woman on the run movie review

Woman on the Run [1950] Review – Shady Figures and a Marriage in Shambles

Norman Foster’s film noir thriller Woman on the Run (1950) is based on a 1948 short story by Sylvia Tate which was intriguingly titled ‘Man on the Run’. While film noir was largely known for its depiction of ‘dangerous femininity’ (realized through ‘femme fatale’ characters), there were few female investigative protagonists. Robert Siodmak’s The Phantom Lady (1944), Henry Hathaway’s The Dark Corner (1946), and Roy William Niell’s Black Angel (1946) featured female central characters who make it their life’s mission to prove the innocence of the persecuted men.

The heroine’s affable quality combined with her independence doesn’t mean that they were allowed to pose challenges to patriarchy. They were rather allowed to rebel and wander freely within certain boundaries. The veiled implications in such film-noirs are to insist on the women’s unwavering ‘devotion’ to husband or the man she loves, and the sacrifices she needs to make before returning to her ‘prescribed’ social role. In Woman on the Run, we witness a listless housewife’s efforts to rekindle the relationship with her estranged husband, and in the process, she must comprehend her ‘faults’.

Woman on the Run may sound like a simplistic melodrama on marital discord. Screenwriter Alan Campbell has previously co-written scripts of mesmerizing melodramas like A Star is Born – the earliest version – and Wyler’s The Little Foxes (1941). However, it puts our doubts to rest as it opens on a dark night in San Francisco – the sharp, long shadows darkness of noir atmosphere – with a man getting shot to death. Frank Johnson (Ross Elliott) is out walking his dog when he sees the gangland murder of a man, due to give testimony in a court case. The dog barks and the man with a gun shoot at Frank, but fortunately only at his shadow.

Related to Woman on the Run: The Representation of Women in Film Noir

When Inspector Ferris (Robert Keith) questions Frank he swears he can pick up the killer from a line-up. Nevertheless, Frank panics after hearing that the killing was done on the orders of notorious gangster Smiley Freeman. Fearing reprisals, Frank wants no part in the investigation. While the inspector is busy handling the crime scene, Frank decides to go into hiding. But not before naively spilling out his address, which allows the inspector to enquire Frank’s grumpy wife, Eleanor (Ann Sheridan).

Inspector Ferris finds Eleanor cold and cruel in her feelings towards Frank. Their four-year marriage had gone stale for a while, and Eleanor wonders if Frank has run away to escape the failed marriage. The condescending inspector grills Eleanor because her behavior clearly doesn’t befit a ‘traditional housewife’. He addresses the woman’s ‘callousness’ like this: “No wonder the world is full of bachelors”, and he also later shockingly quips, “Mrs. Johnson, didn’t your husband ever beat you?”. In fact, many other men Eleanor meets throughout the narrative suggest her sole job is to always showcase concern for the husband. However, Eleanor gains some kind of independence as she decides it is up to her to find Frank. She actually becomes very concerned about Frank’s hiding, especially after hearing that her husband has a medical condition.

Frank is an artist who thinks the worst about his works. “It takes more than talent to have a career”, laments Eleanor. The steadily declining relationship with Eleanor hasn’t helped him gain confidence. The rest of the narrative isn’t just about Eleanor finding her husband and unmasking the murderer’s identity, but also about the perceptive wife finding out reasons for their marriage’s downfall. Helping Eleanor in her investigation is the nosey, local newspaper guy, Danny Legett (Dennis O’Keefe). Although she initially begrudges the journalist’s tenacity, she works alongside him, visiting Frank’s old haunts and workplace: a job making mannequins. The severity of mannequin’s countenance is ostensibly designed to reflect Eleanor’s harshness.

Legett also promises cash for Frank’s exclusive interview. Things turn interesting when Eleanor gets a crpytic message from Frank that requires her to ponder over their shared past to unearth clues about the place Frank is hiding. The inspector does his best to lock up Eleanor in her house, but she keeps slipping past his custody with Legett. As she meets different people and visits the scenic places around San Francisco, Eleanor learns Frank still loves her and that there are hopes for salvaging their marriage. Of course, she must make sure to find him first before the mobsters (so the title’s not entirely a misnomer).

Woman on the Run is definitely a must-watch for film-noir enthusiasts. It contains some brilliant hard-boiled dialogue and dark humor. Frank has named his dog ‘Remembrandt’ because it is the only ‘Rembrandt they can own’. When inspector Ferris questions Eleanor, why the kitchen contains nothing but dog food, she coldly replies, “He’s not particular, and I’m lazy, so we eat out.” On a side note, we can perceive how the house pretty much remains as the metaphor for Eleanor’s marriage with Frank. Or one could say the empty kitchen, sparsely furnished living room, and the grimy, discarded paintings in the attic precisely represent Eleanor’s ‘failure’ as a wife.

One of my favorite lines in the narrative comes towards the end, uttered in the dark shadows of a rollercoaster: “It’s a good spot. I used to come here with my girl when I was a kid. It’s more frightening than romantic. It’s the way love is when you’re young…life is when you’re older.”

Also Read: Laura [1944] Review – An Exceptionally Stylized Noir Mystery

Director Norman Foster was largely known for making the stereotypical ‘Mr. Moto’ and ‘Charlie Chan’ film series. Woman on the Run was probably his best directorial effort as he excellently wrings out tension and tender emotions from locating shooting, moving between the Bay and China-town. From the hilly street terrace in the opening scene to the thrilling final sequences shot on an amusement park close to the beach, Foster and famed cinematographer Hal Mohr (Captain Blood, The Phantom of the Opera, Underworld U.S.A, etc) infuses great force to the proceedings through their gripping application of noir aesthetics. Despite the light-hearted material and a predictable denouement, the visuals certainly overcome the narrative shortcomings to an extent.

The snappy dialogues mixed with amazing location shooting and steely performance from Ann Sheridan does makes Woman on the Run a beautiful, little film-noir thriller affixed with poignant emotionality. But as I have mentioned earlier, the film despite the central female character’s quasi-independence establishes this note: that Eleanor must acknowledge her ‘errors’ and eventually ‘submit’ to male authority. Yet regardless of this imperfect, archaic message, Woman on the Run (78 minutes) is a highly entertaining feature that’s watchable for its splendid black-and-white imagery and agreeable amount of cynicism (it was rescued and restored by the efforts of UCLA Film & Television Archive and Film Noir Foundation).

Watch the full movie on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLtmR7BvIeY

Woman on the Run (1950) Links: IMDb , Rotten Tomatoes , Letterboxd

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Arun Kumar is an ardent cinebuff, who likes to analyze movie to its minute detail. He believes in the transformative power and shared-dream experience of cinema.

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Eye For Film >> Movies >> Woman On The Run (1950) Film Review

Woman On The Run

Reviewed by: Daniel Hooper

Film noir is often described as an atmosphere rather than a genre, a type of story often based on its dark tone rather than specific story conventions – of course, it can be argued that there are genre conventions such as hard-boiled detectives, doomed protagonists, and femme fetales, but though films defined as noir may share these elements, they will often be telling different types of stories. Mildred Pierce is noir in the sense that the narrative is driven by a murder by a femme fetale and, to paraphrase Paul Schrader, it is "defined by its hopeless tone", but even if Mildred Pierce can be described as noir, it is as much a family melodrama exploring the relationship between a mother and daughter.

The little heard of 1950 noir Woman On The Run shares a similar vein to Mildred Pierce, in that the narrative is driven by a crime while the film simultaneously explores a failed relationship. After witnessing the murder of a key police informant, innocent bystander Frank (Ross Elliott) is forced into hiding from the police, who now need him as a witness, and from the murderer. Frank’s ex-wife Eleanor (Ann Sheridan) is the only person who may be able to locate him, after receiving a letter with a cryptic clue based on an event from their relationship. With the help of reporter Danny Leggett (Dennis O’Keefe), she tries to find Frank without drawing attention from either the police or the killer.

The lean narrative runtime keeps the pace fast and though the main plotline is little more than a manhunt, it is given depth by Ann Sheridan’s nuanced performance as a hurt woman forced to confront her past feelings for the artist Frank. That the filmmakers often limit the dysfunctional relationship back-story to exposition heavy dialogue is slightly unsatisfying, meaning Woman On The Run is often guilty of telling but not showing the most interesting part of the narrative.

Despite this omission of Woman On The Run is a solid noir B-movie, backed up by strong performances and noir’s distinctive dark and shadowy style. The climax, however, is astonishing, making great use of the seaside fairground setting with a visually hallucinatory trip on a rollercoaster and introduces a satisfying twist that is logical but not telegraphed. If this standard was consistent throughout, Woman On The Run would be listed as one of the classic noir films but that is the film's major problem – it hints at a greatness that this B-movie production can’t deliver.

Director: Norman Foster

Writer: Alan Campbell, Norman Foster, based on the story by Sylvia Tate

Starring: Ann Sheridan, Dennis O’Keefe, Ross Elliott

Runtime: 77 minutes

Country: US

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Brief Synopsis

Cast & crew, norman foster, ann sheridan, dennis o'keefe, robert keith, ross elliott, john qualen, photos & videos, technical specs.

After San Francisco artist Frank Johnson witnesses the gangland murder of informant Joe Gordon while walking his dog, Inspector Ferris attempts to take him into protective custody. Afraid that he will be killed if he testifies against the murderer, Frank instead runs away. Ferris questions Eleanor, Frank's estranged wife, about her husband, but she offers little help. Ferris does convince Eleanor, however, that Frank would be safer in police custody than alone on the streets. Later that night, Eleanor sneaks out of her apartment and goes to a nightclub in Chinatown. She is followed there by tabloid reporter Dan Leggett, who offers to pay her $1,000 for exclusive rights to Frank's story. Upon returning home, Eleanor is told by Ferris that Frank has a serious heart condition, and without the necessary medication, could suffer a fatal heart attack. The next morning, Eleanor sees Dr. Hohler, who tells her that Frank's heart condition is complicated by hypertension, which Eleanor assumes has been caused by the stress of their troubled marriage. She then goes to the department store where Frank works as a window dresser, and learns how well liked he is by his co-workers. Afterward, Eleanor evades police surveillance with the help of Danny, who gives her a cryptic letter from her husband. In the letter, Frank asks Eleanor to meet him at the spot "where I first lost you," but she is unable to figure out the exact location. Eleanor and Danny then visit various locations where the married couple had argued, but are unsuccessful in finding Frank. Later, Eleanor and Danny go back to the Chinatown nightclub, where Suzie, a dancer, tells Danny that Frank gave her a picture of a man that looked very much like Danny. While Eleanor questions Sullivan, a bartender at a nearby saloon, about her husband, Danny goes back into the nightclub, kills Suzie and takes the picture. Later, while back at the department store, with Danny, Eleanor notices various mannequins made in her likeness and remembers a trip to Carmel, during which Frank first "lost her" when his mermaid sculpture of her was destroyed by an ocean wave. Soon thereafter, Eleanor and Danny are taken by Ferris to the morgue, and she falsely identifies another murder victim as Frank. The two then head to Carmel, where they see Frank making sand sculptures near an amusement park. Danny then asks Eleanor to send Frank to meet him alone under the roller coaster, where he plans to kill him. While evading the police, Eleanor suddenly realizes that Danny is the killer, but she is stuck on the roller coaster and is unable to warn her husband. Rather than shooting him, Danny tries to induce Frank into having a heart attack, but is shot and killed by Ferris. Eleanor and Frank are then reconciled, determined to give their marriage another try.

Frank Jenks

Jane liddell, joan fulton.

J. Farrell Mcdonald

Steven Geray

Victor sen yung, thomas p. dillon, martha bunch, alan campbell, mac dalgleish, loyal griggs, robert hansard, ross hunter, arthur lange, boris leven, otto ludwig, jacque mapes, emil newman, vera peterson, maurie m. suess, wm. travilla, howard welsch.

Hosted Intro

Woman on the Run -

Some scenes in this film were shot on location in San Francisco, CA. According to contemporary sources, in 1953, writers Manuel Seff and Paul Yawitz sued Fidelity Pictures, producer Howard Welsch and Universal-International for $75,000, charging breach of contract and unauthorized use of dramatic material. The authors claimed that their story "Pay the Piper" was the basis for Woman on the Run . The suit was settled privately. Modern sources add actor Sammee Tong to the cast.

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Woman on the Run

Where to Watch

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Woman on the Run

Originally titled Man on the Run , Woman on the Run has two claims to specialness. First is the choice role it hands to Ann Sheridan, the film’s star. The second is the extensive use of locations out on the streets of San Francisco, where much of it was shot.

It opens as a classic film noir – a nighttime cityscape and a lone male out walking. With his dog. This is strange. Film noir males don’t have pets. They’re loners. A bottle is more likely to be their special friend. And this is 1950 – peak noir. Curb Your Dog, reads the sign Frank Johnson (Ross Elliott) pauses besides at the start of the film. Here he lights a cigarette and here he sees an innocent man being murdered by an unseen gangster against whose boss the victim was about to testify.

The cops arrive. Frank is told point blank that he’s now a also target for the gang, because he saw the killer’s face, and that he’ll have to go into protective custody. Having told the cop on the case, Inspector Ferris (Robert Keith), very little about himself, apart from the fact that he and his wife have a semi-detached marriage, Frank promptly does a runner. Man on the Run then?

Not only is Frank not a film noir male, he’s not in the film very much. He disappears after these opening scenes and only re-appears again at the end. Between times it’s his wife who’s the film’s focus, and her relationship with he husband. This starts with insinuations about Frank’s sexuality. As cop Inspector Ferris (Robert Keith) looks for clues as to Franks’ whereabouts, he discovers that Frank is a failed artist (suspect), who now works as a window dresser (very suspect) and smokes a pipe (very Freudian). “Pipe smoker, huh?” Inspector Ferris says to Frank’s wife, while Keith resists the urge to send semaphor signals with his eyebrows.

Eleanor is a tough nut with a wiseguy demeanour, a cigarette more or less always on the go and a low opinion of her husband. But as Eleanor hares around San Francisco looking for her husband – accompanied by a newspaperman (Dennis O’Keefe) keen to get Frank’s story, and pursued by Inspector Ferris, who suspects that the wife knows where Frank is – she realises that she does indeed have feelings for her husband. An enigmatic complex noir female – is Eleanor the dismissive femme fatale, or the gumshoe pounding the pavement, or both?

Sheridan co-produced the film and was about 35 when she made it. She hoped it would reboot her foundering career. It didn’t but it’s a chewy role – a female protagonist in a film noir is rare enough – and she bites down hard, delivering a charged, emotionally developing performance as a resourceful woman wondering if she’s read her husband all wrong and learning things about herself in the process.

Apart from Sheridan, it’s really just the other two, O’Keefe and Keith, with O’Keefe’s doughty newspaperman looking like he might at any moment become a romantic lead (nice plotting), and Keith injecting the cop with plenty of energy (nice playing).

Norman Foster directs with energy, too, keeping the characters in motion and the illusion alive that money has been spent. The cinematography, by Hal Mohr, is superb, and in a story about a search for a missing man in a shady city, parallels with The Third Man are made even more obvious when Mohr goes into mini-homages to the sort of Expressionism (tilting camera angles and stark lighting) that marked Carol Reed’s film, which came out the year before. Mohr is so good, in fact, that even the back projection sequences look plausible, and the remarkable Alfred Hitchcock-meets-Carol Reed-meets-Orson Welles finale at a funfair, when he pulls out all the stops with crane shots, Expressionism and heady montages is alone worth watching the film for.

All this, though, comes second to Mohr’s work out on San Francisco’s streets, which give the film an added documentary heft.

A good plot, fine acting, fantastic production values, ace cinematography, all this plus a cute dog (Rembrandt), who gets to feature as part of the plot, and all delivered in a shade over an hour and a quarter. What are you waiting for?

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Woman on the run.

Directed by Norman Foster

As Startling as Your OWN Scream in the Night!

Frank Johnson, a sole witness to a gangland murder, goes into hiding and is trailed by Police Inspector Ferris, on the theory that Frank is trying to escape from possible retaliation. Frank's wife, Eleanor, suspects he is actually running away from their unsuccessful marriage. Aided by a newspaperman, Danny Leggett, Eleanor sets out to locate her husband. The killer is also looking for him, and keeps close tabs on Eleanor.

Ann Sheridan Dennis O'Keefe Robert Keith John Qualen Frank Jenks Ross Elliott Jane Liddell Joan Shawlee J. Farrell MacDonald Steven Geray Victor Sen Yung Reiko Sato Syd Saylor Tom Dillon Frank Baker Steve Carruthers Spencer Chan Mike Donovan Franklyn Farnum Milton Kibbee William J. O'Brien Tom Quinn Lee Roberts Jeffrey Sayre Sammee Tong Ray Walker Eddy Waller

Director Director

Norman Foster

Producer Producer

Howard Welsch

Writers Writers

Alan Campbell Ross Hunter Norman Foster

Original Writer Original Writer

Sylvia Tate

Editor Editor

Otto Ludwig

Cinematography Cinematography

Assistant director asst. director.

Maurie M. Suess

Art Direction Art Direction

Boris Leven

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Jacques Mapes

Composers Composers

Arthur Lange Emil Newman

Sound Sound

Fred Lau Mac Dalgleish

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Vera Peterson

Fidelity Pictures Corporation

Alternative Titles

Il mistero del marito scomparso, Vittnet som försvann, Femeie pe fuga, Eu Vi Um Crime, Achtervolging in Frisco, O stohos tou dolofonou, Dans l'ombre de San Francisco, Murhaaja etsii itseään, Vidnet der forsvandt, La ronde infernale, 追踪天涯, La fugitiva, Einer weiß zuviel, Na Noite do Crime, Dans l'Ombre de San Francisco

Thriller Mystery Crime

Thrillers and murder mysteries Noir and dark crime dramas Suspenseful crime thrillers Intriguing and suspenseful murder mysteries Heists and thrilling action Violent action, guns, and crime Show All…

Releases by Date

12 oct 1950, 10 nov 1950, 29 nov 1950, 04 feb 1951, 12 mar 1951, 01 jun 1951, 29 jun 1951, 20 jul 1951, 21 jul 1951, 31 jul 1951, 08 aug 1951, 07 dec 1951, 25 jul 1952, 25 feb 2005, 13 jun 2016, 12 sep 2023, releases by country.

• Physical DVD & Blu-Ray

Netherlands

• Physical Blu ray
• Premiere NR Boston, Massachusetts
• Physical DVD

77 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by covkate ★★★★★ 3

Noirvember #7 Absolutely top notch from start to finish. There is plenty to say about this but it's past my bedtime and I'm too tired to write properly, so...

1. Razor sharp dialogue 2. Fantastic female lead 3. The dog 4. The camerawork. You want Dutch angles? Fill your boots! 5. Paced to perfection 6. That rollercoaster scene. There are some great moments of tension throughout the film 7. It's enormous fun 8. But it has a lot of heart too

Review by theriverjordan ★★★½ 21

“Woman on the Run’s” title is only the start of the film’s deceptions. It’s a man, not a woman, who flees under dubious circumstances, and sets the events of the narrative into action. 

In something of a genre twist, though; it’s the woman who instead must go running to save him. 

Directed by Norman Foster, “Woman,” (indeed, originally titled “Man on the Run,”) melds melodramatic influences into the trappings of noir. It’s a callback to the genre’s “Gaslight” heritage, while positioning the film as a later noir entry, which asserts that being a housewife does not exclude a woman from being hardbroiled. 

Ann Sheridan anchors “Woman,” in the sense of the phrase that she seems to grab the ocean floor…

Review by Joe ★★★★½ 1

"He thought your shadow was you."

Seems at first glance like a typical wham-bam-thank-you-San-Fran crime thriller but I have this nagging feeling there's something more there, about identity and shades of being and stuff like that. In primo golden age Hollywood fashion, though, it doesn't really give you time to ponder these philosophical mysteries because you'll be too busy catching your breath - particularly during the (literal) roller-coaster climax that has to rank as one of the very very best of its type.

Review by Owen ★★★★½ 2

Ann Sheridan's disillusioned wife spars verbally with cops and reporters while searching for her run away murder witness husband.

There's a lot of Noir going on here and I'll get to that stuff but mainly this movie is flat out fun. The dialogue sparkles and I immediately went looking for what else writer Alan Campbell had done and it's all stuff like A star is born and the Little Foxes (not to mention being married to Dorothy Parker) that suggests the running theme is whip smart bittersweet female leads rather than San Francisco gang murder movies and this film is all the better for the way it is all about Sheridan and the dialogue rather than the plot.

Review by Slig001 ★★★½

An off-kilter crime story where the police treat witnesses like criminals, husbands and wives don't get along and journalists hang around on rooftops. Woman on the Run begins with a man witnessing a murder. He decides to leg it to escape possible retaliation, leading his estranged wife on a chase to track him down. Norman Foster's noir b-movie is powered by a witty script and a fast paced narrarive that keeps the chase moving while building the central relationship between the wife and the largelly absent husband. Their relationship is a strange one, but as the narrative moves along she gradually begins to realise what she's lost as their marriage drifted apart. The focus really is always on the mystery…

Review by Anna Imhof 🌸 ★★★★ 15

"Should we dance?" "Why don't you drop dead?"

Um, excuse me, but like... why is nobody talking about this gem? It's so good! It might have all the signs and symptoms of a Noir, but you quickly realize that there's so much more to it. Yes, there's a murder in the shadows of the night, but it's also got a quirky inspector (Robert Keith), a cute dog named Rembrandt, wisecrackin' like it's going out of style, and an atmospheric finale at an amusement park. Woman on the Run , lead by a terrific Ann Sheridan, got me anxious, made me laugh, and gave me a lot of feelings over the romance at its core, which is extraordinary because it's so ordinary.…

Review by sakana1 ★★★ 11

According to Film Studies professor Philippa Gates, as quoted on the Wikipedia page for Woman on the Run , the film stands out among noirs because "the heroine's quest is not necessarily complicated by [heterosexual romance ... , in fact] ... love interests are absent for the majority of the story". While this is true to the extent that Eleanore Johnson's (Ann Sheridan) husband Frank is the subject of her quest, and thus is not physically present for most of the film, I would argue that Eleanore's heterosexuality and the expectations placed upon her as a wife are, in fact, the driving forces of the story.

From the moment they meet her, both Inspector Ferris (Robert Keith) and reporter Daniel Legget…

Review by Fabian ★★★★ 2

"Don't you eat anything but dog food?" "He's not particular, and I'm lazy, so we eat out."

Quintessential film noir ingredients come together in this undervalued highlight of the early 1950s: A man witnesses a murder and needs to go into witness protection, but chooses to run from both the murderer and the police instead. His wife, Eleanor, then begins to suspect that her husband actually ran away not to escape the murderer, but to escape their failing marriage.

That premise leads to a 77 minutes short array of carefully plotted scenes, most of which mixed with dark humor that makes this one of the funniest noirs I have ever seen. Ann Sheridan's dry line delivery is incomparable, leading to…

Review by sarah ★★★½

I feel like every single film should have its climax set in an amusement park, carnival, or circus. They’re already inherently creepy, and think of the visuals! The theatrics! Woman on the Run just combines all my favorite film elements into one highly entertaining noir. Not a bad way to spend 77 minutes.

Review by noir1946 ★★★½

Despite my affection for noir and B-movies and its rep as a minor classic, I have resisted watching Woman on the Run because of finding Ann Sheridan, Dennis O’Keefe, and Robert Keith rather blah. It turns out to be better than I expected.

“Just like him. Always running away.”

While walking his dog at night, San Francisco artist Frank Johnson (Ross Elliott) witnesses a murder, getting a good look at the killer. Fearing retribution, he flees, leaving his wife, Eleanor (Sheridan), concerned for his safety, especially after learning of his heart condition, and cop Inspector Ferris (Keith) frustrated. Newspaperman Dan Legget (O’Keefe) steps in to help Eleanor find her hubby.

The best things about Woman on the Run include how…

Review by laird ★★★★

This movie is firing on all cylinders, but Ann Sheridan's performance, the San Francisco location photography, and the whipcrack screenplay are probably the most standout aspects. Every minor character, be it a cranky second hand store clerk or a low ranking detective, is infused with wit and snappy dialogue. The real world will sound dull and lifeless when you walk out of this movie. It hurtles along at breakneck speed with a few little twists that thankfully are withheld until late in the 77 minutes. On this rare occasion I get to say, "I wish this movie was longer," because if I can cite a major flaw it's that the climax has a great build-up that feels rushed right when…

Review by Channing Pomeroy ★★★★

A witness to a murder is on the run from the killer. His wife seems to want to make sure if the killer doesn’t get him, then the stress will. This is a charcoal-dark portrait of a marriage, and a clever twist on the detective story as a vehicle to sift through the ashes of a marriage, and to rekindle them. It’s also a vehicle for Anne Sheridan and Dennis O’Keefe to travel the streets of San Francisco exchanging wise-assery. I’m sure co-writer Alan Campbell learned a few things about wise-asses and troubled marriages being Mr Dorothy Parker for seventeen years.

Director Norman Foster, Orson Welles’ sorcerer’s apprentice on Journey into Fear , uses many of the tricks from the master’s truck. He makes great use of San Francisco locations to construct a noir labyrinth and gives us a thrilling roller coaster climax.

Noir Alley April 4, 2019

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Synopsis by Bruce Eder

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Woman on the Run (2017 Lifetime)

Cast: Sarah Butler , Jim Thorburn , Lindsay Maxwell , Jerry Wasserman , Matthew MacCaull , Karen Holness

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Synopsis (via Lifetime)

A dark family secret comes to light when a woman finds a bone marrow donor for her granddaughter. (2021)

The movie begins with some SEX.

Nomi and her doting husband, Mark, enjoy a quiet morning after she finishes her novel. (Pretty sure it was Greta and Mark having the SEX.) the nanny, Greta, is a godsend and helps the family in more ways than one. 

Before a family trip with the kids, Nomi calls her mentor Ted and shares her manuscript with him. She also reminds him to stay SOBER. I guess he has a drinking problem. Then they pack up the car and leave the house in the care of a neighbor. 

In Seattle, there is a mix-up with the hotel reservation. A hot AF bellhop entertains the children while the grown-up figure things out. Oscar, the bellhop, is familiar with Nomi’s books and is even currently reading one. 

After the babysitter, who is coming on the trip too and is way too close to Mark, forgets baby formula and diaper wipes. (Her JOB.) Nomi offers to go out and get them. She is attacked in the parking garage and wakes up in the middle of the woods with her car running and an exhaust pipe funneling CO2 in her vehicle. Nomi was left for dead with a huge life insurance policy taken out on her Greta. 

Nomi runs back to the hotel and is confused. They think she is the babysitter. Nomi next goes to a convention center and finds Mark and Greta. Greta has taken over Nomi’s life; they even changed IDs. No one can verify that Nomi is who she says she is. She was too busy writing her book even to meet her neighbors, teachers, or friends. Nomi is a loner, and it is coming back to haunt her. She goes to the detectives, and they send her to a therapist and file a restraining order. It is WILD. 

Nomi calls the one person she can, Ted. She asks him to come to Seattle to help her. He pours himself a drink, which is probably a bad idea. 

In the park, Nomi is grabbed by a man with a syringe out to get her. She runs through the woods comically floppy and manages to lose the man, and heads back to the hotel in a terrible disguise. She finds a will leaving her and Mark millions of dollars. Then she runs into the bellhop, Oscar, who remembers. Nomi worries that he is in danger next because her neighbor ends up dead. 

Oscar and Nomi come up with a way she can prove she is who she says she is by quoting her bookwork for word. (Something that Greta can’t do!) She wants to go to the police and get a court-ordered maternity test to get her kids back. That man attacks them before they can even plan what they are going to do. They wake up tied up but manage to fight off the hitman. 

Ted shows up in Seattle and puts on quite the performance and pretends not to know Nomi. That is why he was drinking. He is getting paid off to lie. $500,000. He doesn’t even make it out of the driveway of Mark’s house before he is murdered too. 

The police take Nomi to a mental institution, and a therapist with some outrageous sideburns tries to rehabilitate Nomi. She stabs him with a pen and makes a run for it. Oscar impersonates a nurse and gets Nomi out of there before she is subjected to electro-shock therapy. 

Jane, the young daughter, is terrified when Greta breaks a bottle and threatens the hit man. She calls the police and hides for safety. 

The police show up, and Jane rushes to them. She tells the police that Greta isn’t her mother. Nomi runs out and tells the police officer about what Greta and Mark did. The officer sides with Nomi and then arrests Mark. Greta runs inside to get the baby, but Oscar won’t let her.

The woman struggles in the yard and takes out the police officer by mistake. Nomi grabs her taser and shoots it at Greta. Nomi and Jane are reunited and hug.

After a DNA test, Nomi gets her kids back! She starts dating Oscar and starts her life over. 

Minority Report: Detective, Police Officer, 

I would have had a higher rating because I love a good switching place, but the depiction of mental health and the mental health facility was very Girl Interrupted and not cool. Mark and Greta leave the hitman with the kids and go search for Jane. Nomi and Oscar sneak into the house and take out the hitman. 

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Overall rating

🔪🔪🔪 (3 Knives)

🍷🍷🍷 (3 glasses of wine required.)

*Photo Credit: © 2016 Lifetime® | A+E Networks®

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Published by Patrick Serrano

TV Movie Expert, Chicago actor, Freelance writer for hire, and host of Lifetime Uncorked podcast & YouTube Channel. View all posts by Patrick Serrano

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Woman on the Run Reviews

• 1 hr 17 mins
• Drama, Suspense
• Watchlist Where to Watch

An eyewitness to a murder flees in fear, and is pursued by the police. His disillusioned wife learns he has a heart condition and teams up with a reporter to track him down.

Elliott, an artist who accidentally witnesses a mob killing, fears retaliation and goes into hiding. His wife, Sheridan, shows little concern. Their marriage has been unhappy, so Elliott's absence seems like a blessing. Soon, however, Sheridan is confronted by the police, who desperately want to find her husband. Although initially reluctant to join the hunt, Sheridan finally agrees to help police inspector Keith find Elliott when she learns that her missing husband has a potentially life-threatening heart condition he is unaware of. Despite their marital difficulties, Sheridan comes to realize that she does love Elliott. O'Keefe, a reporter, offers Sheridan assistance. During their search O'Keefe becomes attracted to the woman, but it gradually dawns on her that the journalist is actually the killer Elliott is running from. O'Keefe senses her suspicions, and plans to kill both her and Elliott, but the police arrive in time and arrest the murderer. Tension takes some dramatic turns in this well-crafted film, which switches character relationships with frightening results. Each time Sheridan seems to find comfort and security, her character is forced into a change of loyalties by unexpected circumstances. Sheridan is strong in her part, heading a cast that infuses the twists of plot with believability and life. WOMAN ON THE RUN was shot on location in San Francisco, and the city is smartly utilized. Like the people and developments within the story, the streets that seem to offer Sheridan a haven from danger prove to be the very ground from which she must escape. Under director Foster's tight control, the various elements are interwoven to produce intelligent and always-fascinating entertainment. This movie was the subject of a brief legal controversy when two writers sued the production company, claiming a story of theirs had been plagiarized for this motion picture. An out-of-court settlement was finally reached, ending the troubles.

Woman on the Run

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An author wakes up and discovers that her family and identity have been stolen by another woman.

About the movie.

Successful crime novelist Nomi Gardner’s world has just been turned upside down–betrayed by her husband and ignored by the police, Nomi finds herself in a situation more terrifying than anything she’s written herself as she fights to save her children. Sarah Butler, Jim Thorburn, Lindsay Maxwell star. (2017)

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Film review: Run Woman Run

Busy Canadian movie is grounded by a winning central performance

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Article content

Busy, filling and ultimately satisfying, Run Woman Run feels like a potluck of a movie.

Film review: Run Woman Run Back to video

It’s the story of a widower trying to move forward in his life. It’s about a woman looking to connect with her son and her sister. There’s a message about healthy living, and another on the importance of language, particularly at-risk ones like Mohawk. It features a rom-com subplot with a meat cute. (That’s not a typo; it takes place at a meat draw.) There’s even a ghost.

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But if I had to sum up Run Woman Run in one sentence, it would be Beck Runs a Marathon . Or tries to; no spoiling whether or not she succeeds.

Actor and standup comedian Dakota Ray Hebert stars as Beck, who lives on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario. Aimless and unmotivated, she is stuck in her life until a diagnoses of diabetes gives her the kick she needs to do something.

But in true uplifting-movie fashion she learns that she can’t do it alone. Her family members – a younger sister, a tweenage son, her quietly grieving father – seem to have mostly written her off, but she pushes herself to train for a marathon as a means of reconnecting with them and with her ancestors. Asivak Koostachin also stars as the spirit of Tom Longboat, an Onondaga First Nations runner who won the 1907 Boston Marathon at the age of 21. “It’s in your blood,” he tells Beck, a metaphor that works on multiple levels in writer/director Zoe Hopkins’ latest feature.

It’s a simple tale, and unlikely to surprise, but it succeeds on the strength of its lead actor. It’s easy to see why she and Hopkins were honoured at the 2021 American Indian Film Festival, and why Run Woman Run took home the audience choice award at Toronto’s ImagineNative festival the same year. It’s a story that goes the distance.

Run Woman Run opens March 25 in Toronto, London, Peterborough, Sudbury and Regina, and April 1 in Vancouver, Hamilton and Saskatoon.

3.5 stars out of 5

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Woman on the Run Reviews

The dialogue can be stunningly banal and Hang likes to employ zooms that feel dated. But if you stick with the movie, it offers opportunities for reflection on the role men play in the lives of the women in the story

Full Review | Nov 7, 2020

Best Romance Movies You Can Watch for Free on YouTube

• Free romance movies on YouTube offer classic screwball plots and feel-good rom-coms for cozy nights in.
• From The Accidental Husband to Ball of Fire, there's a range of romances available with a simple click on YouTube.
• Keep up with YouTube's latest free offerings for rom-com fans like What Women Want and The Back-Up Plan for a heartfelt movie night.

Nothing screams a cozy night in quite like a good Romance movie. With so many streaming platforms at our disposal, each with their own select user fee, it's hard not to spend an arm and a leg to tame that love story fix. Viewers who know where to look, however, can find some of their favorites go tos free of charge if they know where to look. Fortunately, the number of no-charge streaming options has soared in recent years. Those willing to sit through an ad or five will find their options ripe for watching.

Oldie but goodie YouTube just so happens to be one of these options.YouTube has a plethora of movies to choose from that are free (with ads). While obvious favorites like The Twilight Saga and forgotten cult classics like Cry, Baby abound, there are far more options for those looking for a classic screwball or drama. From Ball of Fire to A Walk to Remember , to What Women Want , here are some of the best romance movies you can watch for free on YouTube.

Updated March 9th, 2024 by Amanda Minchin : Rom-com fanatics and the like will be glad to know this article was just updated to include YouTube's most up-to-date listings!

The Accidental Husband (2008)

The accidental husband.

Release Date February 29, 2008

Director Griffin Dunne

Cast Uma Thurman, Colin Firth, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Lindsay Sloane, Sam Shepard, Justina Machado

Rating PG-13

Genres Romance, Comedy

The Accidental Husband is a romantic comedy from 2008 that starred Uma Turman as Emma and The Walking Dead 's own Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Patrick. In this film, radio host and relationship advice guru Emma's world is turned upside down when her upcoming marriage to Richard (Colin Firth) is delayed because she is still technically married to a man named Patrick. Patrick is a firefighter and the cunning mastermind behind Emma's troubles. He fabricates an elaborate plan for revenge that eventually leads to an unintentional and unexpected love story.

A Classic 2000s Delight

The title alone practically guarantees a formulaic, feel-good time. Uma Thurman provides a knock-out performance worthy of screwball originals, and her co-stars aren't too shabby either. Colin Firth is notorious for his leading male roles in romcoms like Bridget Jones' Diary , so his casting is perfect. Jeffrey Dean Morgan shows a familiarly scheming, but far more wholesome side to his acting repertoire. The film is chock-full of the typical screwball plot devices, from overly complicated problem-solving to impractically dramatic stakes, and has all the makings of a comfortable rom-com binge.

Stream on YouTube

The Back-Up Plan (2010)

The back-up plan.

Release Date April 23, 2010

Director Alan Poul

Cast Noureen DeWulf, Michaela Watkins, Jennifer Lopez, Alex O'Loughlin, Eric Christian Olsen, Anthony Anderson

Runtime 106

Continuing on the romantic comedy train, 2010's The Back-Up Plan , starring Jennifer Lopez and Alex O'Loughlin, is a solid choice for a free movie on YouTube. This rollercoaster of a plot starts with a desperate Zoe (Lopez), whose internal clock is ticking into overtime. Tired of waiting for the perfect relationship, she decides to get artificially inseminated in order to start a family. She then meets Stan (O'Loughlin) and the two completely hit it off. Zoe might have found her one and only, but is that one and only ready for fatherhood?

A Surprisingly Poignant Rom-Com

Kudos are in order for an early 2010s film about artificial insemination and its surrounding cultural questions. Jennifer Lopez is an icon in more ways than one, including her romcom lead prowess . While Alex O'Loughlin may perhaps be better known for his stint as Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett on Hawaii Five-0 , he manages to bring his comedic genre-mashing chops to the role. While the premise is fresh, the momentum of this film can be a bit still at times, its ending is far worth the wait.

What Women Want (2000)

What Women Want is a classic pairing of rivals to relations. In it, Mel Gibson plays chauvinist advertising exec Nick Marshall who, after a freak accident with a blow dryer, is suddenly able to eavesdrop on women's thoughts. Having recently lost a promotion and with his company looking to conquer the more feminine market, he uses this newfound skill to his advantage to listen in on his new boss, Darcy Maguire (Helen Hunt). Of course, this causes him to fall hard for her in the process. Between repairing his relationships with his female co-workers (and his young daughter) and coming up with the perfect ad campaign to impress his bosses, he takes full advantage of this newfound gift for as long as it lasts.

A Formula that Works

Acclaimed filmmaker Nancy Meyers is at her best in this film, as are Hunt and Gibson. Both actors were at the top of their game at the time, and their onscreen chemistry is absolutely electric. The message of empathy for one's fellow man (or woman, in this case), is hard to deny. Marshall's behavior is shown to stem from his upbringing in a casino, an insight that might otherwise have been lost in less adept hands. There's a formulaic nature to this film, yes, but it only serves to punctuate the story and its message all the more.

The 10 Most Underrated Performances In Romance Movies Of All Time

Penelope (2006).

Release Date March 1, 2006

Director Mark Palansky

Cast Ronni Ancona, Nick Prideaux, Michael Feast, Richard E. Grant, Christina Ricci, Catherine O'Hara

Runtime 101

Genres Romance, Comedy, Fantasy

Penelope tells the story of a family cursed by the decisions of their ancestors to not accept a pair of young lovers. In the present day, Penelope (Christina Ricci), an aristocratic heiress, is born with a pig snout as a result. The only way to break the curse is to find her true love, someone who will wholeheartedly accept her, snout and all. Her well-meaning, but utterly misguided parents hide her from the world for years... that is until, sometime after her 18th birthday, when they decide to take her love life into their own hands. Their attempts to set her up with a fellow blueblood, however, go horribly awry, leading Penelope to strike off on her own in search of acceptance.

Elevated by a Brilliant Ensemble Cast

Released during the height of fable fantasy fervor, this modern take on classic fairy tale tropes is nothing short of delightful. There is a message of acceptance hidden deep beneath the overtures of classism. Plus, this cast reads like an understated who's who, from Catherine O'Hara as Penelope's mother, to James McAvoy as a kind, but subterfuging suitor, to Peter Dinklage and Reese Witherspoon as newfound friends Penelope finds along the way. And, with a PG rating, the film is wholesome enough to binge with some younger loved ones in tow.

Ball of Fire (1941)

Ball of Fire is a classic screwball comedy featuring Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper. The story centers around a group of bachelors (and one widower) who live and work together in a prim and proper pad. Desperate to understand and learn some more modern colloquialisms to add to the work, the youngest of them, Professor Potts, a grammarian in American slang, turns to Katherine "Sugarpuss" O'Shea for advice. A nightclub performer by trade, she only agrees to stay after finding herself on the run from police as a result of her mob boyfriend's shenanigans. The pair, of course, take a liking to each other, but are forced to put their feelings aside momentarily for the sake of the book and their lives after Sugarpuss' angry boyfriend comes a'calling.

A Screwball Comedy that Stands the Test of Time

This title perfectly encapsulates Stanwyck's character, a firecracker with a silver tongue for 'modern' American colloquialisms. Obvious references to the fable of Snow White aside, this juxtaposition of stuffiness and flamboyance makes for some incredible screwball shenanigans. The chemistry between the two leads is rife, though they are at times outmatched by those of their academic companions. A common matter in romantic comedies, the couple's attempts to save each other are of course what ultimately keep them apart for so long. Viewers will have to refrain from yelling at the screen for some more open and honest communication, which really would have solved just about all the woes of these two lovebirds to begin with.

Best Classic Screwball Comedies, Ranked

The wedding singer (1988), the wedding singer.

Release Date February 13, 1998

Director Frank Coraci

Cast Ellen Albertini Dow, Allen Covert, Drew Barrymore, Matthew Glave, Christine Taylor, Adam Sandler

The Wedding Singer features Adam Sandler as Robbie and Drew Barrymore as Julia, two features of the wedding circuit who are just perfect for each other. The only problem? Both of them are already engaged... to other people. That is until Robbie is dumped at the altar by his fiancé, who fell in love with his rock star persona and just can't stomach his new career as a wedding singer. This puts an obvious damper on both his personal and professional life as his gigs turn more and more sour. What follows is the ultimate will-they-won't-they as the newfound work pair finds their feelings for each other growing in spite of or because of their current and ex-spouses to be.

Irresistible Chemistry Between Sandler and Barrymore

This one is a classic on must-watch weekend re-runs for a reason. An early pairing between Sandler and Barrymore, it's no wonder after watching this film why they would go on to star alongside each other in so many more films. This film is easily one of Sandler's all-time best comedies, with just the right mix of oddball to offset the otherwise romantic tropes. Set in the '80s with the costumes and soundtrack to match, this film has an understated realness of work relationships amid the ridiculousness of wedding day jams. Plus, it's a chance to check out the comedic stylings of the always hilarious Ellen Albertini Dow as Rosie.

Every Day (2018)

Based on the novel by David Levithan, Every Day follows the love story between 16-year-old Rhiannon (Angourie Rice), who falls in love with the mysterious 'A' (who is played by far too many actors to list here). 'A', you see, is a traveling spirit, an entity that wakes up in a different living teenage body, regardless of gender, every day. Rhiannon first meets 'A' when they wake up in the body of Justin, her otherwise neglectful boyfriend. A day spent alongside her, of course, causes 'A' to fall madly in love with her, which leads them to seek her out long after he leaves her boyfriend behind. Upon learning his secret, Rhiannon is challenged to fall and stay in love with someone whose gender-fluid, outward-facing form is forever in flux.

A Romance with Philosophical Undertones

This film does a stellar job of creating purpose for the characters in a cohesive narrative, it also manages to sneak in a handful of ethical conundrums, mostly centering around the agency of 'A' as they take over the lives of others. The bodies 'A' possess do not usually remember their previous day(s) spent taken over by 'A'. This begs the question of whether it is fair for 'A' to exist in others, especially when they take over bodies for an extended period of time, living their lives for them. The answer is, in a word no, a sad fact that both Rhiannon and 'A' both come to accept after time. Thankfully, 'A' manages to use their powers for good, for the most part, and still manages to leave an indelible impact on the lives they briefly possess.

The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)

The time traveler's wife.

Release Date August 14, 2009

Director Robert Schwentke

Cast Bart Bedford, Katherine Trowell, Alex Ferris, Eric Bana, Arliss Howard, Michelle Nolden

Runtime 107

Genres Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi, Documentary, Fantasy

There's nothing like a bit of time travel to up the stakes for romance. The Time Traveler's Wife stars Eric Bana as the traveler in question, Henry DeTamble, and Rachel McAdams as Clare Abshire, his wife. Based on Audrey Niffenegger's 2003 novel, the film follows DeTamble's entrances and exits into Clare's life, which is the result of an uncontrollable para-genetic disorder. As a result, he travels back and forth between different important moments of his life without notice. Unable to change much about them, he struggles to develop a relationship with the love of his life, for whom his sudden appearances and reappearances throughout the course of her life eventually take their toll.

Another Sci-Fi-Tinged Romance

There is a graceful fluidity to this romance in what might otherwise have been marred with overwrought science-fiction explanations. While it is at first unsettling to watch DeTamble meet up with his wife in her pre-pubescent years and beyond, their involvement over time serves to both bond them together and tear them apart. There is an uneasy feeling of knowing what will pass, reliving old memories in real-time, and not being able to spend moments in said real-time with the ones you love. The mystery of not knowing when and where the main character will appear and reappear makes for some brilliant dramatic moments, which are only punctuated further by the unknown of just when they might happen.

20 Timeless Romance Movies That Never Get Old

Overboard (1987).

Overboard is an '80s comedy classic. Starring real-life partners Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, this film follows a bratty socialite (Hawn) who loses her memory after falling overboard her yacht. The repair person she recently fired, Russell, comes to her aid but decides to use her loss to his advantage. Claiming to be her husband, he brings her home from the hospital to take care of his brood of rambunctious boys in their stuffed to the seams house. What will happen when she falls wise to his ploy? Will she stay 'married' and give up her former lifestyle? Or abandon this strange man and his family altogether. This film, which was remade in 2018 , is available on YouTube alongside the remake.

A Strange Premise that Has Aged Surprisingly Well

While the concept in this film is undoubtedly alarming, there is a deftness to the handling of this gaslighting plot. This is due, in part, to the skill of screenwriter Leslie Dixon, who would go on to create even more cult favorites like Mrs. Doubtfire just a few years later. The chemistry between Russell and Hawn, as well as their ability to play so well off of each other comedically, is why this film stands out as so crazily re-watchable years later, Stockholm syndrome and all. By some magic of filmmaking, both Russell's character and that of his rambunctious brood, seem to somehow, inexplicably, grow on the viewer with each watch.

A Walk to Remember (2002)

The iconic teen drama A Walk to Remember is based on an early Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name. The film stars Shane West as Landon and Mandy Moore as Jamie. What starts out as a classic '50s Romeo and Juliet story meets 10 Things I Hate About You takes a hard turn into reality as forces beyond their control serve to push them apart. Will Jamie's illness push them apart? Love, understanding, and passion are constants as they navigate their youth with what time they have left.

A Timeless Tearjerker

There's nothing like young love and a coming-of-age romance, particularly when that film is as highly rewatchable as this one is. Melodramatic to its core, A Walk to Remember features iconic performances by both Shane West and Mandy Moore in one of her earliest roles. Moore's musical performance is expected, but stellar. Perhaps more poignant for fans of tearjerkers are their matrimonial scenes. Be prepared to break out the tissues for this one.

Want More Romance Like A Walk to Remember ?

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At The Movies: In Challengers, passions run deep, on and off the tennis court

Challengers (M18)

132 minutes, opens on May 1 4 stars

The story: Former tennis prodigy Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) is a wife and mother who manages her husband Art (Mike Faist), a tennis professional. His career is in a slump, so she books him to play in a smaller competition, hoping an easy win will restore his flagging confidence. Playing in the same tournament is Patrick (Josh O’Connor), Art’s former best friend and doubles partner. He is also Tashi’s former boyfriend.

A recent article in The New York Times says this film is part of a trend indicating that cinema is no longer afraid to embrace erotic themes. 

Let’s not get carried away. Sexual tension of the kind shown in Challengers never went away. The difference is that the studio made a strategic bet on using titillation as a marketing tool, judging by the images accompanying the film’s release. 

Titillation in cinema is fine, but those expecting this picture to be as explicit as, say, fantasy series Game Of Thrones (2011 to 2019) will have to look elsewhere.

Challengers is a sexy film, but the sex lives mostly in the looks of yearning and heated dialogue. The skin on display is for those who enjoy looking at fit, athletic male bodies. 

Director Luca Guadagnino (A Bigger Splash, 2015; Bones And All, 2022) loves to tease.

He has fun playing with audience expectations about when and where the dam of inhibition will burst. He takes his time creating the circumstances that will cause repressed desires to emerge, dramatically.

Emotions are messy, and he is not afraid to get messy in depicting them – he famously made peaches a meme following the release of his coming-of-age movie Call Me By Your Name (2017).

In the story of Tashi, Art and Patrick, tennis is treated as an extended metaphor for the three-cornered tussle for sexual dominance.

In a non-linear fashion, groundwork is laid for the match-up between the two men, one that will bring to a climax years of simmering resentment, thwarted ambition and something else entirely.

Guadagnino makes the tennis feel sweatily real. This is not a story that uses the sport as window dressing. The matches are intense action scenes and the outcomes have consequences. 

This is Zendaya’s movie. Her character is at its centre, existing as both the object of male rivalry and something of an enigmatic femme fatale.

Is she a scheming puppetmaster or a victim dealing with the fallout from her husband’s tennis impotency? Perhaps she is both. That ambiguity, coolly delivered by a gifted actress, makes the interplay all the more intriguing.  

Screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes, making his feature film debut, has delivered a sports movie with a twist of sexual jealousy. It does not always work – young Tashi is inexplicably wise beyond her years and the non-linear storytelling can be confusing. 

These flaws are easily forgiven. In Guadagnino’s hands, the three leads are just too compulsively watchable.

Hot take: The director of stylish stories about forbidden desires delivers another compelling drama about attractive people with messy passions.

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How to Watch ‘Madame Web’: When Is It Streaming?

Here’s when and where you can watch Dakota Johnson’s latest film

Sony’s spider-verse expanded with “Madame Web,” bringing brand new — well, at least for non-comic readers — spider-people to the screen. So, here’s what you need to know.

“Madame Web,” though based on characters first introduced in “Spider-Man” comics, isn’t actually connected to any of the Spider-Men we’ve seen on-screen so far. Taking place in 2003, in its own universe, the story follows Cassandra Webb, a paramedic who develops clairvoyance after a close call with death.

Upon getting her powers, she quickly learns that the lives of three young girls, played by Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor and Isabela Merced, are in danger. They’re being hunted by Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim), who has visions of his future death at their hands.

We won’t spoil you beyond that, but we will tell you how you can see the film for yourself.

When did “Madame Web” come out?

“Madame Web” officially hit theaters everywhere on Valentine’s Day.

Is “Madame Web” in theaters or streaming?

Originally, “Madame Web” could only be seen in theaters. But, thanks to a new multi-year deal that kicked off in 2022 , the Sony film will head to Netflix first for streaming after its theatrical run.

You’ll be able to stream “Madame Web” on Netflix on May 14, 2024.

Is “Madame Web” connected to Spider-Man?

As we mentioned above, this film is not connected to any of the Spider-Men we’ve met on-screen so far. That said, Adam Scott does play Ben Parker in the film — yes, that Ben — and we do learn he’s just started dating someone new.

So, this is a universe in which Spider-Man, whoever he may be in this world, has not been born yet.

What do the “Madame Web” reviews say?

“Madame Web” currently stands at a 12% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes , based on 242 reviews. It has a 57% audience score. You can read TheWrap’s review of the film here .

Watch the trailer for “Madame Web”

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In sparkling rom-com 'The Idea of You,' famous young singer and not-famous older woman click

Anne hathaway and nicholas galitzine make a dazzling duo in prime video’s love story with just the right amount of cringe..

Boy-band superstar Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine) meets a fan’s mom, Solène (Anne Hathaway), at Coachella and strikes up an unexpected romance in “The Idea of You.”

Prime Video

One supposes it would have been TOO spot-on to have the leads in the sparkling and delightful and utterly fantastical “The Idea of You” actually walk hand-in-hand through a certain district in West London, but the similarities between this gem and the 1999 classic “Notting Hill” are inescapable — albeit with a gender reversal.

In “Notting Hill,” Julia Roberts’ Anna Scott is a superstar American actress who falls in love with the unassuming and anonymous Brit William Thacker (Hugh Grant), who runs a small travel bookstore and has an apartment with a blue door. Complications ensue, in large part due to the paparazzi and the tabloids hounding their every move.

In “The Idea of You,” Nicholas Galitzine’s Hayes Campbell is a British pop star who falls in love with the unassuming and anonymous American Solène Marchand (Anne Hathaway), who runs a small art gallery with a red-framed door in L.A.'s hipster Silver Lake neighborhood. Complications ensue, in large part due to the paparazzi and the tabloids hounding their every move.

It was a magical formula in 1999 and it’s a magical formula 25 years later, with Hathaway looking every inch the gorgeous movie star and giving one of her most endearing performances, and Galitzine taking a borderline ridiculous role and making something genuine out of it. Adapting the best-selling 2017 novel of the same name by Robinne Lee, director Michael Showalter (who co-wrote the screenplay with Jennifer Westfeldt) continues to build on an impressive resume that includes “The Big Sick,” “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” and “Spoiler Alert.”

Even though “The Idea of You” adheres to many of the time-tested elements of the Rom-Com Playbook, the premise is a bit tricky and could have turned cringey in the wrong hands. Instead, the potential “ick” factor is played for just the right combination of cringe humor and legit insights about how even in 2024, we tend to be more shocked and judgmental about age-gap romances when it’s the woman who is older. Stop that, us!

Hathaway’s Solène is a 40-year-old single mother who is still reeling from her divorce from cheating husband Daniel (Reid Scott), though the guy is so smarmy we instantly feel she’s better off without him. When Daniel flakes out at the last minute on taking their 16-year-old daughter Izzy (Ella Rubin, who looks quite a bit like “The Princess Diaries”-era Anne Hathaway), and Izzy’s friends to Coachella to see their childhood crush band August Moon, it’s up to Solène to literally take the wheel. (It’s a sign of Daniel’s absentee cluelessness that he doesn’t realize Izzy has moved on from having posters of August Moon on her bedroom wall. The band you love at 11 is rarely the band you love when you’re 16.)

Backstage at Coachella, we get that obligatory Meet Cute between Solène and Hayes, who is 24 and looks like an AI version of a pop star, from the mussed-up hair and the perfect cheekbones to the random tattoos and the aw-shucks stage presence. (There’s a decidedly One Direction vibe to August Moon, and Galitzine does an admirable job of looking and sounding like a pop star, with the production design team re-creating Coachella in a field in Georgia.)

• Review of Nicholas Galitzine, Julianne Moore in ‘Mary & George’

Solène wisely resists Hayes’ initial advances, and that seems like a good idea — not just because of the age difference and the fact that Hayes is an international sex symbol, but maybe more so because she was emotionally T-boned by Daniel’s infidelity and isn’t so sure the idea of love can grow into lasting commitment. Still, with Izzy conveniently away for the summer at camp, Solène decides she deserves an adventure, and that’s our cue for a medley of scenes with Solène accompanying Hayes and the band on a European tour, with the two of them tearing up hotel rooms from Rome to Paris to Barcelona along the way.

Once the press discovers the relationship, all madness breaks loose, and you can probably guess what happens in the subsequent scenes. “The Idea of You” is at its best during some of the quieter moments, as when Solène tells Hayes how she learned Daniel was unfaithful, and when Hayes recounts how he was thrilled at the prospect of meeting his musical idol and perhaps even collaborating with him, only to learn he had been hired to make an appearance at the birthday party for the star’s daughter.

Hayes’ fear is he’ll become a some-hits wonder punchline; Solène’s fear is this romance will turn HER into a punchline. We’re so glad they’re in a rom-com, as that means there’s a fighting chance for a reasonably plausible fairy-tale ending.

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Kevin Costner Is Once Again Hiring Extras for 'Horizon: An American Saga'

Anybody fancy a trip to Colorado?

While actually starring in a film alongside Hollywood's favorite cowboy may require a bit more work, you can actually apply to for a very small part in his upcoming film. That's right, Costner's ongoing Western movie franchise, Horizon: An American Saga , is seeking extras to briefly join the cast on set in Durango, Colorado for chapter 3 on May 15, 2024.

Now, if you're a Colorado native, or someone who simply loves traveling to the area often, then this is pretty good news for you. Though, before you immediately try to dive into this opportunity, there are a few things you should know.

For starters, the saga takes place during both the pre- and post-Civil War era, and it focuses on a family living the "Old West" lifestyle. With that said, The Durango Herald reports that extras would be wearing not-so-comfortable clothing, like "corsets, heavy dresses, old-timey lace-up boots and extensive hairstyling" for women and "itchy wool jackets, multiple layers, heavy boots" for men.

Now that you can picture what a day-in-the-life of acting alongside Costner might be like (and given that you're still interested), here are the logistics of this casting call.

According to a press release , Casting Coordinator Maryellen Aviano says that there are opportunities for about "60 to 70 extras," with most of those spots going to adults, as well as a few slots for children.

There are a few requirements and specifics that they are looking for—and no, you don't need to be an Academy Award winner or a cowboy for that matter!

Here's what they're looking for: Men and women of all ethnicities as well as minors 13-years or older. (Families are welcome!) But note that extras should be available on May 15 from mid-morning into the night. There will also be a wardrobe fitting required. Restrictions include no visible tattoos, gauged earrings, facial piercings, modern hairstyles, or bleached hair.

Ready to apply? Head to The Durango Herald for specific information on how to sign up and how you'll get paid. The relevant information is listed toward the end of the release.

Josiah Soto is the assistant editor of news and social for The Pioneer Woman. He helps manage the website’s social channels, in addition to writing high-performing news and entertainment content daily. 

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Netflix is streaming the craziest action movie of 2024. Here’s why I loved it

This month seems to be the time to release action movies that color outside the lines. We’ve already had Dev Patel’s Monkey Man , a messy, throw-everything-at-the-wall action movie that blends intricate fight sequences and on-the-nose social commentary in an entertaining package that will surely gain cult status in the near future. Just this weekend, Boy Kills World dished out loads of cartoon violence and over-the-top gore in a bid for John Wick-level fandom. Both movies bend or break the rules of reality to deliver quickly cut fight scenes that push the boundaries of the genre, all in an attempt to one-up the high standards set by the best movies in the Mission: Impossible and Fast and Furious franchises.

• It’s an adaptation of a massively popular franchise

The action scenes are over-the-top and sublime

Ryo is both incredibly cool and utterly immature, city hunter constantly surprises you.

Yet the best of the April bunch is the one that has the lowest profile. City Hunter doesn’t star anyone you’d recognize like It actor Bill Skarsgård in Boy Kills World  and hasn’t been backed by an extensive marketing campaign like Universal’s Monkey Man . But the movie is a blast; it’s like putting Pop Rocks in a can of Mountain Dew and chasing it down with a couple of Pixy Sticks. It’s ludicrous, immature, and totally unrealistic. It’s also my favorite action movie of 2024. Here’s why you need to stream City Hunter pronto.

It’s an adaptation of a massively popular franchise

If you’re not a manga, anime, or Jackie Chan fan, you’ve probably never heard of City Hunter . That’s OK, I hadn’t either until I watched Netflix’s version. City Hunter began life as a popular manga series in 1985. It was quickly adapted into an anime series in 1987 and, later, theatrical animated movies released in 1989, 1990, 1999, 2019, and 2023. It’s also been adapted into several live-action iterations, including a 1993 Hong Kong movie starring Jackie Chan (who publicly trashed the film) and a 2019 French version with Pamela Anderson (!) in the cast.

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The Netflix version carries no baggage from the previous versions; in other words, you don’t need to know anything about the mythology of City Hunter to understand what’s going on. The movie’s plot is pretty straightforward: Former cops Ryo Saeba and his partner Hideyuki Makimura run a detective agency named City Hunter. They’re hired to find a teenage runaway, who has ingested a bootleg Angel Dust drug that gives its user temporary super strength. The only down side? You kinda die after the effects wear off.

After Hideyuki is murdered by one of these Angel Dust users, Ryo must team up with his partner’s adopted sister, Kaori, to find the the runway, protect her, avenge Hideyuki’s death, and take down the criminal organization behind the whole drug enterprise.

This is a fairly typical action movie plot (it reminded me a bit of the first two Lethal Weapon movies as well as The Adventures of Ford Fairlane ), and it’s retro simplicity is part of its charm. There’s no spooky AI algorithm to battle or world-ending crisis to solve; instead, Ryo has to overcome a designer drug cartel and a police force that doesn’t entirely trust his renegade behavior.

Is it a shock to claim that action movies live or die by their action sequences? No, of course not. And if you judge City Hunter purely by its fight scenes, the movie is a clear winner. It opens with one of its best scenes: an extended chase scene that starts with Ryo hand-gliding his way into a skyscraper, shooting a window so it break upon impact, executing a Street Fighter-style flying kick that would make Chun-Li proud, and concluding with Ryo using a massage mat to slide down some stairs and fly out another window, his flight scored by soaring rock music and punctuated by slow motion so you can soak it all in.

And that’s just the first 15 minutes! Later in the movie, there’s a showdown at a crowded cosplay convention where Ryo fights a leather-clad woman with a whip a la Catwoman , who then pulls out two small knives from the base of her bullwhip to subdue Ryo. Oh, and there’s also someone with a rifle shooting at Ryo while all this is going on. City Hunter ‘s action scenes are intense and often brutal, and even if they aren’t remotely realistic, you’re still on the edge of your seat to see how it will all turn out.

Two of my favorite action heroes ever are Steve McQueen’s cool, stylish cop in Bullitt and Spike Spiegel’s aloof loner in Cowboy Bebop . With his fashionable turtleneck shirts, beige trench coat, and playboy attitude, City Hunter ‘s Ryo Saeba is clearly drawn from the same cloth. And it’s a credit to actor Ryohei Suzuki that he embodies the aspects of this character flawlessly. Ryohei is incredibly charismatic, and he makes you love Ryo even when he’s acting like a complete idiot.

Unlike the characters that clearly inspired him, Ryo is immature and a bit goofy. He’s addicted to porn, ogles women’s breasts shamelessly, and is prone to showing his, er, excitement, when someone attractive is around him. (And someone always is.) Yet City Hunter doesn’t let its hero off the hook with this behavior.

Through Kaori’s constant disapproval and nudging to be better, Ryo eventually reigns in his immaturity enough to keep his focus and solve the case. It’s a redemptive arc that isn’t overplayed, and it feels earned.

I’d be remiss to not briefly touch on one of the best aspects of City Hunter : It always keeps you guessing as to what will happen next. The movie has its own narrative logic, so it never feels choppy, but it also constantly springs one surprise after another. From the aforementioned chase scene that opens the movie to its third-act showdown that pits Ryo and Kaori against a seemingly endless stream of foes, City Hunter throws constantly curveballs at you.

One such curveball is its non-sequitur humor. The movie is funny in ways that is both cheap and sophomoric, but it works. This is pre-adolescent humor that cheerfully finds comedy in the most juvenile things like uncontrollable erections, pervy photographers, and exploding heads, but it somehow all makes sense.

And then there’s a scene at a disco that finds City’s Hunter ‘s hero in nothing but a barely-there Speedo, dancing and posing joyfully in front of an adoring crowd. Why is Ryo doing this? And what purpose does it serve the movie? I’ll leave it to you to discover the answers to those questions because it’s all part of what makes the movie such a hoot to watch. You’d never find Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt doing what Ryo does in this movie, which makes it all the more unique and special to watch.

City Hunter may not be for everyone, and that’s OK. If you prefer dour action movies that are deadly serious, then give this film a hard pass. But if you want to see some of the craziest action scenes in film today, and don’t mind engaging with a movie that wields immature humor like a giant hammer (Kaori literally does this in several scenes), then start streaming City Hunter as soon as possible. It’s a movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously (just look at the last image of this article for proof) and remembers to prioritize one of the key reasons why we want to watch action movies in the first place: to have fun.

City Hunter is now streaming on Netflix.

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April is approaching, spring is finally here, and the weather seems to think it's still winter. That's OK though, as streaming TV has an abundance of treasures to keep you warm inside your home. In addition to  Netflix and Prime Video, Peacock has an impressive library of past and current hit movies and shows available to subscribers.

The highlights for Peacock in April include the series premiere of Orlando Bloom To The Edge and the streaming debut of the hit 2023 animated movie Migration. In addition, Community returns to the streamer, and season 3 of Resident Alien wraps up. Keep reading for the full list of films, series, and live sporting events that will be available on the streaming service throughout the month, as well as everything else coming to Peacock in April 2024. April 1 Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal (Peacock)*

With hit shows like Shōgun and blockbuster original movies like Damsel, streaming is still going strong in 2024. If you love watching movies at home, chances are you're already subscribed to popular streamers like Netflix and Hulu. But would you be surprised to know that one of the most underrated streaming services around is Tubi?

The underrated streamer has a plethora of new content available to stream from every conceivable decade and genre imaginable. Tubi has so much content that it can be hard to choose which shows and films are worth your time, but Digital Trends is here to help you sort out which ones are worth watching. Even though the streaming service is free, time is valuable, and no one wants to waste it watching mediocre movies.

It's never too late to celebrate Women's History Month. The month-long celebration happens every March, and this year, Max has decided to honor women everywhere with a programming schedule designed to highlight movies, TV shows, and documentaries that place women in front of and behind the camera, as well as subjects and themes that showcase the female experience.

Across its multiple brands and franchises, Max has refreshed its "In Her Voice" collection and broken the considerable library down into such categories as “Strong Leading Ladies,” “Comedy Showcase,” “Iconic Ensembles,” and more. Some highlights include recent TV shows such as True Detective: Night Country starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis and The Regime with Kate Winslet, as well as past seasons of such popular series as And Just Like That..., Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines, Insecure, Selena + Chef, Hacks, Abbott Elementary, and The Sex Lives of College Girls.

Woman injured in Chattaroy house fire dies in hospital

An elderly woman has died after a house fire north of Chattaroy early Saturday morning, officials said.

Officials declared her husband dead at the scene. The woman, who was airlifted to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, succumbed to her injuries Saturday evening.

Crews from Spokane County Fire District 4 responded to the house fire around 3 a.m., finding the two-story residence on North River Estates Drive fully engulfed in flames.

A neighbor called 911 after she reported being awakened by her dogs barking and then hearing and seeing the fire.

Investigation to the cause is ongoing, said Jared Harms, deputy chief fire marshal with the district. Initial investigation does not point to anything “suspicious” to indicate arson, Harms said.

Most of the home at 28310 N. River Estates Drive was destroyed. Crews didn’t see any working smoke alarms at the scene.

The home was owned by W.D. Johnson and was built in 1965, according to Spokane County property records.

“The single most important thing you can do to prevent loss of life in a house fire is ensure working smoke alarms,” Harms said.

Specialized procedure: Seattle patient travels to Spokane for robotic heart surgery at Sacred Heart

When a lifelong heart condition became worse, Donny Jones, who lives near Seattle, knew by last June that he’d be heading to Spokane.