The Ice Storm (1997)
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Two neighboring suburban families seek escape from their emotional emptiness through infidelity and self-indulgence during a 1973 Thanksgiving weekend.
The story
In 1973, two families in an affluent Connecticut suburb experiment with adultery and substance abuse over one Thanksgiving weekend. One family, the Hoods, consists of parents Ben and Elena and their children, Paul and Wendy. Ben is dissatisfied with his marriage and his career. The other family, Jim and Janey Carver and their sons, Mikey and Sandy, are the Hoods' neighbors and friends. Ben is having an affair with Janey to deal with his midlife dissatisfaction. His wife, Elena, is also bored with her life and looking to bring some excitement back, but is unsure how to do so.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1973, two families in an affluent Connecticut suburb experiment with adultery and substance abuse over one Thanksgiving weekend. Ben Hood is having an affair with his neighbor Janey Carver. During a 'key party' where married couples swap sexual partners, Ben becomes intoxicated and retreats to a bathroom as a winter storm descends. Jim Carver and Elena Hood end up having a brief sexual encounter in a car. Meanwhile, young Wendy Hood sleeps with Sandy Carver after they drink vodka. Paul Hood, seeking connection, finds himself in a disappointing tryst with Libbets Casey and her roommate Francis. Outside, Mikey Carver is fatally electrocuted by a falling tree during the ice storm. The following morning, Ben discovers Mikey's body and carries it to the Carvers' house, drawing the two families together in grief. The film ends with the families united in the car as Ben breaks down and sobs, comforted by Elena.
- First release year
- 1997
- Runtime (minutes)
- 113
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ang Lee
- Writers
- James Schamus · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Kevin Kline; Joan Allen; Henry Czerny; Adam Hann-Byrd; Tobey Maguire; Christina Ricci; Jamey Sheridan; Elijah Wood; Sigourney Weaver
- Genres
- drama; independent
- Themes
- adultery; suburban dysfunction; despondency; familial unity
- Tone and mood
- ennui-laden; humorous; pathos; devastating; disturbing
- Premise and plot tags
- 1970s; suburban; adultery; snowstorm; family drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Ice Storm by Rick Moody (1994)
- Content notes
- substance abuse
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising its performances and its exploration of the emotional black hole of the 1970s. It was well-received by critics like Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, who gave it 'Two Thumbs Up'.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 86% · review count: 72; Metacritic · score: 72 · scale: 100 · review count: 23
- Awards and nominations
- Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay · Best Screenplay · win; BAFTA Award · Best Actress in a Supporting Role · win
- Production trivia
- The production team encountered a real ice storm in Connecticut during filming.; The cast studied magazine cutouts from the early 1970s to prepare.; The film was inspired by a book by philosopher Slavoj Žižek.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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