Denise Calls Up

Denise Calls Up
Denise Calls Up
	File:Denise Calls Up poster.jpg
Directed by	Hal Salwen
Written by	Hal Salwen
Produced by	J. Todd Harris
Starring	Tim Daly; Caroleen Feeney; Dan Gunther; Dana Wheeler-Nicholson; Liev Schreiber; Aida Turturro; Alanna Ubach; Jean La Marre; Mark Blum; Sylvia Miles;
Distributed by	Davis Entertainment; Rastar; Sony Pictures Classics
Release dates	April 1995 (WorldFest-Houston); May 1995 (Cannes Directors' Fortnight); May 17, 1995 (Canada); September 22, 1995 (Cinéfest Sudbury); March 29, 1996 (United States);
Running time	80 minutes
Language	English
Box office	$148,121

Denise Calls Up is a 1995 American comedy released by Sony Pictures Classics in 1996.^[1] Written and directed by Hal Salwen, it has an ensemble cast which includes Liev Schreiber, Timothy Daly, and Alanna Ubach. The plot revolves around a group of friends in New York City who, while working at their PCs and laptops and keeping in touch by phone and fax, never seem to be able to get together.

Plot

Linda wakes up one morning to her ringing phone. Her friend, Gale wants to know how her party went last night. To her dismay, Linda tells her that no one showed up, "not a one." Thus begins Denise Calls Up, the story of seven friends living in New York City who no longer find it necessary to actually meet face to face due to the new age of the internet and wireless phones. But Gale is less upset about the absolute absenteeism, than about the fact that her friend Barbara never got to meet Jerry. Gale has been trying to set them up. So she calls Barbara, chastising her for not making it to Linda's and goading her into meeting Jerry. After protesting that she's just been too busy, Barbara eventually acquiesces. Meanwhile, Denise, who has gotten pregnant by an anonymous sperm insemination, locates the donor, Martin, and decides to call him. And so it goes, as the characters, via phone and fax, duck and miss each other time after time, using one excuse after the other to avoid meetings, births, and even a funeral until, finally, Frank, determined to finally get everyone together, plans a New Year's Eve party. All swear that they will be there.

Cast

Tim Daly as Frank Oliver
Caroleen Feeney as Barbara Gorton
Dan Gunther as Martin Weiner
Dana Wheeler-Nicholson as Gale Donelly
Liev Schreiber as Jerry Heckerman
- Hal Salwen as young Jerry
Aida Turturro as Linda
Alanna Ubach as Denise Devaro
Sylvia Miles as Sharon, Gail's Aunt
Jean-Claude La Marre as Dalton Philips, cab driver (as Jean LaMarre)
Mark Blum as Dr. Brennan, Obstetrician

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 74% "Certified Fresh" rating based on 23 reviews.^[2] Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote: "Mr. Salwen's storytelling gambit may sound like a stunt, but he does a remarkably agile job of sustaining it throughout a sunny 80-minute comedy."^[3]^[4]^[5]

Awards

Tied for Jury Prize at the Deauville American Film Festival with The Brothers McMullen.^[6]
Camera d'Or Special Mention at the Cannes Film Festival^[7]

References

^ "Denise Calls Up - Crew - Hal Salwen". Denise Calls Up at Sony Pictures Classics. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012.
^ "Denise Calls Up (1995)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
^ Maslin, Janet (27 March 1996). "FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW;Techno-Yuppies Who Live and Die by the Microchip". The New York Times.
^ Ebert, Roger (April 26, 1996). "Denise Calls Up". Chicago Sun-Times.
^ Levy, Emanuel (13 March 1995). "Denise Calls Up". Variety.
^ "1995 | 21ème Festival du Cinéma Américain". Deauville American Film Festival. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
^ "Denise Calls Up | Denise au téléphone". Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved October 28, 2022.

External links

Denise Calls Up at Sony Pictures Classics
Denise Calls Up at IMDb
Denise Calls Up at Rotten Tomatoes
Denise Calls Up at AllMovie
Denise Calls Up at Box Office Mojo

[1] "Denise Calls Up - Crew - Hal Salwen". Denise Calls Up at Sony Pictures Classics. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012.

[2] "Denise Calls Up (1995)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2022-08-19.

[Maslin-3] Maslin, Janet (27 March 1996). "FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW;Techno-Yuppies Who Live and Die by the Microchip". The New York Times.

[Ebert-4] Ebert, Roger (April 26, 1996). "Denise Calls Up". Chicago Sun-Times.

[5] Levy, Emanuel (13 March 1995). "Denise Calls Up". Variety.

[6] "1995 | 21ème Festival du Cinéma Américain". Deauville American Film Festival. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2022.

[7] "Denise Calls Up | Denise au téléphone". Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved October 28, 2022.

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