Cinema surveillance images are loading at the bottom of the page

Hanging up

Threat advisory: High - High risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

Every family has a few hang-ups.

Lisa Kudrow, Diane Keaton and Meg Ryan come together in this exciting film as sisters Maddy, Georgia and Eve.

The sisters have all gone through the wringer with their father, Lou Mozell (Walter Matthau) who has finally reached his Use By date. His years of wild living, intermittent affection, constant phoning and driving them crazy are about to come to an end. In facing his death, the three women deal with love, grief and the scary combination that is your family and their telephones.

Also starring Adam Arkin as Joe, Cloris Leachman as Pat Mozell and Jesse James as Jesse. Based on the hilarious novel by Delia Ephron and adapted for the screen with her sister, Nora Ephron, directed by Diane Keaton.

Cinematic intelligence sources

Hanging up official movie site
Studios and distributors:

Sony Pictures Releasing

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

A chick flick, but if you hadn't guessed that already there's no hope for you.

Now, before all you radical militant feminists get all up in arms over my use of the ch*ck word - what with its objectifying, repressive patriarchal overtones - don't bother. Hanging up is a chick flick and if you saw it you'd agree with him.

If you are the type of woman who not only reads Cleo but also does every monthly quiz, then Hanging up is the film for you. Think woman trying to run her own business. Think woman trying to run her own business and look after her children. Think woman trying to run her own business and look after her children and look after her husband. Think woman trying to run her own business and look after her children and look after her husband and her sisters and her father and her hair and her wardrobe. Think woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown (at least that's how it seems from this male's point of view)!

Diane, Lisa and Meg match their hair shades cleverly to make them seem like sisters ("willing suspension of disbelief" or what?) but that's really a minor thing. The sibling rivalry and love comes from the script and the performances. Delia can put another notch in her belt while Diane, Lisa and Meg can pat each other on the back. Despite the artificiality and American-ness of the situation, they go really well together. There is a chemistry between them that only sisters (of the heart if not the body) can achieve. Or are all women like that? I haven't been a woman in any of my recent past lives so I'm having a little difficulty putting myself in a woman's shoes. That and the fact that size 12 stilettos are hard to find.

There are some incredibly funny bits in this movie and some poignant ones, too. I, too, had a difficult male parent; Hanging up brought back more than one flash of déjà vu. Very good writing and performing there, especially Walter for capturing the difficult nature of the situation. Oh, and by the way, the phones aren't some incredible plot device, they're more of a 90s motif.

Hanging up will give you laughter and pain, joy and sorrow. If you're in the mood for a lovely warm fuzzy feeling, get your girlfriends together for a night at the flicks, chicks: it's that kind of film. And don't forget the chocolate.