Synopsis
Old rivalries lead to new betrayals in this Sam Shepard drama with comic undertones. Vinnie (Nick Nolte) and Carter (Jeff Bridges) have known each other for years, but their relationship has grown less than cordial. Many years ago, the two men, along with Vinnie's girlfriend Rosie (Sharon Stone), were making good money in a con game at a racetrack until Simms (Albert Finney), the local racing official, got wind of their ruse. Vinnie and Carter hatched a blackmail scheme that ended Simms' career and ruined his life. Years later, Vinnie is an alcoholic low-life who still makes a living from blackmail; Carter is now a successful horse breeder, married to Rosie, and Vinnie has incriminating information about him that he uses to get Carter to pay his living expenses. Carter gets a call from Vinnie one night as he's finalizing the sale of his prize-winning stallion Simpatico; Vinnie is in jail on a morals charge regarding a woman he's been seeing named Cecilia (Catherine Keener). Vinnie makes Carter an offer: if he comes to California to help him out of this mess, he'll hand off the documents that he's been using against him for years. Carter agrees, but when he arrives, it turns out that Vinnie's not in jail, Cecilia has filed no charges against him, and this is just part of a larger scam with Carter as its target. Director Matthew Warchus made his screen debut with this film; he also adapted the screenplay (in collaboration with David Nicholls) from the play by Sam Shepard.
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Movie News
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Bridges, Stone and Nolte deliver powerhouse performances in 'Simpatico'
The bonds of friendship, especially deep-rooted relationships that span decades, are central to the human experience. While most simply think of the high school or college buddies we see so infrequently in our daily lives, it is the friendships that go sour over incidents from years ago that always seem to leave the deepest marks and are the more decidedly difficult to overcome.
Director Matthew Warchus taps into this deep, lingering hurt in his adaptation of Sam Shepard's play "Simpatico." Set against the backdrop of thoroughbred horse racing in Kentucky, "Simpatico" tells the intertwining stories of three close friends whose foray into the world of fixing horse races leads them down a dark and dangerous path.
In the midst of young love and blissful delusion, Carter (Jeff Bridges), Rosie (Sharon Stone) and Vinnie (Nick Nolte) worked together switching bad horses for good
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COMING SOON: 'Scream 3,' 'Gun Shy,' 'Simpatico'
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 30, 2000 -- The "Scream" franchise continues its reign this week with the release of "Scream 3."
Also new this week are Liam Neeson and Sandra Bullock's dramedy "Gun Shy" and the expanded release of the ensemble "Simpatico" with Nick Nolte, Sharon Stone and Jeff Bridges.
The following is a list of all the films coming out this week:
Opening Friday, Feb. 4
"Gendernauts: A Journey Through Shifting Identities" (First Run) -- Documentarian Monika Treut takes viewers on a gender-bending trip to San Francisco to explore the "cyborg" subculture -- people who alter their bodies and minds with new technologies and chemistry in "gender elimination phenomena." (Limited release)
"Gun Shy" (Buena Vista) -- Liam Neeson plays a DEA agent whose retirement is delayed interminably by one final case. Sandra Bullock co-stars. (Limited releas
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All bets on Stone, Nolte at 'Simpatico' premiere
HOLLYWOOD -- Wild horses couldn't keep Sharon Stone, Nick Nolte and other A-list celebrities from attending the premiere of the indie thriller "Simpatico," which benefited the American Foundation for AIDS Research.
"I'm the campaign chairman for the American Foundation for AIDS Research," said Stone. "I'm doing that because 32 million people are living with AIDS and 16.2 million have died already.
"If we don't do something by 2002, there will be 100 million people living with AIDS. I can't live with that. I'm trying to get people to pay attention."
"Simpatico" is the story of deceit, love and revenge set in the high-stakes of world of thoroughbred racing. The film is based on the Sam Shepard play, and all bets were placed on director Matthew Warchus to adapt "Simpatico" to the big screen.
"When it turns out to be Matthew Warchus directing, you can thank your