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What Happened Was
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Wikipedia article
'What Happened Was...' is a 1994 American independent film written for the screen, directed by and starring Tom Noonan. It is an adaptation of Noonan's original stage play of the same name.
Premise
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.[https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/what-happened-was-1994 Roger Ebert][http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/95428/What-Happened-Was/ TCM.com]
Reception
'What Happened Was...' has an overall approval rating of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.
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."[https://siskelebert.org/?p=4168 Quiz Show, Milk Money, A Simple Twist of Fate, A Good Man in Africa, What Happened Was, 1994-Siskel and Ebert Movie Reviews] The film is a favourite of filmmaker Charlie Kaufman.
Year-end lists
* 10th Todd Anthony, 'Miami New Times'* Top 9 (not ranked) Dan Webster, 'The Spokesman-Review'
* Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) Jimmy Fowler, 'Dallas Observer'
* "The second 10" (not ranked) Sean P. Means, 'The Salt Lake Tribune'
* Honorable mention Howie Movshovitz, 'The Denver Post'
* Honorable mention Jeff Simon, 'The Buffalo News'
Accolades
It won the Grand Jury Prize and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival.[https://apnews.com/02c46f62f0a8af17cba00ffbe1d800e6 'What Happened Was,' 'Freedom on My Mind' Win Top Honors at Sundance Festival] Noonan was nominated for Best First Screenplay and Karen Sillas for Best Female Lead at the 10th Independent Spirit Awards.
References
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