White Palace

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marco S @marcosl Sep 28, 2026 A masterpiece. Susan Sarandon gives a powerful and unforgettable performance as Nora Baker, the middle-aged, down-and-out, working-class 'Marilyn Monroe'. Susan and James Spader do a spectacular job together. This is the most romantic movie I have ever watched; it will stay with you forever. See more YIYI X @yiyi11 Nov 30, 2025 These days, I am crazy about Susan again, so I went to this movie. Never thought about her legs are straight and thin, and charming. And look good in red. I thought the ending would be that Nora left Max because of their personality and social differences. And his ashamed of reminding her in front of his family. What happens next would be a total bonus for me. The young man discovered his internal heart and decided to pursue his true self. And two broken people find their counterpart. See more Jun 7, 2022 Directed by Luis Mandoki and written by Ted Tally and Alvin Sargent — and based on the book by Glenn Savan — White Palace does something extraordinary for an American movie. It presents an older women as a sexual being every bit the equal of her younger male lover. Max Baron (James Spader) is a St. Louis advertising executive who has given up on life after the death of his wife. On the way to his friend Neil's (Jason Alexander) bachelor party, he grabs a sack of burgers from White Castle* — err, White Palace — a burger diner. He learns that the order is six burgers short and leaves the party to argue with the waitress who rang him up, Donna (Susan Sarandon). Later, they randomly meet in a bar and nearly argue until they mutually reveal why their lives are where they are: he's lost his wife and she's lost her son. And then improbably, they end up going home together. He wakes up to her going down on him, then they make love. It won't be the last time. And unlike so many Hollywood films, he repays her kindness with his own favors. There was even more of the ad agency in the film, including a problem client played by Gena Gershon. All of these scenes were cut, which also meant that most of Kathy Bates' role was also left out of the movie. There's also a sex scene removed from the film and the first one in the movie was cut down so the movie didn't get an NC-17 rating. Additionally, the original ending was the same as the book where Max proposes to Nora in a restaurant bathroom and the ending is inconclusive. That ending didn't test well so a new one was shot. You can see the actor's hairstyles change in the scene and that's your signal for which footage is from the reshoot. *The original title for the film was The White Castle, and the novel even makes reference to a specific White Castle at the intersection of S. Grand Blvd. and Gravois Ave. in south St. Louis. The restaurant chain refused permission to use its trademarked name in either the novel or the film. They also refused permission to allow any of its restaurants for filming locations. The diner used in the movie is now known as the White Knight; the filmmakers wouldn't let them call it the White Palace after the movie, which is weird when they went through all those legal naming issues themselves. See more May 23, 2021 One of the greatest, and most overlooked, love stories on film. Sarandon and Spader are simply brilliant. See more Oct 19, 2020 How much does age really matter between two people? Does the passion still burn? Or is life asking us to wake up and look at the situation? James Spader, Susan Sarandon, Jason Alexander, Maria Pitillo, Kim Meyers, and Kathy Bates Sarandon and Spader star in a romance along the lines of The Graduate based on the book by Glenn Savvan Max is in his 20s and Nora is in her 40s; he's a Jewish executive advertiser who got dumped by his previous wife and she's an employee at a burger restaurant who prefers more the wild side of things, she may be older but she is more bold than he realizes But how long can this last? Age and time can be cruel and both of them contend with class differences Max also hasn't told his buddies about her yet so it puts more of strain on things There's steamyness, laughs, even some heartfelt scenes that make this very watchable And I suppose anyone caught in this dilemma can connect with these two people constantly being pulled by life's difficulties; each of us carry our own baggage, not sure how to open our hearts or our lives, or have trouble admitting what's embarrassing It's true though people discover things, they don't change overnight, and they can still be who they want to be with someone new who doesn't resemble someone from their past. Spader and Sarandon make this movie sexy, sleek, identifiable, and real in many respects. It's also a big lesson in judgments and values, and a glimpse at emotional circumstances when it comes to age. See more steve d @RT35616104 Jul 11, 2020 Nothing interesting and no reason to care See more Read all reviews

White Palace

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