Dir. Peter Bogdanovich. 1985 (2004 release for Director’s Cut), 127 mins. 35mm. With Cher, Sam Elliott, Eric Stoltz, Laura Dern. Working from the details of the short life of Roy “Rocky” Dennis, a young man born with a rare disease leading to extreme cranial enlargement, director Peter Bogdanovich and screenwriter Anna Hamilton Phelan crafted this touching surprise sleeper. Eric Stoltz dons the Academy Award–winning makeup to play the remarkable Rocky, struggling against all odds to live a normal life, while Cher and Elliott, as his mother and her tough-and-tender biker boyfriend, are given characters no less realized and multifaceted. Cher’s hard-partying Rusty is not the expected cardboard matriarchal martyr, but rather a very human woman whose love for her son spurs her to grow and change. For this role, Cher was awarded Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival.

Tickets: $15 ($11 seniors and students / free for Museum members at the Film Lover and Kids Premium levels and above). Order tickets online. (Members may contact [email protected] with questions regarding online reservations.)

Ticket purchase includes same-day admission to the Museum (see gallery hours). View the Museum’s ticketing policy here. For more information on membership and to join online, visit our membership page.