Searching for Debra Winger

Critics Consensus

No consensus yet.

80%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 5

57%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 1,294

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Movie Info

Directed by actress Rosanna Arquette, this candid documentary is not only about the iconoclastic and somewhat reclusive film star Debra Winger (who does not even appear onscreen until an hour into the film), but also about the trials and tribulations of actresses in Hollywood who have reached "that certain age." In the course of her "search," Arquette interviews several of her colleagues, among them Whoopi Goldberg, Diane Lane, Teri Garr, Holly Hunter, Vanessa Redgrave, Charlotte Rampling, Meg Ryan, and Sharon Stone, all of whom have their own personal horror stories about insensitive producers and casting directors who tend to think of over-40 (and sometimes over-30) actresses as being suitable only for mother, "other woman," and "hero's girlfriend" roles -- when they bother to cast these actresses at all. The women also discuss the difficulties in balancing a successful career and a private life. Test-marketed on the film festival circuit throughout 2002, Searching for Debra Winger received its largest audience when it aired over the Showtime cable channel on August 18, 2003.

Cast

Patricia Arquette
Rosanna Arquette
Emmanuelle Béart
Katrin Cartlidge
Laura Dern
Roger Ebert
Jane Fonda
Teri Garr
Whoopi Goldberg
Melanie Griffith
Daryl Hannah
Salma Hayek
Holly Hunter
Andy Jones
Kelly Lynch
Frances McDormand
Julianna Margulies
Chiara Mastroianni
Samantha Mathis
Catherine O'Hara
Julia Ormond
Gwyneth Paltrow
Martha Plimpton
Charlotte Rampling
Vanessa Redgrave
Theresa Russell
Meg Ryan
Ally Sheedy
Adrienne Shelly
Hilary Shepard Turner
Sharon Stone
Tracey Ullman
JoBeth Williams
Debra Winger
Alfre Woodard
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Critic Reviews for Searching for Debra Winger

All Critics (5) | Top Critics (2)

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Audience Reviews for Searching for Debra Winger

  • Oct 15, 2009
    No real structrual form which weakens this doc but what several of the actresses have to say is interesting. Not great but a good try.
    jay n Super Reviewer
  • Jun 08, 2009
    I really loved this documentary. Rosanna asks her peers if it is possible to balance work and a personal life and why aren't there better roles for women 30+. She interviews a great group of actresses including; Salma Hayek, Vanessa Redgrave, Meg Ryan, Jane Fonda, her sister Patricia Arquette and many more. Their responses were very intelligent and interesting. Part of the reason I rate this documentary so highly is because you could take almost anything that is said and apply it to any North American woman. Rosanna Arquette is very natural when she turns the camera on herself. She doesn't oversell herself, so you don't get the sense this project is a product of self-aggrandization, which is very important. It isn't even an attempt to stroke the egos of her fellow actresses (though it is obvious she admires them.) There are some really honest moments, which I didn't expect.
    Laura C Super Reviewer
  • Oct 25, 2008
    A pretty cool documentary about women in Hollywood.
    Sunil J Super Reviewer
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