C A R E E R - F I L M O G R A P H Y >> Back to Filmography Index
A DANGEROUS WOMAN (1993)
MAIN DETAILS • SYNOPSIS • CAST • QUOTES • NOTES • PHOTOS & MEDIA • CRITICAL PRAISE/COMMENTARY

A Dangerous Woman (1993) - photo copyright © Universal Pictures | Role: Getso U.S. Release: 1993 Director: Stephen Gyllenhaal"The story of a woman no one noticed until it was too late."Synopsis: Martha Horgan is mentally slow. She lives with her Aunt Frances and has a reputation for brutal honesty, which causes her to loose her job and several friends. Mackey, a trouble carpenter who has come to fix Aunt Frances's porch, unintentionally becomes intimately involved with Martha. And a stir of emotions and confusion enter Martha's life. Cast: Debra Winger .... Martha Horgan Barbara Hershey .... Frances Beechum Gabriel Byrne .... Mackey David Strathairn .... Getso John Terry .... Steve Chloe Webb .... Birdie Laurie Metcalf .... Anita Maggie Gyllenhaal .... Patsy Jake Gyllenhaal .... Edward Myles Sheridan .... Paul Richard Riehle .... John Viveka Davis .... Mercy Favorite Quotes: • "Help me, Martha..." - Getso Notes: • Director Stephen Gyllenhaal is the father of famous young stars Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal. Both make small appearances in A Dangerous Woman. • David would work with director Stephen Gyllenhaal again in Losing Isaiah and co-star Barbara Hershey in Paradise. • Co-star Debra Winger received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in A Dangerous Woman. • David and Debra Winger took part in the Guthrie Center's Stories (And Poems) That Delight benefit in 2005. • Debra Winger's husband, actor Arliss Howard, has worked twice with David (Beyond the Call and A Map of the World). Critical Praise & Commentary: • "Winger happens to look up as Strathairn slips money from the dry cleaners' till into his underwear. But Strathairn successfully accuses her of pilfering. What's a harassed 'screwball' to do?" -Desson Howe, Washington Post • "Frances pays a local dry cleaner to give Martha a job where, since she's so starved for attention and kind treatment, she has a crush on Birdy, one of the other clerks who treats her nicely--much to the amusement and later the scorn of Birdy's no good boyfirend Getso (played by the wonderful David Strathairn--who's such a good actor that for the second straight time I didn't recognize him)." -Linda Lopez McAlister, The Women's Show • "Strathairn adds further proof that he's one of the great contemporary character actors. His slow and underplayed expiration after Winger attacks him stands out as the most striking sequence in the film and one of the most distinctive death scenes in memory." -Todd McCarthy, Variety |