Hanging Up
Three sisters - Georgia, Eve, and Maddy - do what they do best with life, love, and lunacy on the telephone lines that bind - when their curmudgeonly father, Lou, is admitted to a Los Angeles Hospital. After years of wild living, intermittent affection, and constant phoning, he is finally threatening to die.
The film disappointed at the box office against its moderate budget of $60.0M, earning $51.9M globally (-14% loss).
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Hanging Up (2000) demonstrates strategically placed narrative design, characteristic of Diane Keaton's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 34 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Eve juggles multiple phone calls while planning her magazine party, establishing her as the overwhelmed middle sister who handles everything for everyone while her own life suffers.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when Lou is hospitalized with serious health issues, forcing all three sisters to confront the reality that their father is dying and they can no longer avoid dealing with him or each other.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 24 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 26% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Eve decides she must actively confront her sisters and demand they share the responsibility of caring for their father, choosing to fight for boundaries rather than continue suffering alone., moving from reaction to action.
At 47 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat Lou's condition worsens significantly and he becomes increasingly confused and difficult. What seemed manageable now appears hopeless, and the sisters realize he may not recover. The stakes raise to life and death., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 71 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Lou dies, and the moment Eve has been dreading arrives. The father they couldn't please, couldn't fix, and couldn't escape is gone. The "whiff of death" is literal, leaving the sisters with unresolved feelings., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 75 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Eve realizes that she doesn't need her father's approval or her sisters' validation to know her worth. She can let go of resentment and choose connection on her own terms, free from obligation., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Hanging Up's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Hanging Up against these established plot points, we can identify how Diane Keaton utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Hanging Up within the drama genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Eve juggles multiple phone calls while planning her magazine party, establishing her as the overwhelmed middle sister who handles everything for everyone while her own life suffers.
Theme
Lou, their elderly father, rambles about family and memory on the phone, hinting at the theme: families must learn to let go while staying connected, and that care is a burden we choose.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to the three sisters and their dynamics: Georgia the glamorous actress too busy for family, Maddy the practical doctor who stays distant, and Eve who manages their demanding father Lou while everyone else avoids responsibility.
Disruption
Lou is hospitalized with serious health issues, forcing all three sisters to confront the reality that their father is dying and they can no longer avoid dealing with him or each other.
Resistance
Eve struggles with whether to continue being the sole caretaker while her sisters resist getting involved. She debates asking for help, dealing with her father's confusion, and managing her own anxiety about his mortality.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Eve decides she must actively confront her sisters and demand they share the responsibility of caring for their father, choosing to fight for boundaries rather than continue suffering alone.
Mirror World
Flashbacks to their mother and childhood reveal the patterns established long ago: Eve was always the caretaker, Georgia was the star, and Maddy was the escape artist. The past mirrors the present dysfunction.
Premise
The sisters navigate their father's declining health together, confronting old resentments, competing for his approval, and dealing with his impossible demands while trying to maintain their own lives and relationships.
Midpoint
Lou's condition worsens significantly and he becomes increasingly confused and difficult. What seemed manageable now appears hopeless, and the sisters realize he may not recover. The stakes raise to life and death.
Opposition
Family conflicts intensify as Lou's demands become impossible, Georgia remains self-absorbed, Maddy stays emotionally distant, and Eve reaches her breaking point. Eve's marriage and work suffer as caregiving consumes everything.
Collapse
Lou dies, and the moment Eve has been dreading arrives. The father they couldn't please, couldn't fix, and couldn't escape is gone. The "whiff of death" is literal, leaving the sisters with unresolved feelings.
Crisis
The sisters process their grief differently, facing the pain of what was never said, never resolved, and never healed. Eve particularly mourns the loss of hope that her father would ever truly see or appreciate her.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Eve realizes that she doesn't need her father's approval or her sisters' validation to know her worth. She can let go of resentment and choose connection on her own terms, free from obligation.
Synthesis
The sisters come together for the funeral and memorial, finally honest with each other about their pain and love. They begin to forge a new relationship based on choice rather than duty, healing old wounds.
Transformation
Eve is shown peacefully managing her life without the constant phone calls and chaos, having learned to set boundaries. She connects with her sisters from a place of love rather than obligation, transformed and free.