IMDb RATING
5.6/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
A successful playwright falls in love with his new actress Hilary (Thandie Newton) and, in an attempt to leave his wife Elena (Anna Galiena) without incident, recruits a handsome Hollywood a... Read allA successful playwright falls in love with his new actress Hilary (Thandie Newton) and, in an attempt to leave his wife Elena (Anna Galiena) without incident, recruits a handsome Hollywood actor (Jon Bon Jovi) to seduce her.A successful playwright falls in love with his new actress Hilary (Thandie Newton) and, in an attempt to leave his wife Elena (Anna Galiena) without incident, recruits a handsome Hollywood actor (Jon Bon Jovi) to seduce her.
Thandiwe Newton
- Hilary Rule
- (as Thandie Newton)
Danny Worters
- Danny Webb
- (as Daniel Worters)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
This was a below-average soap opera about British actors and general low-life people. The worst of them all was the lone American, played by singer Jon Bon Jovi, who did a decent job of acting, playing the part of American movie star "Robin Grange."
Lambert Mason playing British playwright "Felix Webb" is the other main guy. He's an adulterer and one who gets caught up with his mistress demanding things. It's the usual story of the younger mistress demanding the older man can his wife and settle down with her. Yawn! How many times have we seen that?
It winds up being a soap opera about so-and-so fooling around with people they shouldn't, observers seeing all of this and putting their two cents in, and .......well, I might as well not spoil it for anyone who likes this sort of thing.
The main problem with the movie, in my opinion and in a nutshell, was that it was boring and it had too many characters one simply doesn't care about. Add those two negatives up and a you get a "not recommended" film.
Lambert Mason playing British playwright "Felix Webb" is the other main guy. He's an adulterer and one who gets caught up with his mistress demanding things. It's the usual story of the younger mistress demanding the older man can his wife and settle down with her. Yawn! How many times have we seen that?
It winds up being a soap opera about so-and-so fooling around with people they shouldn't, observers seeing all of this and putting their two cents in, and .......well, I might as well not spoil it for anyone who likes this sort of thing.
The main problem with the movie, in my opinion and in a nutshell, was that it was boring and it had too many characters one simply doesn't care about. Add those two negatives up and a you get a "not recommended" film.
Average romance drama that has a good story and adequate cast but a bad script/screenplay.Good moral lesson for men who want a misstress despite having a good wife.The movie starts very slow,has a promising middle part but ends weakly.Only for big fans of romance drama soaps and fans of the lead actors.....
I was pleasantly surprised by this movie when I saw it at the cinema years ago. I hadn't expected much, had gone there just to see Jon Bon Jovi's performance in it but it'd be fair to say that the movie gave me more than what I'd bargained for. In the first place, it was not filled with clichés and most of the cast did a real good job through the movie. And, most of all, Robin Grange was so much fun to watch, it was a very smart pick to choose Jon Bon Jovi to play such an irresistible, charming character -if you know what I mean. All in all, the movie was surprisingly good for me and through the years I've seen it at least a dozen times and what I think of it still hasn't changed.
When I watched this I enjoyed the plot and the fact that any twists in the story were emotional twists (people's feelings and motives being revealed - sometimes to the person themselves). However I felt that John Bon Jovi was not quite right in the main role and his dialogue sometimes sounded like he was reading it. However the other main roles of playwright, his wife and his lover were well played and fitted their roles well.
Overall the film is enjoyable and sensuous. It's a story where all the action takes place in people's hearts - so if you're into that sort of drama then this should be for you.
Overall the film is enjoyable and sensuous. It's a story where all the action takes place in people's hearts - so if you're into that sort of drama then this should be for you.
6=G=
"The Leading Man" peers into the lives of thespians including a playwright who is having an affair with an actress much to the chagrin of his wife. Enter the leading man, Bon Jovi, who offers to seduce the playwright's wife to distract her from her constant ruminations about her husbands affair. What happens after that is probably not what you would expect which is what makes this movie a pleasant surprise. Well cast, acted, written, directed, and shot, "The Leading Man" is an enjoyable little sleeper for mature tv audiences.
Did you know
- TriviaIn a 2020 interview with Vulture, Thandiwe Newton expressed her regret having appeared in this film, which was directed by John Duigan, who had groomed and abused her during the making of Flirting (1991) and had bullied her into participating. During a scene where Newton was topless, Duigan told her that the camera was framed above her breasts, and Newton was mortified to later discover that was not the case.
- GoofsThe exterior of the theatre in which the play is performed is obviously The Playhouse, Charing Cross, London but the interior is the Theatre Royal, Stratford, London.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Movie Show: Episode dated 1 June 1997 (1997)
- SoundtracksBurning Down the House
Performed by Talking Heads
Composed by David Byrne (as Byrne), Chris Frantz (as Frantz), Tina Weymouth (as Weymouth) AND Jerry Harrison (as Harrison)
- How long is The Leading Man?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $18,012
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $2,483
- Mar 8, 1998
- Gross worldwide
- $18,012
- Runtime
- 1h 40m(100 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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