No, I didn't really expect much of this. It was given to me by someone who went by what actors was in it, and who does(or did at the time) realize the talent of Nolte. I'm not sure I've heard anything about this, one way or the other. For any other Danes out there, in our tongue, this goes by a title that translates to Innocently Convicted. I tried to give this a chance, I really did. I watched, I paid attention, at least a lot of the way. This begins with an opening sequence that mainly brings to mind the word 'awkward'(and sadly, that's not the last time during the film), and we soon follow ol' Nick investigating a case... uh... sort of. Unfortunately, for both him and the audience(in fact, us in particular... he's a highly paid Hollow-, sorry, *Hollywood*, however did I mix those two up... anyway, actor, and the part he's playing is a fictional character, his pain ends the moment his likeness disappears from the television), every single person that he meets(not the ones he already knew) that has anything, at all, to do with the case is among the all-time weirdest people in the history of human beings. Editing and cinematography are undistinguished and more camera angles would have done wonders. Writing varies. Story-telling is standard. Little in this is effective. At the end of it, you're still not sure what really happened, or what was true and what not. I can basically accept that, if the film built a mood or did something otherwise worthwhile, anything at all, really, except to just create confusion(in the end never relieved) and curiosity as to what the answers are. At least it's not much longer than 90 minutes. I recommend this to mystery fans who are fine with not knowing... and who don't mind something essentially devoid of atmosphere. 5/10
14 Reviews
not that bad
pro-andy16 January 1999
Everybody I know say that this is a horrible movie.I can´t understand why.Good story,good acting by Nick Nolte and Debra Winger.OK it is not a masterpiece exactly but you can watch the whole movie and afterwards think about it for 1 hour or so.
Holy moly. What a mess
donnaaro24 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This is a thriller? With Leon Redbone songs woven through? Poor Debra Winger having to repeat this dialog ... it's like a list of words was scrambled together. One minute she's up. One minute she's down and none of it makes sense. I kept thinking "why am I bothering with this". Maybe the pandemic has worn me out and I've become masochistic. I watched it all the way through, all the Leon Redbone songs... it could have been billed a comedy and made more sense. Don't bother.
It's a loss for all concerned...
moonspinner5527 June 2014
Modern noir, written by Arthur Miller, drowns in pretensions while pretending to be a murder mystery; the only mystery is how this murky, congested screenplay attracted stars Nick Nolte and Debra Winger (both treading water). After a New England doctor is murdered and a young suspect is named, a schizophrenic local woman, who believes the boy is innocent, hires an investigator from out-of-town to ferret out the facts. Winger's performance is like a high-wire act: she's fruity, irrational, always teetering on total collapse. Perhaps with handling that was more restrictive and writing that had more focus, this unbalanced character might have generated audience empathy (or at least made some sense). As it is, she's the wobbly centerpiece of an already-shaky melodrama, one that eventually crumbles around the actors like a house of cards. NO STARS from ****
Read a book, watch TV...instead of watching this movie
magicmtndan20 April 2005
Watch paint dry or grass grow - this movie's awful.
The opening scene sets the viewers' expectations that this might be a comedy. Leon Redbone's singing isn't for me but the selection of songs is at best a mystery - they don't fit in with the movie at all.
Debra Winger's character is just that. And Nick Nolte plays a supposedly reputable private investigator who doesn't investigate anything. He says he's in love with the wacky Winger character just after meeting her and that's just the beginning of what is one of the worst flicks I ever sat through.
Save yourself and your friends. Go contemplate your navel instead.
The opening scene sets the viewers' expectations that this might be a comedy. Leon Redbone's singing isn't for me but the selection of songs is at best a mystery - they don't fit in with the movie at all.
Debra Winger's character is just that. And Nick Nolte plays a supposedly reputable private investigator who doesn't investigate anything. He says he's in love with the wacky Winger character just after meeting her and that's just the beginning of what is one of the worst flicks I ever sat through.
Save yourself and your friends. Go contemplate your navel instead.
It has something....
gridoon18 June 2005
In 1990, Nick Nolte made two films about large-scale corruption, in the police ("Q & A") and in public offices in general ("Everybody Wins"). One difference is that in the former he is the villain, in the latter he is the hero. Another difference is that in "Everybody Wins" the subject gets a decidedly uncommercial treatment. This movie has its own rhythm, its own personality, and you have to sink in to it. It's more of a subtle satire than the thriller suggested by the video cover / plot description / trailer. And it has a couple of great lines, too: "He's just a second-rate man in a position of power. It's the oldest story in the world!". At times the film is TOO slow and low-key, but I still recommend it to those seeking the offbeat. (**1/2)
Not for "Everybody"
shadowbass17 April 2001
Oh, my goodness, this was quite possibly the worst movie I've ever seen. At the end of the film, I found myself asking what the point of the whole thing was, and yet I couldn't come up with an answer. This movie has almost NO plot. The fact that it was filmed in my hometown couldn't even save it. Not that Nolte nor Winger did a bad job, but I definitely would not recommend this film to anyone who may be on the edge of whether to watch it or not... You'll find yourself, at the end, saying "Whatever..."
Fails miserably
helpless_dancer18 February 2000
Absolutely, positively one of the most boring, hard to digest films I've ever seen. It flitted from one oddball scene to the next with no apparent motive or logic. Appeared to be a collection of bits and pieces thrown together.
This Movie Is Drama/Mystery... Not Shoot 'em up bang, bang...
largeGROUCH18 May 2001
The Chemistry between Winger and Nolte is very dry. If you need a lot of blood, gun play and explosions then this movie is not for you. It unfolds in a tortured manner which I happen to enjoy. The people of this small town are not flashy or larger than life, They are ordinary and have settled into a predictable pattern. The importance of each character is presented to us in an unpredictable sequence which tends to keep the audience off balance and somewhat unsettled. Most of the interplay is understated- another feature which, in an era of grandiosity, is refreshing. If the viewer has the patience to allow the story to unfold the reward will be well worth the investment of time.
worth a look
DanielKing29 October 2003
I can see why this film was not a success at the box-office. For a thriller, it is far too talky and at times the plot unfolds purely through scenes of conversational exposition. There are no chases, no shootouts, and only the briefest of sex scenes and courtroom sequences. The reason is because the film is concerned solely with character. Even the film's supposed theme, that of corruption infecting everybody (even down to O'Toole's teacher sister), is only half-heartedly dealt with. There has been speculation that the play upon which the screenplay is based was inspired by Arthur Miller's relationship with Marilyn Monroe and this is an interesting consideration. Angela is a frustrating character although not without charm. O'Toole certainly falls for her in a big way and I suspect that might be the reason this got termed a film noir. Sometimes you wonder just how much effort the critics put in. Yes, a cursory scan of the plot would reveal the elements of a noir: private investigator, mysterious seductress, murder, corruption - but watching the film it feels less like a noir and more like one of those small town dramas, like Gene Hackman made in the 1980s, such as TWICE IN A LIFETIME or FULL MOON IN BLUE WATER. And the gang of church-building bikers, led by cinema's favourite fruitcakes Patton and Wilhoite, seems to have wandered in from an entirely different movie. That said a script by Miller will undoubtedly give up some fantastic dialogue, which is definitely the case here. You can tell the guy's pedigree as even some of the throwaway lines are beautifully written.
One of the best American films of its decade.
MOscarbradley14 June 2019
Sometimes movies work for a whole variety of reasons. It might simply be because there is a great director at the helm but then even great directors make bummers now and then. Sometimes the story is just so damned good it hardly matters who the director is and sometimes a movie works because one or more of the cast carries it. "Everybody Wins" works because it's got a fine director working at the top of his form, (Karl Reisz), a terrific original screenplay by the playwright Arthur Miller and probably career-best performances from leads Nick Nolte and Debra Winger.
Nolte is the celebrity investigator hired by a flaky 'do-gooder' to prove the innocence of a teenage boy she knows on a charge of murder. From the outset, you know this isn't going to be a conventional 'thriller'. You know instantly that Winger's character of the supposed 'do-gooder' is, shall we say, a little on the strange side; that her come-on to Nolte is so quick she may even be a nymphomaniac and that Nolte's investigation is going off in directions that conventional thrillers don't. You also know that Arthur Miller doesn't do 'conventional'.
Of course, the talent on the screen didn't translate into a commercial success. Even the critics, with the exception of Pauline Kael, who loved the film, were stand-offish. Here was a crime movie that no-one could understand or know what to make of but in its off-the-wall way it was trail-blazingly original and I still think it's one of the truly great American films of its decade. If you don't know it, seek it out and give yourself over to its sublime strangeness.
Nolte is the celebrity investigator hired by a flaky 'do-gooder' to prove the innocence of a teenage boy she knows on a charge of murder. From the outset, you know this isn't going to be a conventional 'thriller'. You know instantly that Winger's character of the supposed 'do-gooder' is, shall we say, a little on the strange side; that her come-on to Nolte is so quick she may even be a nymphomaniac and that Nolte's investigation is going off in directions that conventional thrillers don't. You also know that Arthur Miller doesn't do 'conventional'.
Of course, the talent on the screen didn't translate into a commercial success. Even the critics, with the exception of Pauline Kael, who loved the film, were stand-offish. Here was a crime movie that no-one could understand or know what to make of but in its off-the-wall way it was trail-blazingly original and I still think it's one of the truly great American films of its decade. If you don't know it, seek it out and give yourself over to its sublime strangeness.
Worst Movie I've Seen In Ages
mtaddei120 February 2003
I rented this movie with my wife via Digital Cable because the teaser sounded interesting and we honestly hadn't heard anything about it. After watching it, I understand why. This movie is pointless and stupid. I knew as soon as it opened that we were in trouble. The scene the opening credits and the music all look like the belong in three different films. I couldn't say enough bad things about this movie.
a totally under rated film
mas-098816 January 2023
Even after my 30+ year career of working with the criminally insane, this movie surprised me with its plot ... and i didn't understand the music of leon redbone being appropriate until the final scenes... nick nolte was great (as usual) and i definitely appreciate the acting of debra winger a lot more (amazing how she was able to get the character so perfect) and will patton was on spot with his crazy glazed stare ... this movie is definitely an unheard of gem, worth the viewing and don't skip through it cause then you'll miss out on its little details.... it'll keep you thinking so get the popcorn ready and enjoy.
A flop 'prestige' picture
lor_6 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
My review was written in January 1990 after a Times Square screening.
"Everybody Wins' Is a very disappointing picture. Repping Arthur Miller's first feature film screenplay since "The Misfits" in 1961, the Karel Reisz-helmed film noir is nearly unreleasable and has virtually no chance of attracting an audience.
Eyebrows in the trade were raised when Orion opened the film cold with no press screening, despite its Miler and Reisz pedigrees plus the presence of stars Debra Winger and Nick Nolte. Reason is obvious: this big-budget prestige picture is obscure and artificial, with appeal only for a handful of film buffs.
As such, it casts doubt on the commercial acumen of producer Jeremy Thomas, repping the first film under this much-trumpeted internationally funded production program (the second, currently in production for Warner Brothers release, also stars Winger -Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Sheltering Sky"). Pic has the oddball, easily resistible cryptic qualities of shuch Thomas productions as "Eureka" and "The Shout", rather than the appeal of his Oscar-winner "The Last Emperor".
Overladen with pompous and frequently dated dialog, Miller's script (developed from his 1982 pair of one-act plays, "Two-Way Mirror") is essentially a routine whodunit. Nolte plays an investigator called in by seeming Good Samaritan Winger to get young Frank Military out of jail for a murder she claims he did not commit. Nolte doggedly pursues various leads, interviews odd people and discovers a web of corruption engulfing a small Connecticut town.
Unfortunately, film founders immediately due to the miscasting of Winger as a schizo femme fatale who is, Nolte finds out in later reels, a notorious local prostitute. She copes uneasily with Miller's overblown dialog, which has her alternately putting on airs to a bewildered Nolte or handing him non sequiturs.
Not helping matters is the lack of chemistry between Nolte and Winger in their sex scenes here.
Supporting cast has rather brief assignments, with self-destructive baddie Will Patton overplaying his hand. Jack Warden as a smoothie judge is transparent, while Judith Ivey is wasted in an underdeveloped part as Nolte's sister. A subplot involving what might be a Manson-like religious cult run by Patton is introduced but never properly followed up.
The production captures the gloomy look of a decaying rust belt town in Connecticut well; it was shot in Norwich with studio work in Wilmington, North Carolina. Funky songs by Leon Redbone are inserted to try and pep up this downbeat pic, but come off as artificial.
Miller's cynical ending fits the piece, but is overly glib in painting a society beyond hope of reform. Warden enunciates his corny tagline: "You can't save the goddamn world", and the viewer is likely to yawn in response.
"Everybody Wins' Is a very disappointing picture. Repping Arthur Miller's first feature film screenplay since "The Misfits" in 1961, the Karel Reisz-helmed film noir is nearly unreleasable and has virtually no chance of attracting an audience.
Eyebrows in the trade were raised when Orion opened the film cold with no press screening, despite its Miler and Reisz pedigrees plus the presence of stars Debra Winger and Nick Nolte. Reason is obvious: this big-budget prestige picture is obscure and artificial, with appeal only for a handful of film buffs.
As such, it casts doubt on the commercial acumen of producer Jeremy Thomas, repping the first film under this much-trumpeted internationally funded production program (the second, currently in production for Warner Brothers release, also stars Winger -Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Sheltering Sky"). Pic has the oddball, easily resistible cryptic qualities of shuch Thomas productions as "Eureka" and "The Shout", rather than the appeal of his Oscar-winner "The Last Emperor".
Overladen with pompous and frequently dated dialog, Miller's script (developed from his 1982 pair of one-act plays, "Two-Way Mirror") is essentially a routine whodunit. Nolte plays an investigator called in by seeming Good Samaritan Winger to get young Frank Military out of jail for a murder she claims he did not commit. Nolte doggedly pursues various leads, interviews odd people and discovers a web of corruption engulfing a small Connecticut town.
Unfortunately, film founders immediately due to the miscasting of Winger as a schizo femme fatale who is, Nolte finds out in later reels, a notorious local prostitute. She copes uneasily with Miller's overblown dialog, which has her alternately putting on airs to a bewildered Nolte or handing him non sequiturs.
Not helping matters is the lack of chemistry between Nolte and Winger in their sex scenes here.
Supporting cast has rather brief assignments, with self-destructive baddie Will Patton overplaying his hand. Jack Warden as a smoothie judge is transparent, while Judith Ivey is wasted in an underdeveloped part as Nolte's sister. A subplot involving what might be a Manson-like religious cult run by Patton is introduced but never properly followed up.
The production captures the gloomy look of a decaying rust belt town in Connecticut well; it was shot in Norwich with studio work in Wilmington, North Carolina. Funky songs by Leon Redbone are inserted to try and pep up this downbeat pic, but come off as artificial.
Miller's cynical ending fits the piece, but is overly glib in painting a society beyond hope of reform. Warden enunciates his corny tagline: "You can't save the goddamn world", and the viewer is likely to yawn in response.
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