver Man makes his move for Tivoli, he realizes that falling for this particular girl could be the last mistake he ever makes. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eugene Levy, Joe Pantoliano, (more)
- 2000
A crime caper that gaily spoofs such antecedents as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and nods its head more than a few times to the work of Quentin Tarantino, Very Mean Men opens in a bar, where a bartender (Matthew Modine) finds himself serving drinks to a tough-looking guy (Martin Landau) he pegs as a cheap drinker. In order to keep the miniscule tips coming, the bartender makes up a story about warring mob families in the San Fernando Valley. In one corner there are the Minettis, who are led by Gino (Ben Gazzara), a mobster who's mellowed with age. Gino wants to make amends when Big Paddy Mulroney (Charles Durning) complains that Gino's clan is invading his side of the Valley. Gino's temperamental son Paulie (Scott Baio, sporting peroxided hair and a goatee to match) gives Mulroney money, only to then stiff Mulroney's waitress daughter on a tip after having lunch at the family's diner. Soon ethnic insults are flying like bullets, and everyone is out for revenge. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Modine, Martin Landau, (more)
Arye Gross plays an up-and-coming artist who foregoes the convenience of big-city life for the charms of Montana in this drama, writer-director Thomas Bezucha's debut feature. On the eve of his first show at the Whitney Museum, Henry (Gross) hears news that his grandfather back home has had a stroke. Upon returning to his idyllic birthplace, however, Henry realizes that the old man isn't the only thing he has to tend to: There's the semi-closeted issue of his sexuality, which he longs to reveal to his clan -- as well as to his old high-school crush, Dean (Tim DeKay). Amidst all the angst, Henry fails to notice the advances of the sensitive Pike (Eric Schweig), an espresso-brewing outdoorsman who owns the town's general store and cooks meals for the stroke-addled grandpa Sam (George Coe). ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arye Gross, Eric Schweig, (more)
- 1999
- R
In this prison drama, a woman makes the ultimate sacrifice for her child. Sarah (Catherine Oxenberg) is a nurse whose husband, after losing his job, becomes an abusive alcoholic who batters Sarah and their eight-year-old son Jason (Zach Gray). When Sarah's husband attacks her in a drunken rage, Jason finds his dad's gun and shoots him dead. Hoping to spare her son, Sarah claims to have pulled the trigger herself, and her court-appointed attorney, Patrick Burlington (Jeff Fahey), proves no match for Judge William Engstrom (James Handy), known as Maximum Bill for his severe sentences. Engstrom sends Sarah to a women's prison for eight years, where cold-hearted warden Ms. Reineke (Louise Fletcher) and sleazy guard Duane (Scott Schumacher) inform Sarah that the prison has an unusual "work release" program: the female inmates can reduce their sentences and make money by dancing topless (and turning tricks) for Mr. D. (Bo Hopkins), who runs a strip joint just outside the county line. Those who refuse to play along are subject to violent abuse from both the authorities and the other inmates. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Oxenberg, Louise Fletcher, (more)
Kirsten Dunst stars in this drama as a Jewish teenager who doesn't care much about her family's religious heritage until she's transported back in time to Poland in 1941, where she learns a valuable lesson about the struggles of her family -- and her people. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirsten Dunst, Brittany Murphy, (more)
- 1999
A husband and wife are initially thrilled to have moved to an idyllic, leafy town, but its apparent perfection -- no crime, noise, or violence -- gradually unnerves them. Even the town's male fraternity is unusually staid, which leads our protagonists to believe that something sinister is at work in their ostensibly blissful little burg. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
In this contemporary drama, Sigourney Weaver plays a woman out of her element and at the end of her rope. Alice Goodwin is a wife and mother who finds that the pressures of her life are starting to become more than she can bear. Alice works part-time as a school nurse while her husband Howard (David Strathairn) runs the family farm; they both look after their two daughters. Alice, who wasn't raised in farm country, still feels like an outsider, and she embraces a cynical, sarcastic humor as a defense mechanism. Alice's only real friends in town are Dan and Theresa Collins (Ron Lea and Julianne Moore), who live nearby and often babysit Alice's kids; Alice does the same for the Collins children as well. One day, while watching Theresa's two-year-old daughter Lizzie, Alice has to step away for a few minutes, and she returns to discover Lizzie has fallen into a pond near the house; the child falls into a coma and dies several days later. Lizzie's death puts a permanent wedge between Alice and Theresa, and most people in the community believe Alice is to blame for the girl's death. Any support she might have had is driven away when Robbie (Marc Donato), a boy who lives nearby, claims Alice molested him. Alice is sent to jail while awaiting trial, and Howard (who can't afford her $100,000 bail) must watch over their daughters and keep house by himself as he tries to keep the farm afloat. As Alice falls into a deep depression behind bars, Howard and Theresa begin edging into a romance. Based on the best-selling novel by Jane Hamilton, A Map of the World was adapted for the screen by Peter Hedges and Polly Platt and director Scott Elliott. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sigourney Weaver, Julianne Moore, (more)
