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What Happened Was

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What Happened Was...
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTom Noonan
Screenplay byTom Noonan
Based onWhat Happened Was...
by Tom Noonan
Produced byScott Macaulay
Robin O'Hara
StarringKaren Sillas
Tom Noonan
CinematographyJoe DeSalvo
Edited byRichmond Arrley
Music byLudovico Sorret (Noonan's pseudonym)
Production
companies
Distributed byThe Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release dates
  • 26 January 1994 (1994-01-26) (Sundance)
  • 9 September 1994 (1994-09-09) (New York)
Running time
91 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$22,973 (US/Canada)

What Happened Was... is a 1994 American independent film written for the screen, directed by and starring Tom Noonan.[2] It is an adaptation of Noonan's original stage play of the same name.[3]

Premise

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The film depicts two people, played by Karen Sillas and Tom Noonan, on a first date; their conversation gradually reveals their lonely lives and hidden personalities.[4][5]

Reception

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What Happened Was... has an overall approval rating of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.[6]

On the Siskel & Ebert show, Gene Siskel gave the film a thumbs up, stating that "For what is really just one long night of conversation, the stakes and the tension couldn't be any higher if these were two characters having a more conventional action scene." Roger Ebert, however, gave the film a thumbs down, calling it "Contrived" and stating that "There is a lot less here than meets the eye."[7] The film is a favourite of filmmaker Charlie Kaufman.[8]

It opened at the Angelika Film Center in Manhattan on September 9, 1994 and grossed $22,973 in its opening week.[9][10][11]

Year-end lists

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Accolades

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It won the Grand Jury Prize and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival.[18] Noonan was nominated for Best First Screenplay and Karen Sillas for Best Female Lead at the 10th Independent Spirit Awards.

Planned sequel

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Noonan wrote a sequel, which he pitched to both Netflix and Amazon Prime, but it never came to fruition. Noonan and Silas were to have reprised their roles, and the film would have also co-starred Louis C.K., Charlie Kaufman and Vin Diesel.[19]

References

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  1. ^ MUBI
  2. ^ "The 10 Most Underrated American Independent Films of The 1990s - Page 2 - Taste of Cinema". Archived from the original on 2022-12-19. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  3. ^ Levy, Emanuel (28 January 1994). "What Happened Was". Variety.
  4. ^ "Roger Ebert". Archived from the original on 2020-03-29. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  5. ^ "TCM.com". Archived from the original on 2021-10-18. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  6. ^ "Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 2021-06-23. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  7. ^ "Quiz Show, Milk Money, A Simple Twist of Fate, A Good Man in Africa, What Happened Was…, 1994-Siskel and Ebert Movie Reviews". Archived from the original on 2021-01-13. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  8. ^ ""Anomalisa" Star Reveals E-Mail Trail Sparked Close Bond To Hollywood Great Charlie Kaufman". Archived from the original on 2023-05-05. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  9. ^ Klady, Leonard (September 12, 1994). "'Forrest' fires on". Daily Variety. p. 3.
  10. ^ Evans, Greg (September 13, 1994). "'Rapa' new; 'Eat Drink' not merry as exclus slow". Daily Variety. p. 3.
  11. ^ "Domestic box office". Variety. September 19, 1994. p. 16.
  12. ^ Anthony, Todd (January 5, 1995). "Hits & Disses". Miami New Times.
  13. ^ Webster, Dan (January 1, 1995). "In Year of Disappointments, Some Movies Still Delivered". The Spokesman-Review (Spokane ed.). p. 2.
  14. ^ Zoller Seitz, Matt (January 12, 1995). "Personal best From a year full of startling and memorable movies, here are our favorites". Dallas Observer.
  15. ^ P. Means, Sean (January 1, 1995). "'Pulp and Circumstance' After the Rise of Quentin Tarantino, Hollywood Would Never Be the Same". The Salt Lake Tribune (Final ed.). p. E1.
  16. ^ Movshovitz, Howie (December 25, 1994). "Memorable Movies of '94 Independents, fringes filled out a lean year". The Denver Post (Rockies ed.). p. E-1.
  17. ^ Simon, Jeff (January 1, 1995). "Movies: Once More, with Feeling". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  18. ^ 'What Happened Was,' 'Freedom on My Mind' Win Top Honors at Sundance Festival
  19. ^ Kois, Dan (27 January 2021). "Tom Noonan on What Happened Was … and the Sequel That Still Might be". Slate. Archived from the original on 28 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
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Awards
Preceded by Sundance Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Dramatic
1994 		Succeeded by
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