Curtis Hanson (1945-2016)
Wednesday, September 21, 2016 at 4:00PM Director Curtis Hanson passed away yesterday at the age of 71. Word is that Alzheimer had forced a retirement five years ago.
Eminem won a Song Oscar for his collaboration with Curtis Hanson in "8 Mile"
Hanson's brush with A list "prestige" was brief (3 Oscar nominations for producing, co-writing, and directing the much-admired LA Confidential) but his career was a fine example of versatile craftsmanship. He served as an important reminder that there's more to directing than auteurial stamps...
It's hard to come up with a through line for his work but think of all of his solid entertainments and then marvel at how different they were from each other! We're confident he would have been an even bigger deal within the studio system as a very strong director-for-hire.
The best thing about his work, other than its versatility, might have been how frequently he took a chance on non-famous actors and gave them early wins like Anthony Mackie, Russell Crowe, or Julianne Moore. Or the fact that he put actors in roles other people might not have even considered them for for various reasons related to typecasting or where they were in their careers at the time like Meryl Streep (The River Wild), Michael Douglas (Wonder Boys), and Kim Basinger (LA Confidential, Oscar win).
Which of his best known works is your second favorite -- knowing that everyone loves LA Confidential most?
• Losin' It (1983) which gave Tom Cruise his first lead role a few months before Risky Business
• The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992) the out of nowhere hit that gave us an early sassy Julianne Moore - you can see this film's influence in so many mainstream hot-topic suburban trash thrillers
• The River Wild (1994) Meryl's only action heroine role!
• Wonder Boys (2000) which was probably thisclose to being an Oscar success -given its stand alone Editing nomination and the celebrated performances
• 8 Mile (2002) which capitalized on the peak of Eminem and brought the world Anthony Mackie (as Eminem's arch-rival "Papa Doc")
• In Her Shoes (2005) His most underrated gem, with Toni Collette & Cameron Diaz as bickering sisters
Here are some online remembraces in case you haven't seen them...
RIP Curtis Hansen . Thank you for believing in me & standing your ground. In reality you made my job a career. Love & respect my friend.
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) September 21, 2016
Eminem reacts to the death of Curtis Hanson in a statement to Billboard. pic.twitter.com/2vRIfg7IlW
— Eminem News (@SlimShadyEmNews) September 21, 2016
It was an honor to make "Bad Influence" with Curtis Hanson. So smart, so kind and a great storyteller. I will miss him.
— Rob Lowe (@RobLowe) September 21, 2016
At 21, Curtis Hanson took the glamour shots of Faye Dunaway that helped convince Arthur Penn and Warren Beatty to cast her as Bonnie. RIP.
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) September 21, 2016
So sad to here of Curtis Hanson's death. He was a lovely man & a terrific story teller. RIP x https://t.co/kZDcekq3xS
— Kim Cattrall (@KimCattrall) September 21, 2016
This saddens me deeply. I worked with Curtis on #TooBigToFail. Great director and the nicest man. RIP, dear friend. https://t.co/UMo04Vbaeu
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) September 21, 2016
I'd always see Curtis Hanson at L.A. repertory theaters. Erased that line between people who made films and those that loved them. #RIP
— Tim Grierson (@TimGrierson) September 21, 2016
RIP Curtis Hanson. LA CONFIDENTIAL to WONDER BOYS to 8 MILE is as good and varied a run as any director has had in the past 20 years.
— Steven Hyden (@Steven_Hyden) September 21, 2016
You amplified the world, Curtis Hanson - RIP https://t.co/eumAUh7pg5
— Mira Nair (@MiraPagliNair) September 21, 2016
Reader Comments (27)
Nooooooo!! What a shitty year!! Make it stop!!
You know he was the person who directed The Hand That Rocks The Cradle which at 15 was my first sighting of God AKA Julianne Moore.
An underrated director IMO,liked all his films esp LA Confidential,THTRTC & The River Wild,he was a v good woman's director,he worked with some real Film Experience faves
Meryl Streep
Frances Mcdormand
Julianne Moore
Elisabeth Shue
Toni Collette
Isabelle Huppert
Kim Basinger
Drew Barrymore
Shirley MacLaine
Rebecca DeMornay
Now that's some roll call.
I totally forgot he did In Her Shoes! I saw it by myself at a discount theater. I remember it as one of Cameron Diaz's best (and sadly overlooked) performances.
IN HER SHOES is an underrated gem!!! I hope people don't just dismiss it as a 'chick flick' and give it a 2nd shot on dvd someday... Cameron Diaz has never been better
Wonder Boys hands down, one of the most underrated films of the last 25 years and showed he had a real knack for comedy. RIP
Wonder Boys is my favorite film of his followed by The River Wild and L.A. Confidential. What a versatile director.
What was so commendable about his work is that each film he did was so different in style and genre. You can't say that about Spielberg, Cameron, etc, as talented as they may be. Curtis Hanson proved he could take on any story with a freshness and diversity sorely lacking in film today...
RIP Curtis Hanson
So strange. I spent a sick day just last week at home in bed watching L.A. Confidential about four times and wondering why I don't revisit it more often. He certainly was a great craftsman, may he rest in peace.
Curtis Hanson was a very solid director, time and again. Wonder Boys is my favourite. Michael Douglas is exquisite, the rest of the cast shine, and Hanson directs with such charm and grace. It's a movie that twinkles.
R.I.P.
I love LA Confidential SO MUCH sometimes I can't even take it. But since I've seen it plenty, I should re-watch The Wonder Boys and make sure it's my second-fave. RIP
L.A. Confidential is beyond masterful. I also unapologetically enjoyed The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, The River Wild, and 8 Mile. But the two films that really endeared me to him as a filmmaker are Wonder Boys and In Her Shoes. Never mind the impressive shifts of scale, between genres, the man walked a tricky tightrope of tone in many, many of his movies (i.e. all of the above), where many, many things could've gone terribly wrong (or at the very least campy). And yet his sturdy hand as a director managed to keep these efforts respectable and, critically, watchable. Even in his less successful pictures (Bad Influence, Lucky You), you at least could see what he was going for, doing his own take on interesting, of-the-moment subject matter. Time to crack out the DVDs, Netflix, etc. #RIP
"Wonder Boys" is a special movie
Wonder Boys was the best film of 2000, one of those perfect little gems with spot on casting and perfect timing. Think I'll have to re-watch it tonight in his honor.
I haven't seen some of them (WONDER BOYS). I have soft spots for BAD INFLUENCE and THE RIVER WILD , based mainly on memories of enjoying the movies for what they were and zeitgeist.
His work from Bad Influence to In Her Shoes is one hell of a fucking run. All diverse and thoroughly entertaining as well as be engaging.
I can't believe Russell Crowe misspelled his name! I just can't stand him.
I absolutely love Wonder Boys and Bad Influence is twisted and super enjoyable.
I love In Her Shoes! It reminds me a little of me and my sister. Diaz and Collette were great and it's probably my favorite post 2000 Shirley MacLaine role. I kept hoping Hanson would tackle another female focused movie.
The Hand That Rocks The Cradle does not get the credit it deserves. Calling it trash really? There are much worse movies in the genre. The genre was at its artistic peak in the late 80's and early 90's. Single White Female and Basic Instinct also came out that year. He killed Julianne Moore than denied her an Oscar for Kim Basinger. Who out of all the questionable 90's supporting actress winners gets undeservedly dismissed.
I always thought The River Wild was way underrated and a very good film. I too enjoyed Wonder Boys. RIP.
/3rtful -- i don't dislike the movie but it is a "trash" genre. the nuclear family threatened by "the other" preying on conservative fears. It's a very very trashy genre but that doesn't mean there haven't been classics (all genres are capable of classics) and in that genre i'd say FATAL ATTRACTION still reigns supreme.
Sad. I really liked LA Confidential, The River Wild, and 8 Mile.
"The Hand that Rocks The Cradle" is one of those bad movies we love- at least is has some style. His other thrillers are much better.
Wonder Boys is my number two. A vastly underrated flick!
Oh no, that's really sad! 8(
I think I've seen all except one or two.... but I didn't dislike anything. His films are good to great.
L.A. Confidential, Wonderboys, In her Shoes, The River Wild, The Hand that rocks the Cradle... OMG! So many favorites of mine!
RIP!
I honestly can say I enjoyed all of his films, even his lesser but fun movies like "Bad Influence". "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" is a classic of it's genre, and "L.A. Confidential" would have won the Oscar in any year that didn't have the behemoth (and deserving to me) "Titanic".
Even "8 Mile" with that hateful rapper was a pretty good movie. Hanson was always an interesting writer and director. You can't say that about every writer director out there.
Wonder Boys, hands down. LA Confidential is in a brilliant second place. I enjoyed many of his films, except 8 mile because I can't stand Eminem in any medium.
Hanson was a really good craftsman with a solid filmography. He will be missed. Wonder Boys was my favorite of his.