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Pacific Heights

1990 · 102 min · Director: John Schlesinger ★ IMDb 6.4 · 26,316 ratings

Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)

San Franciscans Drake Goodman and Patty Palmer are taking their relationship to the next level not only by moving in together, but their new abode being a house they purchase. Despite it being slightly outside of their price range and only affordable to them in the right circumstances, they purchase a Victorian house in Pacific Heights. Those circumstances include making all the necessary renovations on their own, and immediately renting out the two suites on the main floor at a specific price point. While they rent out the rear one bedroom unit to the Watanabes without incident, outwardly wealthy Carter Hayes is able to manipulate his way into renting the front studio apartment, partly in promising to pay half a year's rent in advance. Drake and Patty eventually learn that Carter, whose money they do not receive, is in the "business" of causing havoc in such rental situations to ruin the owners financially, he being the tenant from hell. In Carter seemingly knowing how to manipulate the system to his benefit including the proverbial possession being nine-tenths of the law, Drake and Patty also learn from the police and Stephanie MacDonald, the property lawyer they hire to help evict Carter and who they cannot afford, that the law is on Carter's side, the process to get him out costly and time consuming. As the battle between Drake/Patty and Carter escalates, which also includes the Watanabes being caught in the crossfire, it becomes potentially deadly if either side crosses a breaking point.

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Emotional fingerprint

Pacific Heights (1990) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Anxiety 35%, Tension 25%, Disturbing 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure

  1. Fear15%

AI estimate · no viewer votes yet

How we measure

AI estimate

Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.

Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.

Why it feels this way

The strongest emotional signals are Anxiety, Tension, Disturbing. Genres: Thriller, Drama, Mystery. AI estimate.

Is it worth watching?

Consider this title if you are looking for Anxiety, Tension and Disturbing. Its IMDb rating of 6.4/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 68/100.

How did it make you feel?

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Emotional journey

AI · from subtitles
  • Tension
  • Anxiety
  • Sadness

Not enough subtitle evidence

No dominant emotion

Dominant emotion: Tension

Dominant emotion: Curiosity

Dominant emotion: Anxiety

Dominant emotion: Sadness

Dominant emotion: Relief

Tension
Anxiety
Sadness
Emotional journey Emotional intensity over the film’s runtime, from quieter to stronger on a fixed 0–1 scale. Hatched intervals have insufficient subtitle evidence. The table provides the values.
Ending hidden

Dominant emotion

Intensity dips around 13 %, then peaks around 53 %, then dips around 98 %.Ending hidden

Emotional journey
%Approximate minuteDominant emotionOverall intensityTensionAnxietySadness
2.5 %≈ 3′Tension48 %42 %33 %7 %
7.5 %≈ 8′Curiosity34 %24 %23 %3 %
12.5 %≈ 13′Curiosity28 %15 %15 %0 %
17.5 %≈ 18′Curiosity34 %24 %20 %0 %
22.5 %≈ 23′Curiosity40 %35 %30 %1 %
27.5 %≈ 28′Tension48 %45 %40 %4 %
32.5 %≈ 33′Tension55 %50 %48 %8 %
37.5 %≈ 38′Anxiety58 %49 %51 %14 %
42.5 %≈ 43′Anxiety63 %53 %56 %23 %
47.5 %≈ 48′Anxiety74 %63 %64 %41 %
52.5 %≈ 54′Sadness80 %68 %68 %59 %
57.5 %≈ 59′Anxiety75 %65 %64 %51 %
62.5 %≈ 64′Tension68 %59 %55 %40 %
67.5 %≈ 69′Sadness64 %53 %46 %34 %
72.5 %≈ 74′Curiosity60 %49 %40 %16 %
77.5 %≈ 79′Curiosity56 %48 %35 %4 %
82.5 %≈ 84′Tension53 %45 %31 %5 %
87.5 %≈ 89′Curiosity56 %49 %39 %10 %
92.5 %≈ 94′Tension58 %49 %44 %9 %
97.5 %≈ 99′Relief43 %32 %32 %3 %
Man in a hole

Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.

Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.

Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.

Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.

Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.

Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.

AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗

Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers

Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.

0 responses so far

Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.

Cast

Melanie Griffith

Patty Palmer

Matthew Modine

Drake Goodman

Mako

Toshio Watanabe

NM
Nobu McCarthy

Mira Watanabe

Laurie Metcalf

Stephanie MacDonald

Carl Lumbly

Lieutenant Lou Baker

TH
Tippi Hedren

Florence Peters

Sheila McCarthy

Liz Hamilton

Guy Boyd

Warning Cop

Jerry Hardin

Bennett Fidlow

Dan Hedaya

Loan Officer

JS
James Staley

District Attorney Henry

TF
Takayo Fischer

Bank Teller

FD
Frank DiElsi

Precinct Cop

LO
Luis Oropeza

Revilla

FW
F. William Parker

Judge Mitchell Black

Details

Directed by
John Schlesinger
Written by
Daniel Pyne
Type
Movies
Released
1990
Runtime
102 min
Country
United States
Ratings
★ IMDb 6.4 · 26,316 ratings
Feels mostly
Anxiety
Data updated

Where to watch

Data: JustWatch · Wikidata

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Emotion overlap shows mood similarity, not a prediction of enjoyment.