The Coolidge Corner Theatre

$25 regular/ $15 Students and Seniors

A screening of Jonathan Demme's breakthrough film, followed by a 2pm panel discussion hosted by Elvis Mitchell, former New York Times film critic, with long-time Demme cinematographer Tak Fujimoto, music editor Suzana Peric, and Jonathan Demme himself.

Jonathan Demme would later become one of America's premiere directors, with an Oscar for The Silence of the Lambs and numerous nominations to his credit, but it was this sublime 1980 comedy that put him on the Hollywood map. Esteemed critic Pauline Kael called it "an almost flawless act of sympathetic imagination," referring to the movie's semifictional treatment of the true story of Melvin Dummar (played to perfection by Paul LeMat), an average guy whose life was turned upside down when he was made beneficiary of a $156 million will allegedly signed by millionaire Howard Hughes. Demme and Oscar-winning screenwriter Bo Goldman do not concern themselves with the validity of Dummar's claim; they're more interested in showing how Melvin's life is transformed--not necessarily for the better--by the influx of sudden wealth. Melvin doesn't take easily to being rich, and in telling his story Melvin and Howard becomes a true American classic, guaranteed to stand the test of time and improve with age like John Ford's The Grapes of Wrath.

The post screening conversation will be introduced by Alice Stone. Alice Stone is an independent filmmaker in residence at the Boston Center for the Arts. Her feature documentary "She Lives to Ride," about women motorcyclists, played a raucous, extended run at The Coolidge and went on to play theatrically across the US. Also for the Coolidge, she wrote and directed two humorous trailers that encourage people to become members. Her short films have played at numerous festivals, and on WGBH. Alice began her career as an assistant editor, working on three films directed by Jonathan Demme. She is currently producing a documentary feature, "Double Digit Death," about a child sent into the foster care system.