An idealistic girl, Patsy Newquist, saves a young photographer, Alfred Chamberlain, from a gang of hooligans. She falls for him, but he turns out to be a nihilist consumed with apathy. They hook up anyway, and she brings him home to meet her parents. All this happens against the background of random shootings that had just begun in NYC at the time the play the movie is based on was written. Her family had already lost a son, so they accept him. However, when the girl tries to change him and get him to find meaning in life, things go horribly wrong in a cruel twist of fate.
Written by
John Vogel
Plot Synopsis:
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Patsy Newquist (Marcia Rodd) is a 27-year-old interior designer who lives in a New York rife with street crime, noise, obscene phone calls, power blackouts and unsolved homicides. When she sees a defenseless man being attacked by street thugs, she intervenes, but is surprised when the passive victim doesn't even bother to thank her. She ends up attracted to the man, Alfred Chamberlain (Elliott Gould), a photographer, but finds that he is emotionally vacant, barely able to feel pain or pleasure. He permits muggers to beat him up until they get tired and go away.
Patsy is accustomed to molding men into doing her bidding. Alfred is different. When she brings him home to meet her parents and brother, he is almost non-verbal, except to tell her that he doesn't care for families. He learns that Patsy had another brother who was murdered for no known reason. Patsy's eccentric family is surprised when she announces their intention to wed, then amazed when their marriage ceremony conducted by the atheistic Rev. Dupas (Donald Sutherland) turns into a free-for-all.
Determined to discover why her new husband is the way he is, Patsy coaxes Alfred into traveling to Chicago to visit his parents. He hasn't seen them since he was 17, but asks them to help with a questionnaire about his childhood at Patsy's request.
Alfred ultimately agrees to try to become Patsy's kind of man, the kind willing to "fight back". The instant that happens, a sniper's bullet kills Patsy, again for no apparent reason. A blood-splattered Alfred goes to her parents' apartment, New Yorkers barely noticing his state. He descends into a silent stupor, Patsy's father (Vincent Gardenia) even having to feed him.
A ranting, disturbed police detective, Lt. Practice (Alan Arkin), drops by, almost unable to function due to the number of unsolved murders in the city. After he leaves, Alfred goes for a walk in the park. He returns with a rifle, which he doesn't know how to load. Patsy's father shows him how. Then the two of them, along with Patsy's brother (Jon Korkes), take turns shooting people down on the street.
love interest killed|love interest|nihilist|tragic ending|killing spree|cruel twist of fate|social satire|circle of violence|hero becomes villain|daughter killed|dog excrement|apathy|killed by a sniper|idealistic woman|dead son|random violence|senseless killing|crime spree|urban violence|rough neighborhood|life in the city|horse|black cop|anonymous telephone call|telephone|subway|subway train|subway ride|shot in the back|satire|resort|prank telephone call|police lieutenant|murder of wife|murder of brother|murder investigation|mother son reunion|mother son relationship|mother daughter relationship|limousine|kid brother|intellectual|in laws|husband wife relationship|horse riding|gay|gay brother|father son reunion|father son relationship|father daughter relationship|dinner|dead wife|dead daughter|dead brother|crazy policeman|closet|closet queen|church|candle|candlelight|camera|brother sister relationship|broken window|bribe|blood|blood on shirt|blackout|black eye|black comedy|apartment building|wedding|sniper|rifle|random murder|police detective|photographer|outing|new york city|murder|mugging|minister|homosexuality|homicide|ennui|gay slur|based on play|
Belgium (Flemish title): Kleine moorden zonder belang
Bulgaria (Bulgarian title): œалки ƒбий‚ва
Brazil: Pequenos Assassinatos
Canada (English title): Little Murders
Denmark: Smmord
Finland: Pieni murhia
France: Petits meurtres sans importance
Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title): Mikroi dolofonoi
Hungary (literal title): Kis gyilkossgok
Hungary: Szellemtan
Italy: Piccoli omicidi
Portugal: Salvo por Amor
Romania: Mici asasinate
Sweden: Sm, sm mord
Soviet Union (Russian title): еболŒˆие ƒбий‚ва
USA (complete title): Jules Feiffer's Little Murders
West Germany: Kleine Morde
West Germany: Kleine Mrder
Movie Details:
MOVIE
