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31-403: The film features an ensemble cast including Matthew Modine , Julianne Moore , Fred Ward , Anne Archer , Jennifer Jason Leigh , Robert Downey Jr. , Madeleine Stowe , Chris Penn , Jack Lemmon , Frances McDormand , Lori Singer , Andie MacDowell , Buck Henry , Lily Tomlin , actress and singer Annie Ross , and musicians Huey Lewis , Lyle Lovett , and Tom Waits . The film begins with

62-406: A fleet of helicopters spraying for medflies , which brings various characters together along the flight path. Dr. Ralph Wyman and his wife, Marian, meet Stuart Kane, an unemployed salesman, and Claire Kane, a party clown, at a concert Zoe Trainer performs on cello . They impulsively decide to have a Sunday dinner date. Meanwhile, Marian's sister, Sherri, is married to a cheating cop named Gene, who

93-508: A heated argument before their dinner party with the Kanes, during which Marian admits to having an affair. Both couples resort to heavy drinking, and the party lasts throughout the night. A glimmer of hope arises when Casey's eyes flutter, but tragically, he suddenly dies, leaving Howard and Anne devastated. Meanwhile, Zoe, overwhelmed by her mother's alcoholism, Casey's death, and her own isolation, commits suicide by starting her car engine inside

124-430: A large cast of characters, namely the show's hosts Chris McLean and Chef Hatchet, as well as a diversity of competitors commonly known as "Generation One": Beth, DJ, Gwen, Geoff, Lindsay, Heather, Alejandro, Duncan, Tyler, Harold, Trent, Bridgette, Noah, Leshawna, Katie, Sadie, Ezekiel, Cody, Sierra, Eva, Owen, Courtney, Justin, Izzy and Blaineley. Chris and Chef continued to appear as the hosts of every season, while many of

155-450: A large cast of many different imaginary friends, including protagonists Bloo, Cheese, Coco, Wilt and Eduardo, many of which were created by Craig McCracken ; Nickelodeon's Rugrats features a variety of characters, mainly the eight leading protagonists: Tommy, Dil, Chuckie, Phil, Lil, Kimi, Angelica and Susie; Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil and Angelica were featured since the show's inception in 1991, while Dil, Kimi and Susie were introduced in

186-460: A lesser-known supporting cast. Filmmakers known for their use of ensemble casts include Quentin Tarantino , Wes Anderson , and Paul Thomas Anderson among others. Ensemble casting also became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on different characters in different episodes. In addition, the departure of players is less disruptive than would be

217-470: A makeup artist. Tragedy strikes when Casey, Howard and Anne's young son, is accidentally hit by Doreen's car. Although he initially seems fine, Casey later falls unconscious at home. The concerned parents rush him to the hospital, where he remains comatose . In the midst of this, the baker Andy Bitkower repeatedly calls the Finnigans to inform them about their ordered cake. However, Howard, wanting to keep

248-405: A picnic, Jerry and Bill encounter two young women they had met earlier. Bill and one of the girls walk away, only to hear her scream moments before Jerry kills her with a rock. Suddenly, a major earthquake strikes, causing chaos. The aftermath suggests that Jerry's act may be mistakenly attributed to the falling rocks during the earthquake. According to associate producer Mike Kaplan, the screenplay

279-449: A production (typically film) with a large cast or a cast with several prominent performers. In contrast to the popular model, which gives precedence to a sole protagonist , an ensemble cast leans more towards a sense of "collectivity and community". Ensemble casts in film were introduced as early as September 1916, with D. W. Griffith 's silent epic film Intolerance , featuring four separate though parallel plots. The film follows

310-498: Is having an affair with Betty Weathers, while Betty is divorcing one of the helicopter pilots, Stormy. Among the other characters are Doreen Piggot, a waitress married to an alcoholic limo driver named Earl, and television commentator Howard Finnigan, who lives next door to cabaret singer Tess and her daughter Zoe. Jerry Kaiser, the pool cleaner, is married to Lois, who works from home as a phone sex operator. Jerry and Lois are friends with Honey, Doreen's daughter, and her husband Bill,

341-423: Is notorious for major character deaths, resulting in constant changes within the ensemble. Ensemble casts are common in children's television. Children's shows make heavy use of non-human characters: the casting process is only involved when there is an occasion of humans interacting with non-human characters. Non-human characters are usually created from scratch by a team of writers, who then send their sketches to

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372-557: The Venice Film Festival . A book was released to accompany the film, which compiled the nine short stories and one poem that inspired it. Altman wrote an introduction to this collection, which featured insights into the making of the film and his own thoughts about Carver's stories. Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver County was a behind-the-scenes documentary, featuring interviews with Altman and

403-478: The case with a regularly structured cast. The television series The Golden Girls and Friends are archetypal examples of ensemble casts in American sitcoms. The science-fiction mystery drama Lost features an ensemble cast. Ensemble casts of 20 or more actors are common in soap operas , a genre that relies heavily on the character development of the ensemble. The genre also requires continuous expansion of

434-590: The cast as the series progresses, with soap operas such as General Hospital , Days of Our Lives , The Young and the Restless , and The Bold and the Beautiful staying on air for decades. An example of a success for television in ensemble casting is the Emmy Award -winning HBO series Game of Thrones . The fantasy series features one of the largest ensemble casts on the small screen. The series

465-432: The cast. Anne Rapp , who wrote Cookie's Fortune and Dr. T & The Women for Altman, was commissioned to adapt more Carver stories into a screenplay which he did not film. Ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time. The term is also used interchangeably to refer to

496-469: The characters are strangers to one another. The interconnectivity is often shown to the audience through examples of the " six degrees of separation " theory, and allows them to navigate through plot lines using cognitive mapping . Examples of this method, where the six degrees of separation is evident in films with an ensemble cast, are in productions such as Love Actually , Crash , and Babel , which all have strong underlying themes interwoven within

527-684: The characters inarticulate, but the group portrait is as grandly, sometimes as hilariously, realized as anything the director has ever done." Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film four out of four stars and called it "a brilliant companion piece" to The Player . Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film "is not equally involving all the time. Some performances are stronger than others, some situations more entertaining, and some choices Altman has made, like an overreliance on female nudity that borders on

558-500: The creators for approval. In animated series, characters are created by writers, except for comic book and story book-based shows with currently existing characters. The Muppets that were intended for Sesame Street , and the title-character from Blue's Clues , were respectively created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Jim Henson , and Angela C. Santomero , Todd Kessler and Traci Paige Johnson , for edutainment purposes; Cartoon Network's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends consists of

589-487: The exploitative, difficult to defend. But whenever interest lags, a look, a moment, a frisson of regret will cross the screen and the emotional connection is restored." Rita Kempley of The Washington Post panned the film as "a cynical, sexist and shallow work" populated with "whiny, inert and mostly unlikable characters." Short Cuts was named one of the best films of 1993 by over 50 film critics. Only The Piano and Schindler's List appeared on more lists. Altman

620-456: The film four out of four stars and wrote: "Los Angeles always seems to be waiting for something. Permanence seems out of reach; some great apocalyptic event is on the horizon, and people view the future tentatively. Robert Altman's 'Short Cuts' captures that uneasiness perfectly in its interlocking stories about people who seem trapped in the present, always juggling." Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote, "The lives are often desperate and

651-478: The film. Short Cuts received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds a 95% approval rating, based on 60 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Robert Altman's ensemble drama deftly integrates its disparate characters and episodes into a funny, poignant, emotionally satisfying whole." On Metacritic , the film holds a score of 81 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Roger Ebert gave

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682-419: The garage. Her mother discovers her lifeless body and drinks herself into a stupor . When Honey picks up pictures from the fotomat , she finds them mixed up with Gordon's. Honey is shocked to find pictures of the submerged body from Gordon's fishing trip while Gordon equally shocked to find pictures of Honey appearing severely beaten. Disturbed, they part ways but memorize each other's license plates. Later, at

713-414: The lives of several characters over hundreds of years, across different cultures and time periods. The unification of different plot lines and character arcs is a key characteristic of ensemble casting in film; whether it is a location, event, or an overarching theme that ties the film and characters together. Films that feature ensembles tend to emphasize the interconnectivity of the characters, even when

744-766: The original characters only returned in a spin-off series, Total Dramarama (despite having yet to return to the game, they became the most well-known cast of the show); one other example of a children's show that involves human casting process and non-human character creation is Barney & Friends ; Other examples of shows that exclusively involve casting processes include Drake & Josh , iCarly and True Jackson, VP ; Other shows that exclusively involve non-human character creation include Tom Ruegger and Steven Spielberg 's Animaniacs , Tiny Toon Adventures , and Freakazoid! , as well as Cow and Chicken , Hey Arnold! , The Proud Family and The Replacements . Fine Line Features Fine Line Features

775-459: The phone line free, abruptly ends the calls, leading to frustration on Andy's part. Howard's estranged father, Paul, arrives at the hospital and recalls an incident from Howard's childhood, which caused the rift between them. Meanwhile, Stuart and his friends, Gordon and Vern, harass Doreen at the diner before leaving for a fishing trip. During their excursion, they discover the body of a young woman. Contemplating what to do, they decide to tie her to

806-549: The plots that unify each film. The Avengers , X-Men , and Justice League are three examples of ensemble casts in the superhero genre. Those three films all focus on teams of five or more protagonists, instead of the standard one or two central protagonists. Referential acting is a key factor in executing this balance, as ensemble cast members "play off each other rather than off reality". Hollywood movies with ensemble casts tend to use numerous actors of high renown and/or prestige, instead of one or two "big stars" and

837-426: The rocks and continue fishing, only reporting the incident later. Stuart eventually confesses to Claire, who is appalled by their actions and visits the funeral home out of guilt. Stormy, one of the helicopter pilots, pays a destructive visit to Betty's house while she is away with their son. Gene abandons the family dog due to its barking, but eventually retrieves it after his children express distress. The Wymans have

868-450: The second season of the series and the first two installments of the show's film trilogy , respectively; two fellow Nickelodeon shows, SpongeBob SquarePants and The Fairly OddParents , consist of large casts of marine life and magical creatures, respectively, including respective leading protagonists, SpongeBob, Patrick and Squidward, and Cosmo, Wanda and Poof; the first three seasons of Canadian cartoon series Total Drama consist of

899-628: Was first written in 1989. Filming primarily took place in Los Angeles , California . Principal photography began on July 26, 1992, and ended on October 1, 1992. The film was distributed by Fine Line Features and released in the United States on October 3, 1993. A special DVD edition was released by the Criterion Collection in 2004 and contains two discs, the collection of Carver's short stories, and an essay booklet on

930-602: Was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director (but lost to Steven Spielberg for Schindler's List ) and shared a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay with Barhydt (lost to Steven Zaillian for Schindler's List ). The cast won a Special Golden Globe Award for their ensemble acting. The film also won the prestigious Golden Lion and the Volpi Cup for Best Ensemble Cast at

961-504: Was the specialty films division of New Line Cinema . From 1991 to 2005, under founder and president Ira Deutchman , Fine Line acquired, distributed and marketed independent films . In 2005, New Line teamed up with fellow Time Warner subsidiary HBO to form Picturehouse , a new specialty film label into which Fine Line was folded. Fine Line Features DVD releases were split between HBO Video and New Line Home Entertainment . When New Line Home Entertainment ceased to exist in 2010, it

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