YMMV / The Grifters

• Award Snub: The cast received Oscar Nominations, except John Cusack for Best Actor.
• He's Just Hiding: There is a popular theory that a man seen running across the street in the final shot of the movie is Roy. He supposedly faked his death to get back at Lilly for the past.
  • On the DVD Commentary, Stephen Frears said he never intended the ending to be interpreted this way. He didn't think Roy would be capable of doing something so cruel to Lilly. However, he considered it an interesting interpretation nonetheless.
• Nightmare Fuel: In-universe; "Tell me about the oranges, Lily."
• One-Scene Wonder: Three of them; Pat Hingle (as Lily's boss), Eddie Jones (as the grifter who teaches Roy), and J. T. Walsh (as Myra's old partner).
• Pen Name: Averted. Stephen Frears wanted Donald Westlake to write the screenplay using his pseudonym of "Richard Stark", which Westlake had used on a series of noir crime novels in the 1960s and 1970s. Initially, Westlake wasn't interested in the assignment at all, but he came around after further discussion — but insisted that he be credited under his own name. "Stark", however, sill makes an appearance, of sorts. A key scene is set at the firm of "Stark, Coe & Fellows"; Westlake explains the in-joke on the commentary track, noting he wrote books using the pen names of "Richard Stark, Tucker Coe and some other fellows."

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