What Happened Was...

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What Happened Was...

R,

1994,

1h 31m,

Drama

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90%

21 Reviews

Tomatometer

76%

250+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

21 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

Jackie (Karen Sillas) is an executive assistant. Michael (Tom Noonan) is a paralegal. By day, they work together at the same law firm, but tonight they're on their first date. He's a tall man with an intense look that some would find intimidating, but she is intrigued by him, and the two spend an evening in deep discussion, each performing the necessary verbal footwork to find out as much about the other as possible. As they dig deeper into each other's pasts, they make startling discoveries.

Emanuel Levy

Variety

Dec 20, 2006

B+

This intense, mysterious drama about a date between two lonely misfits, is sensitively directed by Tom Noonan, better known as an actor; it was the surprise winner of the Grand Jury Prize of the 1994 Sundance Film Festival.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Jan 1, 2000

2.5/4

There are many small moments of perfect observation. But I never really felt they were building to anything, or heading anywhere.

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Rosalie Kicks

MovieJawn

Jun 19, 2024

4/4

This film is thought provoking, unsettling and what Noonan manages to do with a single space is incredible.

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Laura Clifford

Reeling Reviews

Jun 21, 2021

A-

Oscilloscope's 4K scan of an original 35mm print issued on blu-ray, the first time this 1994 Sundance winner...has been made available in a DVD format, is cause for celebration...Tom Noonan delivered his magnum opus right out of the gate.

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Patrick Dahl

Screen Slate

Feb 24, 2021

A largely forgotten triumph from the margins of the mid-90s Sundance boom.

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Frank Swietek

One Guy's Opinion

Jul 1, 2005

3/5

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Tom Noonan

Director

Karen Sillas

Jackie Marsh

Tom Noonan

Michael

Tom Noonan

Screenwriter

Robin O'Hara

Producer

Scott Macaulay

Producer

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What Happened Was...: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Jackie (Karen Sillas) is an executive assistant. Michael (Tom Noonan) is a paralegal. By day, they work together at the same law firm, but tonight they're on their first date. He's a tall man with an intense look that some would find intimidating, but she is intrigued by him, and the two spend an evening in deep discussion, each performing the necessary verbal footwork to find out as much about the other as possible. As they dig deeper into each other's pasts, they make startling discoveries.

Director: Tom Noonan
Producer: Robin O'Hara, Scott Macaulay
Screenwriter: Tom Noonan
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $324.2K
Runtime: 1h 31m

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