CrissCross (1992)

A 12-year-old boy comes of age in 1969 Key West against the backdrop of the Apollo moon landing, when he begins to sell cocaine so his mother can stop stripping.

Director:

Chris Menges

Writers:

Scott Sommer (novel), Scott Sommer (screenplay)

Stars:

Goldie Hawn, Arliss Howard, James Gammon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Goldie Hawn	...	Tracy Cross
Arliss Howard	...	Joe
James Gammon	...	Emmett
David Arnott	...	Chris Cross
Keith Carradine	...	John Cross
J.C. Quinn	...	Jetty
Steve Buscemi	...	Louis
Paul Calderon	...	Blacky
Cathryn de Prume	...	Oakley (as Cathryn dePrume)
Nada Despotovich	...	Kelly
David Anthony Marshall	...	Blondie
Deirdre O'Connell	...	Shelly
Anna Levine	...	Monica (as Anna Levine Thompson)
Neil Giuntoli	...	Snyder
Christy Martin	...	Termina

Storyline

Set in 1969, a twelve-year-old grows up in Key West with his mother, who is paying the bills by stripping at the local topless bar. The boy finds out about her activities and tries to convince her to stop, to no avail. A local restaurant owner hires him to collect fish from a boat out in the bay, and the boy discovers that the restaurant owner is using the fish to bring drugs in to shore. He steals one load and goes about selling it so his mother can afford to quit her job.

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Plot Keywords:

year 1969 | vietnam war veteran | boy | drugs | bare butt male | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and drug-related scenes, and for brief but strong sensuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 May 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Criss Cross

Filming Locations:

Eden House, 1015 Fleming St, Key West, Florida, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,041,264, 10 May 1992

Gross USA:

$3,052,738

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,052,738

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hawn / Sylbert Movie Company, MGM-Pathé Communications Co., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Continental Film Labs)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chris indicates that he was worried about the astronauts getting stranded on the Moon. That was a serious concern, because there was no way to rescue them. There was a speech prepared for President Nixon in case of that, and other failure possibilities were covered in it also.

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Goofs

A shot of a boatyard shows several 1980s outboard motors.

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Quotes

Joe: God gave us baseball to make up for the Industrial Revolution.

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Connections

References Dark Shadows (1966)

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Soundtracks

Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)
Written by Andrew Bernard and John Gourrier
Performed by John Fred and His Playboy Band

User Reviews

A good, overlooked film

It's amazing how Goldie Hawn is almost always overlooked when she tries to play it serious, even when she's good. A perfect example of this is 1991's "Crisscross," dealing with the special relationship between a young single mother and her twelve-year old son.

Set in Key West, Florida, just prior to the first moon landing, the film is loaded with atmosphere, and the Key West scenes are beautiful (Amazing how the only film that ever shows how it can be during the hurricane season was the Paul Hogan/Elijah Wood "Flipper." But I digress.). Best of all, though, are Hawn and young David Arnott, as mother and son, both giving understated, believable performances. Young Arnott, especially, should have had a major career ahead of him. As it was, this was his only film role. Does anyone know what became of him?

The supporting actors are good, as well, particularly Arliss Howard as the writer Hawn falls in love with, and the actors, whose names escape me, playing the characters of Emmett, Bugs, and Termina.

This film is a true hidden treasure. Watch it, and you have a real treat in store.