Phil Spector (film)

Phil Spector
Written by	David Mamet
Directed by	David Mamet
Starring	Al Pacino Helen Mirren Jeffrey Tambor
Theme music composer	Marcelo Zarvos
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
Production
Running time	92 minutes
Distributor	HBO Films
Release
Original release	March 24, 2013 (2013-03-24)

Phil Spector is a biographical television film directed and written by David Mamet. The film is based on the life of record producer, songwriter and musician Phil Spector, and was released by HBO Films on March 24, 2013, in United States.^[1] It stars Al Pacino as Phil Spector, Helen Mirren as defense attorney Linda Kenney Baden, and Jeffrey Tambor as Bruce Cutler. It focuses primarily on the relationship between Phil Spector and Linda Kenney Baden, his defense attorney during the first of his two murder trials for the 2003 death of Lana Clarkson in his California mansion.

The film opens with an disclaimer from HBO, stating the film to be fiction, and not based on real events.^[2][3]

The film was originally supposed to star Bette Midler as Linda, but Midler left the project after suffering a back injury and having to be carried off the set.^[4]

Cast

• Al Pacino as Phil Spector
• Helen Mirren as Linda Kenney Baden
• Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mock Prosecutor
• Jeffrey Tambor as Bruce Cutler
• John Pirruccello as Nick Stavros
• Clara Mamet as Paint Girl
• James Tolkan as Larry Fidler
• Natalia Nogulich as Giovonetta Ricci
• Matthew Rauch as Mike
• Linda Miller as Ronnie Spector
• Rebecca Pidgeon as Dr Fallon (and also sings Spanish Harlem over the closing credits)
• George Aguilar as Mr. Spector's driver

Reception

The film has received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator site Metacritic has given the film a score of 60 out of 100, signifying "mixed or average reviews".

Awards and nominations

The film was nominated for eleven Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Miniseries or Movie, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for Al Pacino, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for Helen Mirren, and Outstanding Directing and Writing for a Miniseries or Movie for David Mamet.

The film has also been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film (Pacino) and Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film (Mirren).

The film has also been nominated for two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie (Pacino) and Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie (Mirren) - with Mirren winning.

Pacino was also nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Movie/Miniseries Actor at the 3rd Critics' Choice Television Awards.

References

External links

• Phil Spector at the Internet Movie Database