To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday movie storyline. David Lewis (Peter Gallagher) is so affected by the death of his beautiful wife, Gillian (Michelle Pfeiffer), who fell from the mast of their yacht on a sailing trip, that he turns their summer cottage in Nantucket, Massachusetts into a permanent home and spends most of his time on the beach there, communicating with Gillian’s spirit and unwittingly neglecting his teenage daughter, Rachel (Claire Danes).
On the second anniversary of Gillian’s death, David invites her sister, Esther Wheeler (Kathy Baker), and her husband, Paul (Bruce Altman), to stay for the weekend. She insists on bringing a female friend named Kevin Dollof (Wendy Crewson) whom she hopes David will become romantically interested in. He, however, ignores her in proceeding with a ritualistic celebration of Gillian’s birthday.
The events of the weekend cause the adults to re-examine their relationships; Esther and Paul have to deal with the problem posed to their marriage by Rachel’s provocative young teenage friend Cindy (Laurie Fortier), while, most importantly, David comes to realize that he can be a loving and attentive father to Rachel without betraying the memory of Gillian.
To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday is a 1996 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Pressman, and starring Peter Gallagher and Claire Danes as a father and daughter struggling to come to terms with the tragic death of wife and mother Gillian (Michelle Pfeiffer). The original score was composed by James Horner. The screenplay was adapted by David E. Kelley from the play of the same name by Michael Brady.
The film was filmed on location in Nantucket, Massachusetts and in and around Wilmington, North Carolina, although some of the beach scenes were filmed at Long Beach, California and the sailing accident was filmed at Marina del Rey, California; the obvious differences between the two were noticeable enough to be mentioned by The New York Times reviewer.
To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday (1996)
Directed by: Michael Pressman
Starring: Peter Gallagher, Claire Danes, Kathy Baker, Wendy Crewson, Bruce Altman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurie Fortier, Rachel Seidman-Lockamy, Lorielle New
Screenplay by: David E. Kelley
Production Design by: Linda Pearl
Cinematography by: Tim Suhrstedt
Film Editing by: William S. Scharf
Costume Design by: Deborah Lynn Scott
Set Decoration by: Linda Pearl
Art Direction by: Michael Atwell
Music by: James Horner
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for a scene involving strong language, and for some sensuality and teen drinking.
Distributed by: Triumph Films
Release Date: October 18, 1996
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