All of Me (1984 film)

Lore & Background

The film centers on Roger Cobb, a 38-year-old attorney and aspiring jazz guitarist, who is dating his boss's daughter. He is tasked with managing the estate of Edwina Cutwater, a difficult, eccentric millionairess bedridden since childhood. Edwina, having discovered she is dying, enlists a mystic named Prahka Lasa to transfer her soul into the body of a beautiful young woman named Terry Hoskins, who agrees to the plan for Edwina's fortune. Roger believes the plan is "bananas." When Edwina dies, the soul-transfer works, but her soul accidentally enters Roger's body, sharing control: she controls the right side, he the left. This causes Roger to lose his girlfriend and job. Their relationship gradually warms as they seek a way to separate.

Reader's Guide

All of Me is noted for its high-concept farce and the precise comedic timing of its leads. The New York Times praised Steve Martin's "astonishing performance" and the entire cast. Martin himself described his character as "an intelligent man who happens to get caught in a disaster," marking a departure from his earlier roles. He stated that his "mature film career started with All of Me." The film holds an 85% Rotten Tomatoes score, with the site's consensus calling it "a body-swap comedy worth holding onto." Several attempts to remake the film as a movie or television show have failed. Notably, Steve Martin and Victoria Tennant (who played Terry Hoskins) met during production and were married from 1986 to 1994.

Did You Know?

• The film is based on the unpublished novel Me Two by Edwin Davis.
• Steve Martin and Victoria Tennant met during the making of the film and were married in 1986.
• The title song and theme is the 1931 jazz standard 'All of Me'.
• Several attempts to remake All of Me as a movie or television show have failed.