I am confident that the movie you're remembering is "Short Cuts,"
directed by Robert Altman.
Internet Movie Database: Short Cuts (1993)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0108122
Here are a couple of brief summaries of the convoluted storyline:
"The film starts and ends with quintessential Los Angeles events,
Malathion spraying for the Medfly and a heavy-duty earthquake of the
kind that takes Angelenos by surprise every twenty years or so. A
rough synopsis can only suggest the film's complexity. Waitress Doreen
Piggot (Lily Tomlin) hits a child with her car, and frets when he runs
away claiming he's unharmed. The kid then falls into a coma, which
sends his parents Ann and Howard Finnigan (Andie MacDowall and Bruce
Davison) into a panic that isn't helped when Howard's estranged father
Paul (Jack Lemmon) suddenly chooses to come back into their lives.
Unemployed salesman Stuart Kane (Fred Ward) and his wife Claire, a
children's party clown (Anne Archer) make a dinner date with the
Finnegans' doctor Ralph Wyman (Matthew Modine) and his artist wife
Marian (Julianne Moore). Stuart takes off on a fishing trip with two
buddies; they find a dead woman's body in the river but wait two days
to report it, until they've caught their limit. Phone-sex worker Lois
Kaiser (Jennifer Jason Leigh) doesn't realize her job is having a
negative effect on her husband Jerry, a serviceman (Chris Penn) who
cleans the pool of night club singer Tess Trainer (Annie Ross), whose
daughter Zoe (Lori Singer) plays the cello and is deeply concerned
about the Finnegans, her neighbors. Jerry Kaiser is also best friends
with a makeup artist, Bill Bush (Robert Downey Jr.) who cheats on his
wife Honey (Lili Taylor). Finally, divorced mother Betty Weathers
(Frances McDormand) is seeing married policeman Gene Shepard (Tim
Robbins), much to the consternation of Gene's wife Sherri (Madeleine
Stow) and Betty's ex Stormy (Peter Gallagher), who happens to be one
of the helicopter pilots spraying Malathion (Peter Gallagher)..."
DVD Talk Reviews: Short Cuts
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=13576
"There's a scene in Robert Altman's 'Short Cuts' where a fleet of
helicopters hovers before landing. But this film isn't about the
Korean War wounded, which was the backdrop for Altman's 'M*A*S*H.'
This time the helicopters are returning after spraying chemicals to
kill a plague of medflies that threatens residents, both literally and
metaphorically... The characters now also overlap from story to story
to create an ever-shifting collage...
'Jerry and Molly and Sam' - about a man cheating on his wife who's
driven crazy by the family dog and drives it to an unfamiliar
neighborhood to let it loose, which, of course, creates turmoil in the
household."
If you're interested in purchasing "Short Cuts," it is available on DVD and VHS:
Amazon: "Short Cuts" DVD
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000305ZXO
Amazon: "Short Cuts" VHS
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/6303995705
I recognized the movie from your description. I don't know of any
other movie that involves helicopters spraying for Medfly
infestations.
I hope this is the correct film. If it is not, please request
clarification; I'll be glad to offer further assistance before you
rate my answer.
Best regards,
pinkfreud |
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