Inside Moves
1980 film by Richard Donner
title: "Inside Moves" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1980-films", "1980-drama-films", "american-drama-films", "1980s-english-language-films", "american-basketball-films", "golden-state-warriors", "films-about-friendship", "films-about-disability-in-the-united-states", "films-about-suicide", "films-set-in-oakland,-california", "itc-entertainment-films", "films-directed-by-richard-donner", "films-scored-by-john-barry-(composer)", "1980-american-films", "english-language-drama-films"] description: "1980 film by Richard Donner" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_Moves" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary 1980 film by Richard Donner ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox film"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Inside Moves |
| image | Inside Moves FilmPoster.jpeg |
| caption | Theatrical release poster |
| director | Richard Donner |
| screenplay | {{Plainlist |
| based_on | |
| producer | {{Plainlist |
| starring | {{Plainlist |
| cinematography | László Kovács |
| editing | Frank Morriss |
| music | John Barry |
| studio | Goodmark Productions |
| distributor | Associated Film Distribution |
| released | |
| runtime | 113 minutes |
| country | United States |
| gross | $1.2 million |
| language | English |
| :: |
| name = Inside Moves | image = Inside Moves FilmPoster.jpeg | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = Richard Donner | screenplay = {{Plainlist|
- Valerie Curtin
- Barry Levinson | based_on = | producer = {{Plainlist|
- Mark M. Tanz
- R. W. Goodwin | starring = {{Plainlist|
- John Savage
- David Morse
- Diana Scarwid
- Amy Wright | cinematography = László Kovács | editing = Frank Morriss | music = John Barry | studio = Goodmark Productions | distributor = Associated Film Distribution | released = | runtime = 113 minutes | country = United States |gross = $1.2 million | language = English
Inside Moves is a 1980 American drama film directed by Richard Donner from a screenplay by Valerie Curtin and Barry Levinson, based on the novel of the same name by Todd Walton. The film stars John Savage, David Morse, Diana Scarwid, and Amy Wright. At the 53rd Academy Awards, Scarwid was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.
Plot
After a suicide attempt leaves a man named Roary partially crippled, he finds himself living in a rundown house in Oakland, California. He spends a lot of time at a neighborhood bar, which is full of other disabled people, and becomes best friends with Jerry, the barman with a bad leg.
Jerry gains the attention and respect from the Golden State Warriors when he scrimmages a player and loses narrowly. After the bar owner suffers a heart attack, a new waitress named Louise is hired. Roary develops romantic feelings for Louise.
Jerry's luck turns around when one of the professional basketball players lends him the money for an operation to fix his leg. Once he is fully healed, Jerry becomes a basketball star, fulfilling his lifelong dream. However, he abandons his old friends by pretending they never existed.
Later, Jerry's old friends begin to resent him for his negligence, Roary visits Jerry and pressures him to visit the bar. Jerry offers up a half-hearted excuse for his absence, and despite Roary's feelings, begins seeing Louise in secret.
Roary finally confronts Jerry about his behavior and offers some final thoughts on their friendship and what the bar and its patrons meant during his recovery. After Roary leaves, Jerry angrily reflects on his past decisions.
Roary reunites with Louise. Jerry returns to the bar and reveals his insecurities to his old friends, who understand right away.
For the first time in 25 years, Max closes the bar, so everyone can attend Jerry's basketball game.
Cast
- John Savage as Roary
- David Morse as Jerry Maxwell
- Diana Scarwid as Louise
- Amy Wright as Anne
- Tony Burton as Lucius
- Bill Henderson as Blue Lewis
- Steve Kahan as Burt
- Jack O'Leary as Max
- Bert Remsen as Stinky
- Harold Russell as Wings
- Pepe Serna as Herrada
- Harold Sylvester as Alvin Martin
- Arnold Williams as Benny
- George Brenlin as Gil
- Gerri Dean as Hooker
- William Frankfather as Fryer
Production
In his 2006 audio commentary for Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, Donner states that he agreed to direct Inside Moves only to take his mind off being fired and replaced from Superman II. He referred to Inside Moves as "the smallest film I could do that was just very near and dear to me, at that point, and I felt this is going to take my mind totally off that."
The film marked the return to the screen by disabled veteran Harold Russell, 34 years after his Oscar-winning role in The Best Years of Our Lives.
Donner's biographer James Christie relates how the director would often confuse cinematographer Kovács with his fellow Hungarian Vilmos Zsigmond. When Zsigmond visited the set, Donner had T-shirts made up that read "MY NAME IS NOT LÁSZLÓ" and "MY NAME IS NOT VILMOS" for each of them. Later, they switched shirts and confused everyone.
Reception
Critical response
Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 63 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that "Inside Moves is such a well-acted movie, and parts of it are so effectively offbeat, that it rises above its own potential for sappiness, just as surely as its characters triumph over their troubles." Maslin also called it "a modest and sentimental movie, but also one that, on its own terms, accomplishes what it means to." Emanuel Levy described the film as "a compassionate, well acted melodrama about what it means to be a disabled American."
Accolades
::data[format=table]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 53rd Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Diana Scarwid | |
| 1982 | 15th Turkish Film Critics Association (SİYAD) Awards | Best Foreign Film | Inside Moves | |
| :: |
References
References
- Donahue, Suzanne Mary. (1987). "American Film Distribution: The Changing Marketplace". UMI Research Press.
- (5 October 2014). "The 53rd Academy Awards {{!}} 1981".
- (2006). "Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut". Warner Bros. Pictures.
- Christie, James. (2010). "You're the Director...You Figure It Out. The Life and Films of Richard Donner". BearManor Media.
- "Inside Moves".
- Maslin, Janet. (December 19, 1980). "'Inside Moves,' Starring John Savage".
- Levy, Emanuel. (June 9, 2011). "Inside Moves (1980): Donner's Disability Melodrama, Starring John Savage and Diana Scarwid in Oscar-Nominated Performance".
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