"Accidental Tourist" is an eccentric romance set in Baltimore in the 1980s and follows a man who writes travel guides for people who don't like to travel.
Macon Leary (William Hurt) has been married to Sarah (Kathleen Turner) for 17 years. A year ago, their 12-year-old son was shot and killed in a robbery in a fast food joint. The marriage is struggling, and Sarah moves out.
For a time, Macon lives alone with his untrained dog, Edward. He leaves Edward at a place that boards dogs. It's run by Muriel Pritchett (Geena Davis), an eccentric, flashy woman with a needy seven-year-old son, Alexander (Robert Hy Gorman). Macon breaks a leg in an accident caused by Edward and moves into the old family home with his sister, Rose (Amy Wright), and two brothers, Porter (David Ogden Stiers) and Charles (Ed Begley, Jr.). We learn the whole family is very eccentric and inward-looking. We also meet Macon's publisher, Julian Edge (Bill Pullman), who is attracted to Rose.
Macon finally succumbs to Muriel's shameless flirting and moves in with her and takes a shine to her son. The movie then follows Macon's difficult journey in sorting out his relationships with Muriel and Sarah and his ultimate effort to escape the life lessons embedded in his family's history.
The movie is faithful to Anne Tyler's characters in that they are all a bit off-center in their personalities. Macon is severely repressed and has generally drifted with life; the death of his son has squeezed his life even more. This is not a comedy, but there are funny incidents throughout, especially with Macon's siblings. Hurt and Davis inhabit their roles very well. I don't find Kathleen Turner as convincing, but she is adequate. It's a modest look at what tragedy can do to relationships.
Macon Leary (William Hurt) has been married to Sarah (Kathleen Turner) for 17 years. A year ago, their 12-year-old son was shot and killed in a robbery in a fast food joint. The marriage is struggling, and Sarah moves out.
For a time, Macon lives alone with his untrained dog, Edward. He leaves Edward at a place that boards dogs. It's run by Muriel Pritchett (Geena Davis), an eccentric, flashy woman with a needy seven-year-old son, Alexander (Robert Hy Gorman). Macon breaks a leg in an accident caused by Edward and moves into the old family home with his sister, Rose (Amy Wright), and two brothers, Porter (David Ogden Stiers) and Charles (Ed Begley, Jr.). We learn the whole family is very eccentric and inward-looking. We also meet Macon's publisher, Julian Edge (Bill Pullman), who is attracted to Rose.
Macon finally succumbs to Muriel's shameless flirting and moves in with her and takes a shine to her son. The movie then follows Macon's difficult journey in sorting out his relationships with Muriel and Sarah and his ultimate effort to escape the life lessons embedded in his family's history.
The movie is faithful to Anne Tyler's characters in that they are all a bit off-center in their personalities. Macon is severely repressed and has generally drifted with life; the death of his son has squeezed his life even more. This is not a comedy, but there are funny incidents throughout, especially with Macon's siblings. Hurt and Davis inhabit their roles very well. I don't find Kathleen Turner as convincing, but she is adequate. It's a modest look at what tragedy can do to relationships.