Marvin's Room is a 1996 American drama film directed by Jerry Zaks. The script was written by John Guare and based on the 1990 play Marvin's Room by Scott McPherson, who died in 1992. McPherson had completed a screenplay for a film version before he died; however, Guare was hired to update it when the film eventually started production.[3][4]
Marvin, a man who had a stroke twenty years ago, is incapacitated and bedridden. He has been given care by his sister Ruth and his daughter Bessie in their Florida home, and ignored by his other daughter Lee, who moved to Ohio twenty years ago and has not contacted her family since.
Lee's 17-year-old son Hank, missing his father and angry with his mother, sets fire to some photos and burns down the house. Hank becomes sectioned in a mental institution. Lee visits but explains to the psychiatrist she does not have a good relationship with her son.
Bessie's doctor has informed her she has leukemia (the same disease from which she and Lee's mother died) and needs a bone marrow transplant, so she turns to her sister Lee for help. Lee believes her sons Charlie and Hank may be a match, so she goes to get Hank. He apologizes to her for burning down the house, and they leave for Florida to stay with Bessie.
When they arrive, Hank refuses to get out of the car and the initial meeting with Marvin goes badly. Hank refuses to be tested to see if he is a bone marrow match. He accuses Bessie of wanting to stay away from the family, so Bessie tries to build a relationship with him. She gifts to Hank her father's tools from his bedroom, and he takes her on a drive along the beach. He eventually confides in her about what went on in the institution and agrees to be tested. When Lee learns she may have to take over her father's care, she begins shopping for nursing homes, fearing she will have to uproot her life. Bessie begs Lee to move to Florida permanently, and the boys are tested to see if they are a bone marrow match.
As the days pass, the family begins to grow closer. Lee restyles Bessie's wig and serves dinners for the family. The following day, they all head to Disney World. Lee confides to Hank that his dad would abuse him, and that he was not the perfect father Hank remembers. During the afternoon, in the crowd and with the heat, Bessie begins to feel unwell, which scares the family.
Testing reveals the boys are not a match as bone marrow donors, and Bessie's condition begins to deteriorate. Lee comes to terms with it now being up to her to take care of her family. She familiarizes herself with her father's medications and walks into his room with his lunch to see Bessie flashing sunlight off the mirror that often makes Marvin smile.
This article is missing information about the film's production. Please expand the article to include this information. Further details may exist on the talk page.(May 2025)
Release and reception
The film had a limited U.S. theatrical release on December 18, 1996, followed by a wide U.S. theatrical release beginning in January 1997.[5] In Australia, the film was released theatrically during May 1997,[6] while in the United Kingdom, it was released on June 20, 1997.[7] In February 1997, it screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, before receiving a German theatrical release in June 1997.[8] It also screened at the Moscow International Film Festival in July 1997, where it won the Golden St. George award.[9]
It grossed $12.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $30 million worldwide.[1][2]
Critical response
Marvin's Room holds an 83% approval rating on review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, based on 48 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Marvin's Room rises above the pack of dysfunctional family dramas thanks to an impeccable cast that includes Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, and Leonardo DiCaprio."[10]Metacritic gave the film a score of 68 out of 100, based on 20 critical reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[11] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on a scale of A+ to F.[12]
In the United States, Miramax Home Entertainment released the film on VHS on June 10, 1997, followed by a LaserDisc release on June 18, 1997. The film also received a LaserDisc release in Japan on July 31, 1997, and a LaserDisc release in Hong Kong in August 1997.[20] A U.S. DVD release followed on February 9, 1999.[21]
In 2010, Miramax was sold by The Walt Disney Company (their owners since 1993), with the studio taken over by private equity firm Filmyard Holdings that same year.[22] Filmyard sublicensed the home media rights for several Miramax titles to Echo Bridge Entertainment. On January 27, 2013, Echo Bridge released the film on Blu-ray.[23]Marvin's Room was one of the more notable Miramax titles Filmyard licensed to Echo Bridge, with Filmyard licensing most of Miramax's high profile titles to Lionsgate Home Entertainment.[24]
Filmyard Holdings sold Miramax to Qatari company beIN Media Group during March 2016.[25] In April 2020, ViacomCBS (now known as Paramount Skydance) acquired the rights to Miramax's library after buying a 49% stake in the studio from beIN.[26]Marvin's Room is among the 700 titles Paramount acquired in the deal.[27][28]
Paramount Home Entertainment reissued the film on Blu-ray on July 27, 2021, as one of many Miramax titles they reissued around this time.[29] Paramount also made it available on their subscription streaming service Paramount+, as well as on their free streaming service Pluto TV.[30]
Further reading
Marvin's RoomScreen Adaptation: A Scriptwriting Handbook, by Kenneth Portnoy. Published by Focal Press, 1998. ISBN0-240-80349-3.
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