Flesh and Bone (1992) - Steve Kloves

June 21, 1992

FLESH AND BONE

Screenplay by Steve Kloves

Synopsis by Brian Aldrich

As a child, ARLIS SWEENEY was used by his evil father, ROY, to set up unsuspecting farm families so they could be robbed in the dead of night. One time, the plan backfires and Roy winds up killing the entire family except for a baby girl. Years later, Arlis is a lonely, but sensitive fellow who owns his own vending machine business and travels the countryside refilling his machines and romancing lonely housewives. At one stop, he watches as KAY, an attractive young woman working as the pop-out-of-a cake dancer at a bachelor party, throw up all over the groom. She's had too much to drink and Arlis takes care of her, bringing her back to his hotel room, cleaning her up and getting her breakfast in the morning, all the while listening to her problems. Later, he drives her home where she finds out her drunken, sleazy husband has sold all their furniture. She had it and takes off, asking Arlis for another ride.

Eventually, they fall in love and go to bed. A strange woman, GINNIE, shows up at their hotel room and asks for help. She winds up taking Arlis to meet his father who is wounded with buckshot. Back at the hotel, Arlis tends his father's wounds as the foursome gets acquainted. Arlis wants nothing more to do with his scumbag father and this woman who steals rings off the fingers of the dead. Roy and Ginnie finally take off; Arlis and Kay stay together.

Arlis sees a photo of Kay's in her suitcase. She turns out to be the baby girl that survived Roy's murderous rampage. Arlis is confused and doesn't know whether to tell her or not. Eventually, he decides to leave her without an explanation. Meanwhile, Roy and Ginnie have figured out who Kay is and trick her into coming out to the old farmhouse where her parents were killed. Arlis tracks them down. While Kay and Ginnie go for a walk, Roy tells Arlis that Kay must be killed. Arlis kills his father and tells Ginnie to run away. He lets off Kay back at the hotel, says goodbye, and takes off to return to his lonely lifestyle.

Summary Criticism: The characters are engaging, but the plot is based on a coincidence too extreme to be believable.

Flesh and Bone (1992) - imdb

Flesh and Bone (1992) - wiki