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Danny Aiello, Greg Cruttwell, Jeff Daniels, James Spader, Teri Hatcher ... see more see more... , Charlize Theron , Glenne Headly , Peter Horton , Eric Stoltz , Paul Mazursky , Louise Fletcher , Marsha Mason , Keith Carradine , Austin Pendleton , Mitch Carter , Mark Goldstein , Cheryl Ladd , Micole Mercurio , Paul Rodriguez , Lawrence Tierney , Dennis Tufano , Bob Bergen , Michael Jai White , Kathleen Luong , Cress Williams , Rosemary Alexander , Deborah Benson-Wald , Coby , Ada Maris , William Stanton , Lynnanne Zagel

A variety of crooks, losers, and working stiffs living in the shadow of Hollywood find their various personal crises overlapping in this intricately woven melodrama. Lee Woods (James Spader) is a cold... read more read more...-blooded hit man and Dosmo Pizzo (Danny Aiello) a soft-at-heart gangster; they've been sent to murder Roy Foxx (Peter Horton), the former husband of also-ran Olympic skier Becky Foxx (Teri Hatcher). Lee's girlfriend Helga (Charlize Theron) is unhappy about his habit of killing people, and she attracts the attention of Alvin (Jeff Daniels) and Wes (Eric Stoltz), two cops who've been put on vice detail but don't have the heart to bust the prostitute they've been trailing. Alvin dreams of becoming a homicide detective, so when he discovers that he might be on the trail of a murder, it's like Santa Claus showed up in mid-July to hand him a present. Dosmo manages to escape the crime scene, only to foil a murder attempt by Lee, forcing him to hide out in the home of Hopper, a pretentious English art dealer (Greg Cruttwell), whom Dosmo holds hostage along with Hopper's long-suffering assistant, Susan (Glenne Headly). In the midst of all this, a down-on-his-luck television director (Paul Mazursky) contemplates suicide (the main stumbling block is finding someone to take care of his dog) while also being pestered by an actor with equally bad luck (Austin Pendleton) and meeting a compassionate nurse (Marsha Mason) on a visit to a cemetery. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

47% liked it

14,196 ratings

Critics

60% liked it

53 critics

R, 1 hr. 47 min.

Directed by: John Herzfeld

Release Date: September 27, 1996

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DVD Release Date: August 7, 2001

Stats: 359 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (359)


  • November 7, 2009
    AA great movie. Somehow I have run into a string of movies lately where the lives of about 6 people all intertwine with each other during the movie. This one is the best of all. Danny Aiello plays an excellent part, along with Paul Mazursky. What we have is a divorced couple, and... read more the wife pays to have her husband killed, which sets of a sequence of events that not only are comical but also suspenseful at times. The Sound Track helps make this a 5 star movie. get it anyway you can, its excellent. 5 STARS
  • September 24, 2009
    A great cast and a good film but it seemed like it was trying to be something it wasn?t, an American Mike Leigh film if you will!
  • June 14, 2009
    this movies kicks ass on many levels
  • September 11, 2007
    Extremely underrated Tarantino- esque ensemble film from writer/Director John Herzfeld. It's quirky characters, bursts of blood, and sly humor make this (unfairly dubbed!) "Pulp Fiction Clone" definately worth checking out.
  • September 1, 2007
    James Spader makes this film by far. Too bad Teri Hatcher is in it.
  • July 16, 2007
    Lee Woods: You have one minute to decide the rest of your life.

    A hit man comedy set in the San Fernando Valley, about a number of peoples lives intertwined during the course of 48 hours.

    A good cast of supporting characters and a lot funny dialog mixed with some fairly dark su... read morebject matter make this the perfect kind of movie that few can appreciate, hence its cult status.

    Standout performances include Jeff Daniels as a Vice cop, James Spader as a vicious hit man, Danny Aiello as an older hit man, and Paul Mazursky as a suicidal director.

    Allan Hopper: How can you take this loser's word? You can't believe him!
    Teddy Peppers: I'll take his word over yours. It's been my experience, more often than not, that a loser has more honor than a winner.
  • June 10, 2007
    A strange film following the lives of a few characters who all get mixed up in each others lives during 2 days in the valley. Stars a young Terri Hatcher and Charlize Theron in unusual roles for both. Similar idea to Crash but no where near as good.
  • April 5, 2007
    Yet another post Tarantino crime thriller, but a decently written one. A little self-conciously quirky, but Jeff Daniels is great as the sneeringly obnoxious cop.
  • October 25, 2006
    Admittedly a Tarantino rip-off, but more good-natured.
  • June 22, 2008
    Entertaining to watch, especially sexy Charlize in quite a memorable role.

Critic Reviews


Todd McCarthy
April 16, 2008
Todd McCarthy, Variety

To the director's credit, the actors all seem responsive to his touch, giving performances that are lively and flavorsome, if not deep or unlike anything each of them has done before. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
April 16, 2008
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Herzfeld has a tolerable eye for filling a 'Scope frame but a tin ear when it comes to creating dialogue; these are all characters we've met before, and most even seem bored with themselves. Full Review

Stephen Holden
May 20, 2003
Stephen Holden, New York Times

A sleek, amusingly nasty screen debut by a film maker whose television credits include an Amy Fisher docudrama. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
June 18, 2002
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Funny, pathetic, sad, absurdist -- writer-director John Herzfeld plays it any number of ways, and makes them all work. Full Review

Jack Mathews
February 14, 2001
Jack Mathews, Los Angeles Times

There are too many characters, but some are a lot of fun. The tone shifts, from graphic murder to wig-flipping farce, are too extreme, but much of it works. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The plot underlies even the most inexplicable scenes and eventually links even the most widely separated characters, but what makes the movie fun is the dialogue and the behavior. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

It's pure entertainment -- nothing too serious, nothing too deep -- with an artistic sensibility. Full Review

Jeff Millar
January 1, 2000
Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle

This produces some rather nasty-funny surprises.

Richard Luck
April 16, 2008
Richard Luck, Film4

A sharp, smart movie peppered with A-grade performances from its B-list cast. Full Review

April 16, 2008
TV Guide's Movie Guide

It's not that this is a bad, blackly comic slice-of-lowlife: It's just that you've just seen it all before. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Facts


    • Lee Woods: Which breast did he touch? This one?

2 Days in the Val... : Watch Free on TV


2 Days in the Valley Trivia


  • What movie starred Teri Hatcher, Charlize Theron, Jeff Daniels, James Spader, and Eric Stoltz?  Answer »
  • what film did tom sizemore not play in?  Answer »
  • What actress appeared in all of the following films: That Thing You Do 2 Days in the Valley Reindeer Games  Answer »
  • Charlize Theron?s Debut Movie?   Answer »

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