Sordid Lives is a 2000 American comedy film written and directed by Del Shores, in his directorial debut. It is based on his 1996 play, which is inspired by Shore's own coming out experience, and about a Texas family coming together in the aftermath of the matriarch's death. Produced independently, filming took place in Los Angeles on a $500,000 budget in late 1999. It was shot digitally that was later transferred to 35mm film.
It premiered at the Palm Beach International Film Festival on February 4, 2000. It was given a limited eight-theater release in the United States on May 11, 2001, that ran until April 2003 and grossed $1.1 million. Reviews from critics were negative, but was described as later gaining cult status.
A family from a small Texas town must come to grips with the accidental death of the elderly family matriarch during a clandestine meeting in a motel room with her much younger married neighbor. The woman's family must deal with their own demons while preparing for what could be an embarrassing funeral.
The film is based on Del Shores's stage play Sordid Lives, inspired by his own coming out experience to his parents. It began playing in Los Angeles on May 11, 1996, and ended 13 months later.[4] The play received 14 Drama-Logue Awards and 13 Critic's Choice honors.[5] After writing the script for the film in 1999, he created his own independent company to produce.[6] It also marks his film directorial debut.[7]
Casting
Beau Bridges was the first to sign on and gave permission to use his name to help raise funds for the film. Cast that returned from the play are: Beth Grant, Leslie Jordan, Rosemary Alexander, Mary-Margaret Lewis, Kirk Geiger, Ann Walker, Mitch Carter, Newell Alexander and Earl H. Bullock. Olivia Newton-John replaced Margot Rose as Bitsy Mae. The role of Noleta, originally portrayed by Patrika Darbo, was replaced by Delta Burke, because of Darbo's commitment to Days of Our Lives.[7] The gay character of Ty Williamson that Geiger originated from the play, was offered to actors Noah Wyle and Chris O'Donnell, who both turned it down. A fan of Geiger, Shores showed the producers a tape of his stage performance and agreed to cast him.[7] Geiger, who is straight, said in a 2000 interview "To tell you the truth, I've been petrified from day one of getting in there and not (playing a gay man) right".[8]
Filming
On a production budget of $500,000,[2]principal photography took place in Los Angeles in late 1999.[9] It was shot in digital video and transferred to 35mm film, which according to Shores "saved a lot of money on this production".[7]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 37% of 27 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.8/10.[17]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 47 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[18]
Ken Eisner of Variety wrote what Sordid Lives does best is "showing Southern gals in the full flight of rabid self-denial — it's as screamingly funny as this subgenre can get". He took issue with Shore's addition of "poignant confessions, gay polemics and heart-tugging family redemption", saying the "high fizz eventually goes flat". He gave praise to the production value and the cast, particularly Bonnie Bedelia.[19]Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote "Sordid Lives has its moments here and there, but not nearly enough of them to add up to a satisfying movie. [It] is most likely to be appreciated by Shores fans simply grateful to have one of his plays preserved on film".[20]
Wesley Morris of the San Francisco Chronicle described the film quality as a "vaguely underwater look of a sunken sitcom". He ended his review with "[T]he laughs come in all the wrong places when they come at all. Shores took all this from his play, which on the stage must have been like catching a taping of the Springer show on a stupendously off day".[21]Robert K. Elder writing for the Chicago Tribune called it "a train wreck you can't help but watch".[22]The Globe and Mail's Rick Groen wrote: "But if the film's flaws are large, so are its laughs. Large and intermittent and unexpected -- they sneak up on you. Just as you're about to give up on the picture, as the erratic tone lurches from bald farce to strained poignancy and back again, a laugh is there again, doing what laughter does best–redeeming Sordid Lives.[23]
Legacy
Though not popular with film critics upon release, the film was described as becoming an "unlikely cult hit" and a "cult phenomenon".[a] A 20th anniversary stage play was produced with a new cast and played at Orlando's Parliament House from August 19, 2016, to September 3, 2016.[28]
Logo produced and aired Sordid Lives: The Series from July 2008 to October 2008. It consists of 12 episodes and is a prequel to the film.[29] Many of the film's cast returned. However, Caroline Rhea replaced Delta Burke, and Jason Dottley replaced Kirk Geiger as Ty Williamson.[30]Rue McClanahan was added as mother Peggy Ingram. A second season was not ordered due to legalities with producers not paying out residuals to the artists. The crew would later be awarded $2.5 million in unpaid residuals and penalties.[2]
In June 2014, Del Shores announced that he was working on a sequel to the film titled A Very Sordid Wedding.[31] Beard Collins Shores Productions launched an Indiegogo fundraising campaign to assemble the project and secure investor financing.[32] The film is set in 2015 Winters, Texas, which is 16 years after the first film, and deals with the impact of the advancement of same-sex marriage in the conservative Southern community.
Several actors from the first film reprise their roles, including Bonnie Bedelia, Leslie Jordan, Newell Alexander, Sarah Hunley, Rosemary Alexander, Ann Walker, and Kirk Geiger. Joining them from the Sordid Lives series are: David Steen, David Cowgill, and Caroline Rhea.[32] Original actors Beth Grant and Olivia Newton-John turned down offers to return for the sequel. While Grant's role of Sissy was recast, Newton-John's role of Bitsy Mae was written out of the script.[33] It premiered in Palm Springs, California on March 10, 2017.[34]
^topofthemorning (January 24, 2012). "NLT presents Sordid Lives". The Natchez Democrat. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
