Hurlyburly is a 1998 independent film, based on the acclaimed 1984 play of the same name by David Rabe, who adapted it into a screenplay for the film. The title refers to dialogue in Act I, Scene I of Shakespeare's Macbeth: First Witch: "When shall we three meet again / In thunder, lightning, or in rain?" Second Witch: "When the hurlyburly's done, / When the battle's lost and won." Hurlyburly is an adaptation of David Rabe's play about the intersecting lives of several Hollywood players and wannabes, whose dysfunctional personal lives are more interesting than anything they're peddling to the... studios. Rabe wrote the screenplay for the film, condensing the action of the three-hour plus play into two hours and updated the setting from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s. Opening in 16 theaters, the film grossed $164,826 in its opening weekend; the widest release the film ever got was in 84 theaters. As of now, the film has grossed a total of $1,798,862. The film received mixed reception from critics. The film also has a 59% "Rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Penn's performance won him the Volpi Cup and Drazan was nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
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| Release date: | December 25, 1998 |
| Directed by: | Anthony Drazan |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 122 Minutes |
| Producer: | Richard N. Gladstein, Anthony Drazan |
| Editor: | Dylan Tichenor |
| Music by: | David Baerwald, Steve Lindsey |
| Cinematography: | Gu Changwei |
| Screenplay by: | David Rabe |
| Estimated budget: | $6,000,000 |
| Adapted from: | Hurlyburly |
| Genre: | Comedy |