The Accidental Tourist (1988 Lawrence Kasdan & co-scr)

So Kasdan liked William Hurt, clearly - who wouldn't? And something of Anne Tyler's book must have appealed for him and Frank Galati to adapt it for Hurt, Geena Davis and Kathleen Turner (Davis won Oscar - Hurt not nominated???) As the useless family - Amy Wright, Ed Begley Jr, David Ogden Stiers - and Bill Pullman as the publisher.

The one and only cavil is that the character's odd name 'Macon' is repeated all the time - you just don't have conversations where you constantly put the name of the person you're talking to at the beginning of the sentence - do you? Otherwise, Hurt is brilliantly subtle and the story is not at all straightforward as the author's approach to travel writing turns out to be very much about himself. And just as you think it's going to be all about the dog, it isn't - then the same with the kid...

Good behind scenes - John Bailey (suitably subdued), John Williams (I reckon his orchestration has just got better and better). Michael Grillo is producer / assistant director.