Can a straight-laced woman find happiness with a scruffy hippie who has a bad habit of getting beaten up? Minnie Moore (Gena Rowlands) was a prom queen in high school but has become disillusioned with life now that she is a divorcée who has just turned 40. Her marriage ended badly, and her current relationship with her boyfriend Jim (John Cassavetes), who is inconveniently married to another woman, is hardly going any better. Jim treats Minnie with little respect, but she tries to calmly soldier on with her work as a curator at a museum. When Jim's wife threatens to commit suicide if he doesn't break off his affair with Minnie, he agrees to stop seeing her. He goes to museum where Minnie works, bringing along his two children to serve as witnesses, and he tells her that they're through. Emotionally shattered by this experience, Minnie blankly and uncomprehendingly accepts a blind date with a loud-mouthed boor named Zelmo Swift (Val Avery), who proposes marriage only an hour after they've met. Angered by her lack of enthusiasm for this proposal, Zelmo angrily follows Minnie to a nearby parking lot, where the attendant, Seymour Moskowitz (Seymour Cassel), comes to her rescue, though he hardly emerges victorious in battle. Shaggy-haired and steadfastly bohemian Seymour has just arrived in Los Angeles from New York City looking to make some changes, and after a few minutes with Minnie, he's convinced that he's met the love of his life. Minnie isn't buying it, but she eventually agrees to go out on a date with him, and before long, these two polar opposites find that they're attracted to each other after all. A typically low-budget labor of love from writer/director/actor John Cassavetes, Minnie and Moskowitz features John's wife Gena Rowlands as Minnie, his mother Katherine Cassavetes as Seymour's mom, his brother-in-law David Rowlands as a minister, and several of his children in a party sequence; John's friend and frequent collaborator Timothy Carey also appears in a small role. (Synopsis courtesy of AllMovie.com)
Cast Gena Rowlands ... Minnie Moore
Seymour Cassel ... Seymour Moskowitz
Val Avery ... Zelmo Swift
Timothy Carey ... Morgan Morgan (as Tim Carey)
Katherine Cassavetes ... Sheba Moskowitz
Elizabeth Deering ... Girl
Elsie Ames ... Florence
Lady Rowlands ... Georgia Moore
Holly Near ... Irish
Judith Roberts ... Wife
Jack Danskin ... Dick Henderson
Eleanor Zee ... Mrs. Grass
Santos Morales
Kathleen O'Malley
Jimmy Joyce
Chuck Wells
Sean Joyce ... Ned
David Rowlands ... Minister
Bruce Brown ... Husband (uncredited)
Alexandra Cassavetes ... Young Girl in Ballet Tutu (uncredited)
John Cassavetes ... Jim (uncredited)
Zoe R. Cassavetes ... Baby Girl (uncredited)
Roberta Collins ... Countergirl at Pink's Hot Dogs (uncredited)
Darlene Conley ... (uncredited)
Release Dates USA 22 December 1971 (New York City, New York)
Sweden 21 July 1972
Finland 18 August 1972
France 21 December 1972
West Germany 5 May 1976 (TV)
Japan 8 April 2000 (Tokyo)
Argentina 10 April 2000
Czech Republic 6 July 2004
France 12 January 2005 (re-release)
Finland 12 June 2008
Austria 3 November 2009
Directed by
John Cassavetes
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
John Cassavetes
Produced by
Paul Donnelly .... associate producer
Al Ruban .... producer
Cinematography by
Alric Edens
Michael D. Margulies (as Michael Margulies)
Arthur J. Ornitz
Film Editing by
Frederic L. Knudtson (as Fred Knudtson)
Costume Design by
Helen Colvig
Production Management
Robert Heffernan .... post-production supervisor
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kevin Donnelly .... assistant director
Louis A. Stroller .... assistant director: New York (as Lou Stroller)
Art Department
Victor E. Petrotta Sr. .... propmaster (as Victor F. Petrotta Sr.)
Sound Department
Melvin M. Metcalfe Sr. .... sound (as M.M. Metcalfe Sr.)
Camera and Electrical Department
Lou Barlia .... camera operator: New York
Norman Neil Cassaday .... gaffer
Charles Correll .... first assistant camera (as Charles J. Correll)
Vince DeLaney .... gaffer: New York
Lou Farkas .... first assistant camera: New York
Thomas Laughridge .... camera operator (as Thomas O. Laughridge)
Donald E. Thorin .... camera operator (as Don Thorin)
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jules Melillo .... costumer (as Jules M. Melillo)
Music Department
Bo Harwood .... musical supervisor
Other crew
Elaine Goren .... assistant to producer
Dalonne Jackson .... script supervisor
James Joyce .... assistant to producer
