In this black comedy, elderly Jack Scanlan (
Jack Warden) passes away just as he's about to tell his oldest son Johnny (
Bob Hoskins) what he's decided is truly important in life, which does little to ease Johnny's mid-life anxieties. Jack's funeral and the subsequent wake brings together the various members of the Scanlan Family, most of whom are having troubles of their own. Johnny's mother Mary (
Maureen Stapleton) is not dealing well with losing her husband. His brother Frank (William Petersen), a would-be union delegate, has a nagging wife, Denise (Debra Rush), and a pregnant daughter, Rachel (
Teri Polo). His sister Nora (
Frances McDormand) is a leftist nun who has brought along a guest, a South American dissident wanted by the INS. Terry (
Pamela Reed) is splitting up with her husband Boyd (
Tim Curry) after finally realizing that he's gay. And Johnny is thinking of quitting his job and leaving his wife Amy (
Blair Brown), which makes the mysterious Cassie (
Nancy Travis) seem all the more attractive. Passed Away marked the directorial debut of successful screenwriter Charlie Peters. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide