Product Details

• Actors: Nick Nolte, Julie Christie, Lara Flynn Boyle, Jonny Lee Miller, Jay Underwood
• Directors: Alan Rudolph
• Writers: Alan Rudolph
• Producers: Ernst Etchie Stroh, James McLindon, Rebecca Morton, Robert Altman, Willi Bär
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Language: English, French
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• VHS Release Date: March 16, 1999
• Run Time: 119 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0767803329
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #297,859 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

Right from the start there's a wink in Alan Rudolph's dry comedy of sad characters. This film, touted for its Oscar-nominated performance by Julie Christie, is a solid entry for fans of Rudolph's Choose Me and Love at Large. First we meet the amorous Mr. Fix-it, aptly named Lucky Mann (Nick Nolte). Lucky is a big teddy bear who finds joy in construction and womanizing. Nearly every sentence is a smooth entendre or a typical Rudolph witticism. This arrangement seems to be fine with his longtime wife Phyllis (Christie), an ex-B-movie actress who acts as if much of her life is still a bad movie. Lucky's latest client is a young housewife (Lara Flynn Boyle) who also has a muddle of a marriage: Marianne swoons for Lucky's attention, because her husband, Jeffrey (Jonny Lee Miller), has energy for his high-rise business career but little else. Soon Jeffrey espies sad and stunning Phyllis and is on the prowl, unaware that she is Lucky's wife.

Many filmmakers have made statements about the rarity of monogamy but Rudolph is one of the few who finds so much strength in fooling around. He has deep, long answers to why his characters are the way there are, and this leads to scenes that actors relish, even if they don't ring true. Certainly Christie has not had a part this juicy in years, and Nolte, warm and energetic, simply shines. Miller, usually the young ruffian in films such as Trainspotting, gives an intriguing slant to a stuffed shirt. Rudolph has never reached the complexity nor the mastery of his mentor Robert Altman, but he has created his own niche: the comedy of characters usually found in urban dramas. There are laughs in this movie that you simply won't find in the typical Hollywood comedy. Like Altman, he proves that being an independent voice is not about the methods of filmmaking, it's about talent. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An intelligent movie about lust, love and finding each other, January 17, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Henderson, Nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Afterglow [VHS] (VHS Tape)

A slow, intelligent and witty film, Afterglow is perhaps one of the better testament about falling out of love and back. Julie Christie gives a moving performance as a washed-up actress looking back at her heydays and wondering where it all went. Nick Nolte playing her philandering husband certainly displays his devilish charm that makes him both irresistible in movies and in real life. But perhaps one of the most understated roles is that of Lara Flynn Boyle. She plays the dissatisfied housewife looking for a little sexual excitement that her husband (Johnny Miller) has failed to give her. She's quirky, sexy, and wonderful to watch. For anybody who wants to see a moving and wonderful love story, they should really see this film.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical tale of love lost & re-discovered, August 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Afterglow [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Ok, so it took my second attempt to see it all the way through, but boy was it worth it! Christie is magical in her portrayal. Not to be missed. Not for one seeking a creampuff light romance.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another reason why Julie Christie should continue to perform, April 26, 2002

By 

Frank Rodasky (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Afterglow [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Here's Julie Christie more beautiful, more enchanting, sexier than she has been since her role in Doctor Zhivago thirty years ago. She's an ageless wonder, delicate and sweet while also being smart and tough. Her performance as Phyllis Mann, a washed up B-Movie actress is entrancing, so much so that when viewing the film, I found myself ignoring the other actors while she was on screen. I couldn't take my eyes from her for a moment, though that's no slander at her co-stars. Nick Nolte is as watchable and likable as ever as Christie's philandering husband. Lara Flynn Boyle and Johnny Lee Miller have never really been my cup of tea, but perform complex parts with admirable skill. They are a young couple with all the material possessions in the world but separated by an emotional iciness between them. Boyle wants a child while Miller does not, so she turns to handyman Nolte. Miller happens to meet Christie and becomes fascinated by her while she allows herself to be seduced as much out of revenge as curiosity. The film is stylishly directed by Alan Rudolph and I give special credit to cinematographer Toyomichi Kurita for his excellent camera work, though I envy him for getting to stare through his lens every day to see Julie Christie before him. A touching film with fine performances all around, with Christie the standout(yet again).