The Fantasticks (film)
| The Fantasticks | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Michael Ritchie |
| Produced by | Michael Ritchie Linne Radmin Tim Healey Terry Miller Art Schaeffer |
| Written by |
Tom Jones Harvey Schmidt |
| Starring |
Joel Grey Brad Sullivan Jean Louisa Kelly Joey McIntyre Jonathon Morris Barnard Hughes Teller |
| Music by | Harvey Schmidt |
| Cinematography | Fred Murphy |
| Edited by | William S. Scharf Francis Ford Coppola (uncredited) |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
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Release date
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Running time
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86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10 million |
| Box office | $49,666 |
The Fantasticks is a 1995 musical film directed by Michael Ritchie. The screenplay by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt is based on their record-breaking off-Broadway production of the same name, which ran for 17,162 performances (and was subsequently revived off-Broadway).
Though it was made in 1995, the film did not see a proper, though very limited, release until 2000 in an abridged form.
Amos Babcock Bellamy (Joel Grey) and Ben Hucklebee (Brad Sullivan) scheme to get their respective children, Luisa (Jean Louisa Kelly) and Matt (Joey McIntyre), to fall in love. Knowing they will resist their fathers' interference, the two men use reverse psychology and fabricate a feud, building a wall between their houses and forbidding their children to speak to each other. When their plan works, they enlist the aid of El Gallo (Jonathon Morris), the proprietor of a traveling carnival, to put an end to their supposed disagreement in a manner which will not reveal their deception.
El Gallo pretends to kidnap Luisa with the help of his troupe, which includes elderly Shakespearean actor Henry Albertson (Barnard Hughes) and his mute sidekick Mortimer (Teller), and arranges for Matt to rescue her. The couple settles into what they anticipate will be domestic bliss, but through the eyes of El Gallo and company they see the harsh realities of the world, and their innocent romanticism is replaced by a more mature understanding of love.
The film was a pet project of Ritchie's, having been a huge fan of the original stage production. The theatrical production traditionally is performed on a bare stage with two-piece musical accompaniment, while the film adaptation transposed the action to the farm country of the 1920s American West, affecting a look similar to Oklahoma!, and most of the songs were rearranged for a full orchestra. Additionally, the songs were performed live by the actors, rather than dubbed in afterwards, as is the usual practice with a musical film.
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