Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details
|
Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
Glenn Savan's depressing and self-loathing novel about a 27-year-old upper-class Jewish widower mired in self-pity after his beloved wife dies, and who finds love and sexual rebirth with a trailer-trash older woman, was brought to the big screen by the competent director Luis Mandoki (When a Man Loves a Woman, Message in a Bottle). But the savage irony in Savan's book has been face-lifted by screenwriters Ted Tally (The Silence of the Lambs) and Alvin Sargent (Ordinary People) into something else entirely: what passes for low-rent "slumming" in Hollywood means hiring sexy Susan Sarandon to play Nora Baker, the poor, uneducated 43-year-old waitress in a White Palace burger joint who strikes up an unlikely relationship with sad Max Baron (James Spader). Widower Max attends a bachelor party for best pal Neil (Jason Alexander) and discovers that the local White Palace has stiffed the boys a whopping six burgers. Max barges into the joint, bent on getting his money back, and meets a testy Nora, who is bemused at the young man's insolence. While driving home, Max stops abruptly at a bar for a drink. Inside, Nora is nursing a vodka and takes a shine to the tuxedo-clad, handsome, and morose younger man. He gives her a lift, she seduces him, and the rest of the movie examines how two such opposites in manners and morals can find happiness. The only common bond they have is great sex and a private tragedy. White Palace nudges at the dark journey and the smashing of illusion that was at the heart of the novel, but there is still a fairy-tale element to the film that negates the earthy essence that distinguished the book. In Mandoki's vision, White Palace is about overcoming class, family, and outside opinion to find true love. In Savan's book, Max wastes into decline while Nora ultimately thrives in the quest for truth, redemption, and self-forgiveness. She becomes his salvation only after he stops hating himself. But mainstream Hollywood shuns making "protagonists" so mad, bad, or sad, and as such, too much glitter is tossed on Spader, while Sarandon, as usual, is the only one who seems to embody and understand her character's angst. She deserved her Oscar for Nora, not the nun in Dead Man Walking. --Paula Nechak
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), French ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), German ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), Italian ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), Spanish ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), Arabic ( Subtitles ), Danish ( Subtitles ), Dutch ( Subtitles ), English ( Subtitles ), Finnish ( Subtitles ), French ( Subtitles ), German ( Subtitles ), Hebrew ( Subtitles ), Italian ( Subtitles ), Norwegian ( Subtitles ), Portuguese ( Subtitles ), Russian ( Subtitles ), Swedish ( Subtitles ), Turkish ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN, SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: Screenwriters Ted Tally and Alvin Sargent adapted the novel by Glenn Savan into this intelligent comedy-drama about a May-December romance where the woman is the senior partner. James Spader is Max Baron, a 27-year-old St. Louis advertising executive who has completely shut himself off from the world in the two years since the auto accident death of his wife. When he meets free-spirited, 43-year-old burger joint waitress Nora Baker (Susan Sarandon), his attraction to the earthy, outspoken woman is immediate and overpowering. The difference in age isn't their only obstacle happiness: Nora's into Marilyn Monroe, drinking beer, and lives in Dogtown, the city's low-rent district, while Max is cultured, sophisticated, and wealthy. Despite their differences, Max and Nora are alike in their suffering and in their deep need for connection, but their charged relationship is put to the emotional test when it becomes clear that Max is hiding his affair with Nora from his upper middle-class, Jewish social circle. White Palace co-stars Renée Taylor, Eileen Brennan, Kathy Bates, Jason Alexander, and Corey Parker.
SCREENED/AWARDED AT: Golden Globes, ...White Palace
SCREENED/AWARDED AT: Golden Globes, ...White Palace
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This film is unusual - it succeeds in being both romantic and extremely erotic. Its also a very enjoyable film for both women and men -for women because unusually the man is much younger than the woman; and what man could fail to find Susan Sarandon extremely easy on the eye. A cynical part of me always says at the end of the film "I give them six months till the novelty of the sex wears off and he leaves"; but still it remains a totally watchable film with a classic line by Susan Sarandon when she opens the door to the eager James Spader - simply "I'm 43". So what Susan, go for it!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
White Palace (1990)
Nora Baker (Susan Sarandon) is a 43 years old waitress working at a hamburger joint called "The White Palace" and Max Baron (James Spader) is a successful 27 years old advertising executive. The film shows how they accidentally meet and how their relationship develops. I had, however, a rather strange feeling, as the film went on, that the relationship was doomed: As individuals, they both had to carry their own emotional baggage and, beside the relatively unimportant age difference, they led distinctively contrasting lifestyles, and had very different backgrounds. For me the movie would have made a more realistic sense, had it ended differently. But the film ending is pure Hollywood.
The director, Luis Mandoki, did a decent job in adapting Glenn Savan's novel to the screen, while the two leads were rather good. Sarandon was nominated for a Golden Globe Award (1991), but won the London Critics Circle Film Award (1992) for her portrayal of Nora. The Movie grossed $ 17,487,531 in the US.
Nora Baker (Susan Sarandon) is a 43 years old waitress working at a hamburger joint called "The White Palace" and Max Baron (James Spader) is a successful 27 years old advertising executive. The film shows how they accidentally meet and how their relationship develops. I had, however, a rather strange feeling, as the film went on, that the relationship was doomed: As individuals, they both had to carry their own emotional baggage and, beside the relatively unimportant age difference, they led distinctively contrasting lifestyles, and had very different backgrounds. For me the movie would have made a more realistic sense, had it ended differently. But the film ending is pure Hollywood.
The director, Luis Mandoki, did a decent job in adapting Glenn Savan's novel to the screen, while the two leads were rather good. Sarandon was nominated for a Golden Globe Award (1991), but won the London Critics Circle Film Award (1992) for her portrayal of Nora. The Movie grossed $ 17,487,531 in the US.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
To any fan of James Spader a justification for watching this movie would be completely unecessary. One of Spader's finest performances as grieving Max, who finds love and happiness again in the most unlikely of places. For anyone new to Spader's work, this film is a touching story of a relationship which breaks the mould and defies convention, with an excellent cast and good supporting music and writing. It's a film guaranteed to warm the cockles of your heart.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good entertainment, bit of a surprise.
I got this for my partner along with the paperback. I thought it was going to be a load of girlie girlie nonsense. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Clonetrooper
A must for Spader fans
Not the most exciting film I've ever watched, but as a huge Spader fan this was 90 minutes of bliss. Read more
Published 23 months ago by BookWormGirl
White Palace Video
This video 'White Palace' arrived very quickly and was really well packaged. It is also in very good condition. I was extremely satisfied with this seller.
Published on 15 Feb 2010 by Mrs. L. M. Bishopstatham
Perfect Palace
This film centres around late twentysomething Jewish widower Max Baron and his relationship with the older Nora Baker. Read more
Published on 31 July 2009 by SilentSinger
white hot palace
Superb Spader performance as usual. Equalled by Sarandon. They both hold the off-beat story together. Imaginatively directed with strong supporting cast. Read more
Published on 6 May 2009 by Mr. William J. Sterling
White Palace is red hot
Oh, this is a great film. It's different and a bit strange so it suits Spader down to the ground. It's sweet and sexy and focuses on a relationship between two people who are... Read more
Published on 2 April 2009 by Mme Emma Foster
Celebration of relationships
This film runs you through all the reasons why some relationships should not work and in so doing makes you examine prejudice from different angles. Read more
Published on 4 Oct 2000
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
