Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her
Encyclopedia
Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her is a film written and directed by Rodrigo García starring an ensemble cast
. Garcías debut film was shown at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival
and won the Un Certain Regard
Award. Holly Hunter
was nominated for the 2001 Emmy
in the supporting actress category.
In the film's prologue, Kathy (Amy Brenneman
) --a police detective--and her partner are investigating the apparent suicide of an unknown woman. Dr. Keener (Glenn Close
), a middle-aged doctor, attempts to care for her aging mother while coping with her own loneliness. She avoids intimacy, but also longs for it; we see both frustration and anticipation as she waits for phone calls from male colleagues. Dr. Keener decides to seek comfort or escape in Christine (Calista Flockhart
) who reads tarot cards. Christine’s partner Lilly (Valeria Golino
) is critically ill with an unnamed disease, possibly cancer.
Rebecca (Holly Hunter
) is a successful bank manager who's "not big on regrets". After a three-year involvement with Robert (Gregory Hines
)--who keeps her secret from his wife--she becomes pregnant. Before Rebecca visits Dr. Keener to get an abortion, she has a fling with Walter, (Matt Craven
), a co-worker. Rose (Kathy Baker
) is a single mother who is writing children’s books, and develops a sweet crush on a new dwarf neighbor (Danny Woodburn
), who catches Rose spying on him. Rose later experiences the shock of learning about her son's extensive sexual activity.
Kathy's sister Carol Faber (Cameron Diaz
) is a lovely blind woman who has an active social life. Kathy is attracted to the medical examiner in the suicide case, and her story ends with him taking her out on a date. In an epilogue, Dr. Keener drops in to a bar, where she meets the male character, Walter, from previous stories (possibly the younger male alluded to in Christine's tarot card reading).
Carmen has a non-speaking role, a woman who appears in four scenes in four different stories, once walking beside Rebecca (Holly Hunter
), and once in the grocery store while Rose (Kathy Baker
) is shopping, and once under Christine's balcony (Calista Flockhart
), and the fourth a postmortem examination by detective Kathy (Amy Brenneman
) alongside Kathy's BF, Dr Sam (Miguel Sandoval
). Presumably, Carmen is also Robert's (Gregory Hines
) wife who was visited by him in San Francisco, as understood from Carol's (Cameron Diaz
) imaginative story towards the end of the film. Carol has a good detective and storytelling imagination that could qualify her to be a good writer, according to her sister, Kathy.
Another conclusion involves that Robert (Gregory Hines
) has taken a detective job from Carol (Cameron Diaz
), according to one of Carol's lines. This is a very loose conclusion based on the film's whole plot and hyperlink cinema
.
Ensemble cast
An ensemble cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on...
. Garcías debut film was shown at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival
2000 Cannes Film Festival
The 2000 Cannes Film Festival started on May 14 and ran until May 25. The Palme d'Or went to the Danish film Dancer in the Dark by Lars von Trier.-Jury:* Luc Besson, President * Jonathan Demme * Nicole Garcia...
and won the Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection. It is run at the Salle Debussy, parallel to the competition for the Palme d'Or.This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob...
Award. Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter is an American actress. Hunter starred in The Piano for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She has also been nominated for Oscars for her roles in Broadcast News, The Firm, and Thirteen...
was nominated for the 2001 Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
in the supporting actress category.
Plot
Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her consists of five stories or vignettes, tied together loosely to envision the complexity of incomplete communications about life, family, and love. We glimpse the lives of five women, each facing problems such as loneliness, dissatisfaction, longing, and or desire. Rodrigo Garcia, in his first-time directing, assembled this film with a loaded cast of actresses who can tell you everything you need to know just by their body language and facial expressions. Their individual stories show us what “things you can tell just by looking at her”.In the film's prologue, Kathy (Amy Brenneman
Amy Brenneman
Amy Frederica Brenneman is an American actress, perhaps best known for her roles in the television series NYPD Blue, Judging Amy and Private Practice...
) --a police detective--and her partner are investigating the apparent suicide of an unknown woman. Dr. Keener (Glenn Close
Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
), a middle-aged doctor, attempts to care for her aging mother while coping with her own loneliness. She avoids intimacy, but also longs for it; we see both frustration and anticipation as she waits for phone calls from male colleagues. Dr. Keener decides to seek comfort or escape in Christine (Calista Flockhart
Calista Flockhart
Calista Kay Flockhart is an American actress who is primarily recognized for her work in television. She is best known for playing the title character in the Fox comedy-drama series Ally McBeal for which she won a Golden Globe Award...
) who reads tarot cards. Christine’s partner Lilly (Valeria Golino
Valeria Golino
Valeria Golino is an Italian-Greek film and television actress. She is best known to English language audiences for the 1988 film Rain Man, and the Hot Shots! films...
) is critically ill with an unnamed disease, possibly cancer.
Rebecca (Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter is an American actress. Hunter starred in The Piano for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She has also been nominated for Oscars for her roles in Broadcast News, The Firm, and Thirteen...
) is a successful bank manager who's "not big on regrets". After a three-year involvement with Robert (Gregory Hines
Gregory Hines
Gregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
)--who keeps her secret from his wife--she becomes pregnant. Before Rebecca visits Dr. Keener to get an abortion, she has a fling with Walter, (Matt Craven
Matt Craven
-Life and career:Craven was born Matthew John Crnkovich in Port Colborne, Ontario, the son of Joanne Leslie, a hairdresser, and Nick Crnkovich. He has an older sister, Deborah...
), a co-worker. Rose (Kathy Baker
Kathy Baker
Katherine Whitton "Kathy" Baker is an American stage, film and television actress.-Career:Baker began her career at San Francisco's Magic Theatre, performing in several of Sam Shepard's plays before getting her break in an off-Broadway production of Fool for Love opposite Ed Harris...
) is a single mother who is writing children’s books, and develops a sweet crush on a new dwarf neighbor (Danny Woodburn
Danny Woodburn
Danny Woodburn is an American dwarf film, television and stage actor best known for having played Mickey Abbott on the sitcom Seinfeld...
), who catches Rose spying on him. Rose later experiences the shock of learning about her son's extensive sexual activity.
Kathy's sister Carol Faber (Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...
) is a lovely blind woman who has an active social life. Kathy is attracted to the medical examiner in the suicide case, and her story ends with him taking her out on a date. In an epilogue, Dr. Keener drops in to a bar, where she meets the male character, Walter, from previous stories (possibly the younger male alluded to in Christine's tarot card reading).
Carmen has a non-speaking role, a woman who appears in four scenes in four different stories, once walking beside Rebecca (Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter is an American actress. Hunter starred in The Piano for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She has also been nominated for Oscars for her roles in Broadcast News, The Firm, and Thirteen...
), and once in the grocery store while Rose (Kathy Baker
Kathy Baker
Katherine Whitton "Kathy" Baker is an American stage, film and television actress.-Career:Baker began her career at San Francisco's Magic Theatre, performing in several of Sam Shepard's plays before getting her break in an off-Broadway production of Fool for Love opposite Ed Harris...
) is shopping, and once under Christine's balcony (Calista Flockhart
Calista Flockhart
Calista Kay Flockhart is an American actress who is primarily recognized for her work in television. She is best known for playing the title character in the Fox comedy-drama series Ally McBeal for which she won a Golden Globe Award...
), and the fourth a postmortem examination by detective Kathy (Amy Brenneman
Amy Brenneman
Amy Frederica Brenneman is an American actress, perhaps best known for her roles in the television series NYPD Blue, Judging Amy and Private Practice...
) alongside Kathy's BF, Dr Sam (Miguel Sandoval
Miguel Sandoval
Miguel Sandoval is an American film and television actor.Sandoval was born in Washington, D.C. He began working as a professional actor in 1975 when he joined a mime school in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He later joined the troupe full time and continued his study of mime. He began his film career in...
). Presumably, Carmen is also Robert's (Gregory Hines
Gregory Hines
Gregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
) wife who was visited by him in San Francisco, as understood from Carol's (Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...
) imaginative story towards the end of the film. Carol has a good detective and storytelling imagination that could qualify her to be a good writer, according to her sister, Kathy.
Another conclusion involves that Robert (Gregory Hines
Gregory Hines
Gregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
) has taken a detective job from Carol (Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...
), according to one of Carol's lines. This is a very loose conclusion based on the film's whole plot and hyperlink cinema
Hyperlink cinema
Hyperlink cinema is a term coined by author Alissa Quart, who used the term in her review of the film Happy Endings for the film journal Film Comment in 2005. Film critic Roger Ebert popularized the term when reviewing the film Syriana in 2005...
.
Cast
- Glenn CloseGlenn CloseGlenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
- Dr. Elaine Keener - Cameron DiazCameron DiazCameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...
- Carol Faber - Calista FlockhartCalista FlockhartCalista Kay Flockhart is an American actress who is primarily recognized for her work in television. She is best known for playing the title character in the Fox comedy-drama series Ally McBeal for which she won a Golden Globe Award...
- Christine Taylor - Kathy BakerKathy BakerKatherine Whitton "Kathy" Baker is an American stage, film and television actress.-Career:Baker began her career at San Francisco's Magic Theatre, performing in several of Sam Shepard's plays before getting her break in an off-Broadway production of Fool for Love opposite Ed Harris...
- Rose - Amy BrennemanAmy BrennemanAmy Frederica Brenneman is an American actress, perhaps best known for her roles in the television series NYPD Blue, Judging Amy and Private Practice...
- Detective Kathy Faber - Valeria GolinoValeria GolinoValeria Golino is an Italian-Greek film and television actress. She is best known to English language audiences for the 1988 film Rain Man, and the Hot Shots! films...
- Lilly - Holly HunterHolly HunterHolly Hunter is an American actress. Hunter starred in The Piano for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She has also been nominated for Oscars for her roles in Broadcast News, The Firm, and Thirteen...
- Rebecca Waynon - Matt CravenMatt Craven-Life and career:Craven was born Matthew John Crnkovich in Port Colborne, Ontario, the son of Joanne Leslie, a hairdresser, and Nick Crnkovich. He has an older sister, Deborah...
- Walter - Gregory HinesGregory HinesGregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
- Robert - Miguel SandovalMiguel SandovalMiguel Sandoval is an American film and television actor.Sandoval was born in Washington, D.C. He began working as a professional actor in 1975 when he joined a mime school in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He later joined the troupe full time and continued his study of mime. He began his film career in...
- Sam - Noah FleissNoah FleissNoah Fleiss is an American film and television actor. He was born in White Plains, New York.Fleiss made his screen debut as a young runaway who drives cross-country with his brother in Josh and S.A.M. , perhaps his best-known film...
- Jay - Danny WoodburnDanny WoodburnDanny Woodburn is an American dwarf film, television and stage actor best known for having played Mickey Abbott on the sitcom Seinfeld...
- Albert - Penelope Allen - Nancy
- Roma MaffiaRoma MaffiaRoma Maffia is an American actress.Maffia was born in Manhattan, New York of West Indian, English and German descent; her Italian surname derives from her stepfather....
- Debbie - Mika BooremMika BooremMika Sue Boorem is an American actress who has appeared in the films Blue Crush , Carolina , Sleepover , and Smile ....
- June
Production
- Director – Rodrigo García
- Screenplay – Rodrigo García
- Executive Producer – Elie Samaha and Andrew StevensAndrew StevensAndrew Stevens is an American executive, film producer, director and former actor.-Early life:Andrew Stevens was born Herman Andrew Stephens in Memphis, Tennessee...
- Producers – Jon AvnetJon AvnetJonathan Michael "Jon" Avnet is an American director, writer and producer.-Early life:Avnet was born in Brooklyn, the son of Joan Bertha and Lester Francis Avnet, a corporate executive and electronics distributor. He attended Great Neck North High School in Great Neck, New York...
, Lisa LindstromLisa LindstromLisa A. Lindstrom was an American backstroke swimmer who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics.She was born in Jersey City, New Jersey.In 1928 she finished fifth in the 100 metre backstroke event....
, and Marsha Oglesby - Cinematography – Emmanuel LubezkiEmmanuel LubezkiEmmanuel Lubezki Morgenstern, ASC, AMC , better known as Emmanuel Lubezki, is a Mexican cinematographer, known for his groundbreaking techniques and characteristic style. His nickname is "Chivo".-Early life and career:...
- Editor – Amy E. Duddleston
- Production Designer – Jerry Fleming
Awards
- Won The Gan Foundation Prize – 2000 Cannes Film FestivalCannes Film FestivalThe Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
- Nominated for an Emmy in 2001 for the supporting actress category
Box office
- On May 26, 2002, the film opened on 52 screens in SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. In its opening weekend, the film made €Euro signThe euro sign is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the Eurozone in the European Union . The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. The international three-letter code for the euro is EUR...
201,200. - In Spain, the film grossed over €1,595,755.