Movie star Roxy Carmichael is abandoning the bright lights of Hollywood, Calif. and returning to her small Ohio hometown -- at least long enough to dedicate a city building. And now the whole town of Clyde is bracing for Carmichael's return, most of all her now-married old flame Denton Webb and troubled teen Dinky Bossetti. An orphan with few friends, Dinky is convinced that Carmichael is her birth mother, and that the actress will reclaim her when she returns.
Acting
Winona Ryder commits to Dinky's cringe so hard it hurts.
Direction
Jim Abrahams finds heart in satire without cruelty.
Costume
Dinky's tragic DIY fashion is peak '90s outsider energy.
Director
Jim Abrahams
Winona Ryder
Dinky Bossetti
Jeff Daniels
Denton Webb
Stephen Tobolowsky
Mayor Bill Klepler
Dinah Manoff
Evelyn Whittacher
Laila Robins
Elizabeth Zaks
Thomas Wilson Brown
Gerald Howells
Joan McMurtrey
Barbara Webb
Graham Beckel
Les Bossetti
Frances Fisher
Rochelle Bossetti
Robby Kiger
Beannie Billings
Sachi Parker
Libby Ohiemacher
Micole Mercurio
Louise Garweski
John Short
Ronald Reems
Robin Thomas
Scotty Sandholtzer
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This bombed in 1990 but became a cult VHS staple, especially among queer teens who saw themselves in Dinky's desperate otherness.
The fictional town of Clyde, Ohio was filmed in Sandusky. The Roxy Carmichael Day parade used actual locals as extras—those confused faces are real.
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