Garbo Talks

"Sometimes you can catch a star..."

Oct 12 1984 PG-13 1h 43m
Comedy, Drama

When New York accountant Gilbert Rolfe finds out his mother has a brain tumor, he is devastated. His incorrigible mother, Estelle, has one last wish: to meet the great Greta Garbo. Gilbert, wanting to do this last thing for her, sets out on a wild goose chase through the streets of New York City to track down the iconic star, at the expense of his personal life and much to the chagrin of his wife, Lisa. Can he find Garbo before it's too late?

Plot

Estelle is a one-person protest army: she goes to jail over grocery prices, shames construction workers for catcalling at passing women, and won't cross a picket line for her son's wedding. She also loves Garbo films: when she learns she has a brain tumor and six months to live, she decides she must meet Garbo. Her dutiful son Gilbert, a Manhattan accountant named for Garbo's co-star, hires a paparazzo to show him Garbo's flat, stakes it out, gets a job delivering food there, seeks her on Fire Island, and tracks her to a Sixth Avenue flea market. As his obsession distances him from his wife, he's drawn to a struggling actress he meets at work. Can he find Garbo? If so, will she talk?

Written by

Larry Grusin

Directed by

Sidney Lumet

Cast

Anne Bancroft, Ron Silver, Carrie Fisher

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

United Artists

Languages

English

Awards

1 nomination

Trailers
Garbo Talks Trailer 1984
Scores
# of Votes
1,912
Average Rating
6.4 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA