The Amy Fisher Story
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The Amy Fisher Story | |
---|---|
Genre | Crime Drama Romance Thriller |
Written by | Janet Brownell |
Directed by | Andy Tennant |
Starring | Drew Barrymore Anthony John Denison Harley Jane Kozak Tom Mason |
Music by | Michael Hoenig |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producer | Andrew Adelson |
Producers | Janet Brownell George W. Perkins |
Production location | Vancouver |
Cinematography | Glen MacPherson |
Editor | Debra Neil-Fisher |
Running time | 96 min |
Production company | ABC Productions (in association with) Andrew Adelson Company |
Original release | |
Network | ABC |
Release | January 3, 1993 |
The Amy Fisher Story is a 1993 American television film dramatizing the events surrounding Amy Fisher's abuse as a teen by Joey Buttafuoco and her eventual conviction for aggravated assault for shooting Buttafuoco's wife. The film was produced by ABC and originally aired on that network; in 1993, it was released on VHS and in 2001 on DVD.[1]
The film stars 17-year-old Drew Barrymore, as Amy Fisher. Anthony John Denison portrayed Joey Buttafuoco. It aired the same night and time as another movie on Amy Fisher starring Alyssa Milano for CBS. The ABC film garnered higher TV ratings and critical praise than the CBS version.
Plot summary
[edit]The story begins in 1992, as Amy Fisher lies in a hospital bed, with her mother sitting by her bedside. Earlier, she had attempted to commit suicide, but her parents caught her and took her to the hospital. As Amy rests in bed, she thinks back on her life, over the last two years, and her involvement with Joseph "Joey" Buttafuoco.
In 1991, Amy's parents bought her a brand new car, for her sixteenth birthday. Amy loves the car, but her parents don't want her to take advantage, by using it whenever she wants. After an argument with her parents, Amy spends her birthday at a friend's house. She had previously gone to a restaurant with them, and her father didn't like the fact that she was wearing such a revealing outfit (to keep the peace, Amy's mother told her outfit was lovely). She also flirted with the waiter, by looking at him with the corner of her eye, with a seductive smile on her face.
Amy gets into an accident, crashing her car. Her father takes her to Joey Buttafuoco's shop, to get it fixed. She flirts with Joey lightly, asking him a lot of questions about his personal life. She begins crashing her car on purpose, using it as an excuse to see Joey again. Eventually, the two begin an affair. He is in his mid-thirties, while she's in her teens (a minor). Amy becomes increasingly desperate about her relationship with Joey. She has strong feelings for him, and even though she knows he is married to his high school sweetheart, Mary Jo Buttafuoco, she constantly wants to spend time with him. When he refuses to leave Mary Jo, Amy decides to hire someone to kill her. All her potential accomplices prove unwilling to get the job done, so Amy eventually decides to kill Mary Jo, herself.
Amy goes to the Buttafuoco house and tells Mary Jo that Joey was cheating on her with Amy's younger sister. When Mary Jo expresses disbelief, Amy shows her the T-shirt that Joey gave her, but Mary Jo still doesn't believe Amy, saying that Joey gave that shirt to a lot of his customers. As Mary Jo is about to close the door on Amy, she takes out her gun and shoots Mary Jo in the head. The shot doesn't kill Mary Jo, but it leaves her face partially paralyzed for life.
Joey realizes it was Amy who shot his wife. Mary Jo confirms this, in a lineup. The reports of the shooting spread through the media, and Amy is given the nickname "Long Island Lolita".
Eventually, in late 1992, Amy is sentenced to five to fifteen years in jail. Joey Buttafuoco is convicted of statutory rape in October 1993 and served six months in prison.[2]
Reception
[edit]The critic Camille Paglia dismissed the film, calling it "meandering" and criticizing reviewers for hailing it as the best of the three films that were made about Amy Fisher.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "The Amy Fisher Story (combined details)". IMDb. Retrieved January 4, 2007.
- ^ Davis, Richard (January 4, 2008). "Amy Fisher to promote sex tape with husband". CNN. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
- ^ Paglia, Camille. Vamps and Tramps: New Essays. Penguin Books, 1995, p. 134.
External links
[edit]- 1993 television films
- 1993 films
- 1990s coming-of-age drama films
- 1993 crime drama films
- ABC Motion Pictures films
- Films about adultery in the United States
- American coming-of-age drama films
- American crime drama films
- 1990s English-language films
- Films directed by Andy Tennant
- Films scored by Michael Hoenig
- Films set in 1992
- Films set in Long Island
- Crime drama films based on actual events
- American drama television films
- 1990s American films
- English-language crime drama films