April 12, 2002
| Paramount Pictures
| 98 minutes
Directed by: Roger Michell
| Written by: Chap Taylor, Michael Tolkin
| Cinematography: Salvatore Totino
| Editing: Christopher Tellefsen
| Costume Design: Ann Roth
| Production Design: Kristi Zea
| Music: David Arnold
An attorney (Ben Affleck) in a rush to file papers involving a multi-million dollar trust accidentally collides with an alcoholic insurance salesman (Samuel L. Jackson). The attorney leaves the scene of the accident and strands the salesman, causing him to miss his custody hearing. During the process of the post-crash discussion, the attorney accidentally drops the papers he needs to present in court. The judge gives him until the end of the day to present the papers and thus begins a cat and mouse game between the proponents.
Cast: Ben Affleck (Gavin Banek), Samuel L. Jackson (Doyle Gipson), Toni Collette (Michelle), Amanda Peet (Cynthia Delano Banek), Sydney Pollack (Stephen Delano), William Hurt (Doyle's Sponsor), Richard Jenkins (Walter Arnell), Tina Sloan (Mrs. Delano), Akil Walker (Stephen Gipson), Dylan Baker (Finch), Cole Hawkins (Danny Gipson), Ileen Getz (Ellen), Jennifer Dundas (Mina Dunne), Kim Staunton (Valerie Gipson), Matt Malloy (Ron Cabot), Myra Lucretia Taylor (Judge Frances Abarbanel), Bruce Altman (Terry Kaufman), Joe Grifasi (Judge Cosell), Lisa LeGuillou (Gina Gugliotta (as Lisa Leguillou)), Angela Goethals (Sarah Windsor), Kevin Sussman (Tyler Cohen), Susan Varon (Sheryl Buckburg), Michael McGrath (Seavers), John Benjamin Hickey (Carlyle)
Production Notes
It was actor Samuel L. Jackson’s choice for his character to wear a purple hat. Jackson’s characters often feature the color purple: Mr. Glass wears purple clothing in Unbreakable (2000) and Mace Windu has a purple light saber in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002). A day after the terrorist attacks on the USA of 11 September 2001, Roger Michell had the WTC towers digitally removed from the opening main title sequence in the film. In the DVD commentary, he admitted that it was a mistake to erase them and make it appear as if they did not exist. During the re-diting of the film, Michell reinserted them as a tribute. Roger Michell actually attended Alcoholic’s Anonymous meetings in order to get the idea of how Doyle Gipson’s A.A. meetings would play out on screen. The accident scenes were shot in two days with FDR highway shut down to regular New York traffic. The opening scene that takes place in the Temple of Dendur in the Metropolitan Museum was shot in one day.
