Murphy's Romance
| Murphy's Romance | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Martin Ritt |
| Produced by | Laura Ziskin |
| Screenplay by |
Harriet Frank, Jr. Irving Ravetch |
| Based on | the novella by Max Schott |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Carole King |
| Cinematography | William A. Fraker |
| Edited by | Sidney Levin |
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Production
company |
Fogwood Films
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| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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107 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $13 million |
| Box office | $30,762,621 |
Murphy's Romance is a 1985 American romantic comedy film directed by Martin Ritt. The screenplay by Harriet Frank Jr. and Irving Ravetch was based on the 1980 novella by Max Schott. The film stars Sally Field, James Garner, Brian Kerwin, and Corey Haim, and was produced by Laura Ziskin for Field's production company Fogwood Films.
The film's theme song, "Love for the Last Time," is performed by Carole King.
Emma Moriarty (Sally Field) is a 33-year-old, divorced mother who moves to a rural Arizona town to make a living by training and boarding horses. She becomes friends with the town's druggist (pharmacist), Murphy Jones (James Garner), but a romance between them seems unlikely due to Murphy's age and because Emma allows her ex-husband, Bobby Jack Moriarty (Brian Kerwin), to move back in with her and their 12-year-old son, Jake (Corey Haim).
Emma struggles to make ends meet, but is helped by Murphy, an idiosyncratic widower who drives an otherwise immaculate antique automobile decorated with several political bumper slogan stickers Murphy terms his "causes". While refusing to help her outright with charity or personal loan, Murphy buys a horse and pays to board it with Emma, while encouraging others to do the same. He also introduces Emma to the town's local politicians and provides much-needed emotional support for Emma as well as Jake, who is looking for a father figure to emulate. A rivalry soon develops between Murphy and Bobby Jack. This contest of wills continues until a character shows up from Bobby Jack's recent past that surprises everyone, while forcing Murphy and Emma to reevaluate the nature of their relationship.
Sally Field and director Martin Ritt had to fight Columbia Pictures in order to cast Garner, who was viewed at that point as primarily a television actor despite having enjoyed a flourishing film career in the 1960s (and more recently having co-starred in the box office hit Victor/Victoria opposite Julie Andrews two years earlier).
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