Gloria (1980)

My Review

Gena Rowlands delivers a tour-de-force performance as a gangster’s girlfriend who goes on the run with a young boy being pursed by mobsters. He possesses a ledger containing damaging information on them which the FBI is also looking for. Rowlands literally dominated the entire film, along with the child actor (John Adames) playing the boy. While Rowlands’ performance was universally praised by critics, young Adames was widely criticized for bad acting. Gena Rowlands was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress, while John Adames won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor.

Director-screenwriter John Cassavetes, married to Gena Rowlands in real life, did a great job at the helm of the film. The two hours moved along smoothly, with good writing for the actors to perform. The supporting cast includes Buck Henry, Julie Carmen, John Finnegan, Lawrence Tierney, and Tom Noonan. “Gloria” was a modest success in theaters for Columbia Pictures. It was filmed in Technicolor in various locations around New York City.