bathroom   cigarette smoking   motel   based on novel   fired from the job   christmas   character name in title   father son relationship   hotel   1950s   new york city   new year's eve   manhattan new york city   bare chested male   father daughter relationship   female nudity   bare breasts   department store   recording   lawyer   piano   divorce   divorce lawyer   quitting job   suburb   record player   surveillance   road trip   friend   on the road   hotel room   female friendship   boyfriend girlfriend relationship   strong female character   lesbian   lesbian sex   lesbian kiss   child custody   male underwear   female protagonist   confrontation   office   pills   camera   gloves   photographer   tape recorder   shouting   time magazine   courtroom   sexual awakening   washington d.c.   photography   drug addict   break up   laughing   father in law daughter in law relationship   spurned man   character says i love you   store clerk   congressional hearing   telegram   politician   gunshot   meeting   new year's day   ethics   santa claus hat   female female kiss   senate   bias   male prostitute   christmas present   argument   electronic eavesdropping   debate   gun control   mother in law daughter in law relationship   planted evidence   male escort   legislation   bickering couple   boxer briefs   married woman   older woman younger woman relationship   forename as title   liberalism   lexus   new york times the newspaper   christmas season   divorce settlement   electric train   lesbian romance   opening scene repeated later in film   reference to dwight d. eisenhower   rejecting a marriage proposal   train set   wanting divorce   waterloo iowa   year 1952   year 1953   in medias res   strong female lead   friendship   shot to death   handgun   held at gunpoint   one word title   mother son relationship   little girl   title appears in writing   restaurant   husband wife relationship   telephone call   male objectification   character name as title   surprise ending   title spoken by character   telephone   kiss   gun   senator   party   suitcase   mother daughter relationship   phone booth   weapon   consultant   lobbying   lobbyist   televised debate   piano player   television   prison