MovieChat Forums > Marvin's Room (1997) Discussion > How much did you love RUTH?

How much did you love RUTH?

posted 18 years ago by mercycroft
12 replies | jump to latest

I didn't even realize it was Gwen Verdon until I looked it up. She's fantastic in this, as are all the actors. I watched it for Streep and Keaton, but fell in love with Verdon. Especially in the scene where she tells Keaton why she hasn't revealed to Marvin that Bessie is sick. Tears welling up big time over in my family room.

This movie was packed with A list talent--Old ones like Hume Cronyn and Verdon, to modern classics Keaton, Streep and DeNiro, and new talent DiCaprio. Why can't they make films like this anymore? TOO MANY SPECIAL EFFECTS junk heaps or overly sentimental tear-jerkers.

[–] mjjscott 18 years ago

Yeah, Ruth is great! A classic performance from Gwen Verdon, as always. Ruth watches a lot of telly --- she's shown watching an episode of "Sun Rise City" in which a young man is fighting with his fiance. He looks like Michael Douglas --- could this be for real??? I can't find a reference to a TV series called "Sun Rise City" on Google, or on Michael's filmography.

[–] AreYouAHeather 18 years ago

i loved ruth in this
look marvin your flying

Greetings and salutations...you a Heather?

[–] emmablah07 17 years ago

Ruth was great! I just got cast as Ruth for my university's production.

[–] Trombonegal2006 12 years ago

I'm in the middle of this movie as I write this and am really confused. How is Ruth related to Bessie?
Thanks for the help in advance! Great movie so far!!

[–] Anaheim92807 9 years ago

Ruth was Bessie's aunt. She was the sister of Marvin, played by Hume Cronym.

[–] Devans00 16 years ago

I love Gwen Verdon's dancing so I was happy to see her in this movie. Whether she's dancing or acting, that woman has charisma to spare.

>O Stands For Osom (awesome) ~ New York<

[–] jojolovesyou 16 years ago

I loved ruth she's crazy I would love to have someone like her in my family =]

ILY~Frank Abagnale Jr.~claimed~Epic thread 2

[–] spng157 15 years ago

haha Ruth was hilarious!! She had me cracking up every time :)

[–] act928 15 years ago

I loved Ruth when she was getting ready for the wedding, and then Lee comes in and goes "ruth you look beautiful" and then she goes "i'm just a silly old woman getting dressed up for a tv show" and then Lee goes " no your not" while smiling. That was sooo cute!!!

[–] bsb205 15 years ago

The lady who played ruth is a good actress.

[–] randy-welch-1 12 years ago

She's funny (intentionally and not), she's sweet and well-meaning, and her childish nature lightens up a tense movie. Driving to Disney World: "Stick your hand out the window, Charlie. It's like an airplane." Even tough, cool Hank does it.

Her obsession with the soap opera, and its silly plot, where someone (Coral?) shoots someone else but isn't a bad person because she felt really awful about it, helps parallel the family drama unfolding with all the other characters, though of course the real family is not as extreme. There is that zinger of a line about the soap opera from Ruth that stuns Lee: "How can one sister be so good and the other be so bad?"

I guess they leave her relationship deliberately unknown; not sure why. Is she Marvin's sister, or the sister of Marvin's wife? I re-watch the movie for clues and never find any.

I really like how the movie ends with a discussion of the soap opera, with everyone jumping in to sort things out.

[–] Anaheim92807 9 years ago

Gwen Verdon did a marvelous job as Ruth. She should have been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.