Neal Jimenez
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
This screenwriter and director won acclaim for his first two produced screenplays, "Where the River Runs Black" (1986) and "River's Edge" (1987). The latter, arguably, was the first grimly honest portrait of what would soon come to be called "Generation X." Unlike, say, "Reality Bites" (1994), the adolescent protagonists who populated "River's Edge" were not cuddly in their surliness. Opening with an obese dead-eyed youth seated next to his freshly murdered girlfriend, the film presented a chilling collection of sullen and hopeless characters including Dennis Hopper's crazed ex-hippie burnout and Crispin Glover's manic speed freak.
Jimenez co-scripted (with Marshall Brickman and Lindy Laub) "For The Boys" (1991), a slight but overlong musical drama with a skimpy historical overview. This diverting, if forgettable, Bette Midler vehicle followed brassy entertainer Dixie Leonard as she entertained the troops from WWII to Vietnam to today. Jimenez made his directorial debut (co-helming with Michael Steinberg) with "The Waterdance" (1992), the story of a paralyzed writer played by Eric Stoltz. Set in a physical rehab center, the film dealt movingly and unflinchingly with differences in class and temperament between the patients, as well as between Stoltz and his able-bodied girlfriend. Scripted by Jimenez, "The Waterdance" was based on his personal experiences after a 1984 accident which left him paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair.
Jimenez was also one of five writers credited with "Sleep With Me" (1994), a slight comedy about a man (Eric Stoltz) who confesses his love for the wife (Meg Tilly) of a friend (Craig Sheffer). He also worked on the adaptation of Dean R. Koontz' novel "Hideaway" (1995), a muddled suspense thriller about a man (Jeff Goldblum) whose near-death experience links him with a serial killer which in turn threatens his family. Koontz was so displeased with the final film that he asked to have his name removed from the credits.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Life Events
1983
Screenplay for "River's Edge" optioned by Sanford/Pillbury Productions while a college senior (date approximate)
1984
Broke neck and became paralyzed
1986
Feature screenwriting debut, "Where the River Runs Black"
1992
Feature co-directorial debut, "The Waterdance"
Family
Companions
