The Gypsy Moths

Gene Hackman,Bonnie Bedelia,Burt Lancaster,Scott Wilson

At different stages of life and thus their career, Mike Rettig, Joe Browdy, and Malcolm Webson comprise a stunt skydiving troupe, they traveling around the United States performing at events. Mike is the outwardly laconic veteran, although the one who takes the most risks. Outwardly Joe is the showman, although he, as the business manager, is behind the scenes risk averse in doing whatever he feels is best for their bottom line. He is already looking at the breadth of his entire life in what he sees as his career path post-skydiving. And Malcolm is the introspective novice who looks to the senior partners. Their stop in the small college town of Bridgeville, KS on the Independence Day weekend, there where they are staying only overnight before needing to move on, is different if only because it's where Malcolm was born and raised, although he hasn't lived there or been back since he was ten when his parents passed, sending him into foster care as his only relations, his maternal Aunt Elizabeth Brandon and her husband Uncle John Brandon, for their own reasons didn't take him in. Although he had no intention of even contacting them in not having kept in touch with them over the intervening years and thus not really even knowing them, blood relative or not, Malcolm does get in touch with his relations, Aunt Elizabeth who invites them all to stay at their house, it under the stated "front" of being comfortable having strangers staying with them in always renting out a room to a college student, the current one being a young woman named Annie Burke. Mike, Joe and Malcolm's stay in town and with Malcolm's aunt and uncle will be affected largely by Elizabeth and John's crumbling marriage and the reason behind it.—Huggo