Prizzi's Honor

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Prizzi's Honor

R,

1985,

2h 9m,

Romance/

Comedy

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Watchlist

85%

41 Reviews

Tomatometer

62%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

41 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

For Charley Partanna (Jack Nicholson), life in the Prizzi family is good as long as he honors the wishes of the Godfather (William Hickey). Partanna is respected for ruthlessly carrying out murder contracts, but his wise-talking Brooklyn existence is turned on its head when he falls for a beautiful hit woman (Kathleen Turner) from the West Coast. He follows her back to California, balancing work commitments and his love interest until a new contract makes things difficult.

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Critics Consensus

Disturbing and sardonic, Prizzi's Honor excels at black comedy because director John Huston and his game ensemble take the farce deadly seriously.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

Sep 13, 2023

If John Huston’s name were not on Prizzi’s Honor, I'd have thought a fresh new talent had burst on the scene, and he’d certainly be the hottest new director in Hollywood.

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Variety Staff

Variety

Feb 5, 2008

John Huston's Prizzi's Honor packs love, sex, and murder -- and dark comedy -- into a labyrinthine tale.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Feb 5, 2008

As usual, Turner works hard and manages to lend some conviction to a shoddily written part, but she can't connect with Nicholson, whose obscure hamminess leaves him isolated on some other planet.

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Michael Walsh

The Province (Vancouver)

Apr 14, 2026

Just seven weeks short of his own 79th birthday, Huston offers filmgoers a comic vision that is fresh and full of hearty, quick-witted cynicism.

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Chase Burns

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

Dec 8, 2021

Huston also directed this movie, and the Academy just loves this family legacy stuff. Beyond that, I find the movie to be pretty dull.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Oct 11, 2021

3/4

Since first catching the film during its original run, repeated viewings have always yielded the same reaction: sheer joy at the intricate plotting and delightful performances, yet pronounced disappointment in a problematic climax that leaves a bad taste.

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Finn W

Feb 26, 2019

A truly unfortunate blend of comedy and drama, and by âunfortunateâ? I mean ânonexistent.â? Hilariously enough, even Jack Nicholson himself rejected this script upon first glance for similar reasons. âItâ(TM)s a comedy?â He asked director John Huston. Perhaps he shouldâ(TM)ve went with his gut, for the resulting film features only a few meager attempts at making the audience even chuckle. But even with the filmâ(TM)s comedic failings aside, itâ(TM)s a fairly bland and listless drama as well. The main romance between Nicholson and Turner is ultimately rushed, leaving the audience with almost no investment for the second and third acts of the film. The crime-based plot in play is too convoluted and low-stakes for its majority for anyone to really care about the goings-on. Even the performances from legendary actors such as Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston (in an Academy Award winning role, ironically) just ended up feeling a bit too much like pastiched caricatures of actual people from Brooklyn. I ultimately left âPrizziâ(TM)s Honorâ? feeling much like the filmâ(TM)s protagonist at the end of the story â" disappointed, numb, and empty.

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Feb 2, 2019

The best gangster comedy romance movie ever made! Or is it the best comedy gangster romance movie ever made?

Hagrid G

Mar 29, 2018

Weirdly paced, especially for a black comedy. It does sort of lull you into a false sense of security so that when the bigger twists come you're more surprised, especially for that dark ending.

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Theodore R

Apr 14, 2017

Overlooked but overrated penultimate work by John Huston, hot off his best film Under The Volcano.

Albus W

Mar 26, 2017

Nominated for eight Oscars and winning Best Supporting Actress for Anjelica Huston, John Huston's artful black mob comedy makes for delightful entertainment with eccentrically antic performances and a luscious mystique.

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Anakin S

Apr 8, 2010

The performances are fine, its the ending that completely ties up everything way too conveniently. Its also unsatisfying, and sort of deflates the entire film. Its a shame really.

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John Huston

Director

Jack Nicholson

Charley Partanna

Kathleen Turner

Irene Walker

Anjelica Huston

Maerose Prizzi

Robert Loggia

Eduardo Prizzi

William Hickey

Don Corrado Prizi

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Synopsis

For Charley Partanna (Jack Nicholson), life in the Prizzi family is good as long as he honors the wishes of the Godfather (William Hickey). Partanna is respected for ruthlessly carrying out murder contracts, but his wise-talking Brooklyn existence is turned on its head when he falls for a beautiful hit woman (Kathleen Turner) from the West Coast. He follows her back to California, balancing work commitments and his love interest until a new contract makes things difficult.

Director: John Huston
Producer: John Foreman
Screenwriter: Richard Condon, Janet Roach
Distributor: 20th Century Fox, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
Rating: R
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 14, 1985, Wide
Release Date (DVD): Sep 16, 2003
Box Office (Gross USA): $26.6M
Runtime: 2h 9m
Sound Mix: Surround

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