True Romance (1993)
94%RT Audience Score: 93%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 10 nominations
Fueled by Quentin Tarantino’s savvy screenplay and a gallery of oddball performances, Tony Scott’s True Romance is a funny and violent action jaunt in the best sense.
True Romance is the perfect blend of romance, action, and humor. It’s like a rollercoaster ride that takes you on a wild journey filled with unexpected twists and turns. The cast is amazing, and the chemistry between Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette is electric. Tony Scott’s direction is top-notch, and Quentin Tarantino’s screenplay is a work of art. The film is gritty, violent, and sexy, but it’s also sweet and romantic. It’s a movie that will make you laugh, cry, and cheer. If you haven’t seen True Romance yet, you’re missing out on one of the best films of all time.
Production Company(ies)
Morgan Creek Entertainment, Davis-Films, August Entertainment,
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Safari Inn – 1911 W. Olive Avenue, Burbank, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong violence and language, and for sexuality and drug use
Year of Release
1993
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Stereo
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 56m
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Language(s):English, Italian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 10, 1993 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 15, 2007
Genre(s)
Romance
Keyword(s)
starring Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, Chris Pine, Samuel L Jackson, James Gandolfini, directed by Tony Scott, written by Quentin Tarantino, romance, action, violence, oddball performances, comic-book nerd, Elvis fanatic, prostitute, pimp, cocaine, mob, shoot-out, meta-cinema, R rating, box office performance, budget, Warner Bros Pictures, produced by Gary Barber, Samuel Hadida, Steve Perry, Bill Unger, reviewed by Anton Bitel, Mark Kermode, Kate Muir, Peter Bradshaw, Owen Gleiberman, Richard Corliss, Matt Brunson, Allison Rose, Douglas Davidson, Pablo Muñoz, Casimiro Torreiro
Worldwide gross: $13,088,850
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $27,188,882
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,578
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,964,982
US/Canada gross: $12,281,551
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $25,511,915
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,331
US/Canada opening weekend: $4,023,420
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $8,357,670
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,002
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $13,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $27,004,317
Production budget ranking: 1,216
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $14,541,825
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$14,357,261
ROI to date (est.): -35%
ROI ranking: 1,596
Patricia Arquette – Alabama Whitman
Dennis Hopper – Clifford Worley
Val Kilmer – Mentor (Elvis)
Gary Oldman – Drexl Spivey
Brad Pitt – Floyd
Director(s)
Tony Scott
Writer(s)
Quentin Tarantino
Producer(s)
Gary Barber, Samuel Hadida, Steve Perry, Bill Unger
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 10 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (57) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (53) | Rotten (4)
This is the realm of meta-cinema, where those who make movies, those who long to be in them and those who model their behaviour on them all come together to contrive between them a classic movie climax: a shoot-out…
July 19, 2021
Anton Bitel
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
This is the best film Quentin Tarantino never made.
November 22, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Quentin Tarantino’s dirty, funny and unpredictably violent genius powers True Romance, directed by Tony Scott.
November 19, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Kate Muir
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The whole thing rattles along like that pink Cadillac they’re driving.
November 19, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
September 7, 2011 | Rating: B+
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
If shoot-’em-up, gobble-’em-down movies like The Fugitive and Jurassic Park are rated PG-13 these days, what does an R-rated action adventure look like? Like True Romance: violent to a fault, glam to the max.
August 16, 2009
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
A bubble-gum movie packed with quirky characters and moving at the speed of a ricocheting pinball.
July 3, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
Scott had a knack for drawing out emotions from his actors, which in turn, creates strong performances and a movie in which audiences can become emotionally invested.
June 27, 2022 | Rating: 4.5/5
Allison Rose
FlickDirect
“True Romance” remains a sweet, if not strange, romantic action comedy from one of the best directors in modern cinema, written by one of cinema’s highest rated screenwriters, and featuring a cast that’s wall-to-wall incredible…
June 26, 2022
Douglas Davidson
Elements of Madness
Gritty, shocking, sexy, and violent, Tony Scott’s film feels like the perfect union between frenetic action, darkly humorous mayhem, and biting dialogue.
September 25, 2020 | Rating: 9/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Admittedly, the model is still weird, filled with unexpected twists and poetic outbursts, but in this case, the offspring is equally creative in its sense of verbal sequence. [Full Review in Spanish]
April 17, 2020
Pablo Muñoz
Espinof
… a brilliant story… [Full review in Spanish]
March 14, 2018
Casimiro Torreiro
El Pais (Spain)…
Plot
In Detroit, Clarence Worley goes to the movie theater alone on the day of his birthday to watch some movies. The gorgeous Alabama Whitman accidentally drops her popcorn on Clarence and they watch the movie together. Later they go to a diner for pie, and end up having a one night stand. In the morning, Alabama confesses that she is a call-girl hired to spend the night with him, but she has fallen in love with him. In the morning they get married and Clarence goes to the club where she worked to bring her some clothes. However, her pimp Drexl Spivey and his partner beat up Clarence and he reacts by killing them both. Clarence asks for Alabama’s suitcase with her clothes and the other girls mistakenly give another one with cocaine. When Clarence discovers the mistake, he decides to travel with Alabama to the house of his friend, the aspiring actor Dick Ritchie, to sell the drug and travel to Mexico. He visits his father Clifford Worley and gives his address to him. But the Sicilian Mafia is the owner of the drug and a group of killers are sent to hunt down Clarnece and Alabama.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast of True Romance includes a “crazy” roster of A-level talent, including Christopher Walken, Chris Pine, Samuel L. Jackson, Dennis Hopper, James Gandolfini, and Brad Pitt.
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