Mr. Wonderful is a 1993 American romantic comedy film directed by Academy Award-winning director Anthony Minghella.

Mr. Wonderful
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAnthony Minghella
Written byAmy Schor
Vicki Polon
Produced byMarianne Moloney
Starring
CinematographyGeoffrey Simpson
Edited byJohn Tintori
Music byMichael Gore
Production
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Distributed byWarner Bros.
(United States)
Buena Vista International
(International)
Release date
  • October 15, 1993 (1993-10-15)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$13 million
Box office$3,125,424 (USA)

The film stars Matt Dillon, Annabella Sciorra, Mary-Louise Parker, William Hurt and Vincent D'Onofrio.

Plot

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Gus DeMarco, an electrician, wants to purchase a bowling alley with his friends. The problem is that he still pays alimony to his ex-wife, Leonora. Gus realizes that if Leonora remarries, he can stop paying alimony, and attempts to match Leonora with various men.

Lenora has several would-be suitors, including one who upsets her because he is pushy, so she goes to complain to Gus about it. Afterwards, she has him to dinner. As he is leaving, her professor boyfriend Tom Gough shows up directly after, upsetting Gus.

In the course of his match-making, Gus' girlfriend, Rita Calley breaks up with him on the day they were meant to move in together. She feels he's still in love with his ex. One day, his workmate describes to him how being in love makes him feel. It inspires him to find Leonora but, seeing her in the botanical garden with Dominic stops him in his tracks.

A while later, on a job, Gus gets electrocuted while saving a workmate. Leonora, similarly to him, realizes she still has feelings for him when she sees him in the hospital. Rita, as she works there, is at his sleeping side, so Leonora leaves without talking to him. Once he's out, she visits him at his apartment. She had ended things with Tom, and she lets him know Dominic asked her to marry him.

In the end, Gus and Leonora discover that they still care about each other.

Cast

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Reception

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Critical reception

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The film received mixed reviews.[1][2][3] It holds a 52% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10.[4] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[5]

Box office

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The film was not a box office success.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Travers, Peter (October 15, 1993). "Mr Wonderful". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  2. ^ Maslin, Janet (October 15, 1993). "A Story of Electricity: Men, Women and Con Ed". The New York Times. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  3. ^ Rainer, Peter (October 15, 1993). "MOVIE REVIEW : 'Mr. Wonderful' Understands the Mating Game". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  4. ^ "Mr. Wonderful (1993)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  5. ^ "Home - Cinemascore". Cinemascore. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  6. ^ Fox, David J. (October 19, 1993). "Weekend Box Office : 'Demolition Man' Fends Off 'Hillbillies'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
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