And God Created Woman 1988

Drama

Romance

Comedy

Box Office

$717K

Runtime

100 mins

Language

English

Directed by

Kenny Ortega

Made by

Vestron Pictures

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And God Created Woman Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for And God Created Woman (1988). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

Robin Shea, Rebecca De Mornay, is a convict in a New Mexico prison. She manages to escape, but mistakenly hitches a ride in the limo of James Tiernan, Frank Langella, a politician visiting the prison as part of his campaign for governor. He returns her to the prison in secret. While changing back into prison clothes, Robin meets Billy Moran, Vincent Spano, a carpenter and handyman who is doing work in the compound under supervision that is supposed to keep him isolated from the female inmates. Billy helps Robin temporarily hide from the guards, and they have sex.

Robin learns who James Tiernan is from a political ad on television where he talks about his strong stance on prison issues. She manages to call him at his campaign headquarters, and James Frank Langella gives her advice, including one suggestion: that she get married. Robin extends a bold proposition to Billy, offering him five thousand dollars to marry her for a year so she can get out of prison. Billy accepts, they are married, and Robin is released not long after.

Robin moves in with Billy, who also lives with his brother Peter, Donovan Leitch, and Billy’s son Timmy, Jamie McEnnan. Initially there is a clash of personalities due to the contrast between Billy’s serious demeanor and Robin’s wild-child nature. Billy hopes for a real relationship, while Robin insists their arrangement is temporary and that she wants to pursue her musical career. She quickly forms a band, which Peter joins, and she crosses paths again with James, who uses Robin as a poster child for successful prison reform on his campaign.

Robin spends more time with Peter and Timmy, which strains Billy’s patience. She suggests they see other people, and Billy agrees. Billy has sex with another woman, while Robin also becomes involved with James, who is married. The two couples confront each other with jealousy as the complicated web of relationships deepens.

The next morning Robin reconciles with Billy, helping him when his jeep breaks down and spending time with him at work restoring an old museum. They have sex in Billy’s workshop, and their moment is interrupted by a group of tourists who take pictures. At first Robin’s public indecency is hushed up due to her status as a poster child for James’s prison reform, but when James sees the photos he grows jealous and orders that Robin’s parole be revoked. The police come for Robin when she is performing with her band at a bar. She flees to James’ house for help, but he turns her away. Robin goes back to Billy’s house, where he has packed up her things and prepared money for her. Billy promises to help her no matter what she wants to do, and Robin decides she is tired of running.

Billy and Robin secretly crash James’ political dinner. Robin takes to the stage with her band, praising James’ assistance in giving her a second chance. The performance earns a heartfelt standing ovation, which in turn bolsters James’ image. James agrees to help Robin, and she no longer has to go back to prison. James goes on to win the election, and Robin and Billy return home together, happily married.

And God Created Woman Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of And God Created Woman (1988) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

Prison escape and unintended limo ride

Robin Shea escapes from a New Mexico prison and, by chance, ends up riding in the limousine of James Tiernan, a politician visiting the facility. Tiernan unexpectedly returns her to the prison in secret, hoping to preserve his image and avoid scandal. This impulsive escape sets the film's web of loyalties and lies into motion.

New Mexico prison

Hiding with Billy Moran in the prison compound

Inside the prison, Billy Moran, a carpenter under guard supervision, helps Robin temporarily hide from the guards. Their encounter turns intimate, establishing a forbidden connection that complicates both of their lives.

Prison compound workshop

Robin learns James Tiernan's identity

Robin realizes who James Tiernan is when she sees a political ad about prison reform. The recognition reshapes her view of her potential ally and the leverage he could have over her parole.

Prison TV room

Robin seeks parole help at James' campaign HQ

Robin manages to call James at his campaign headquarters, asking for help on her parole hearing. James offers strategic advice that hints at using personal connections to secure freedom.

James Tiernan campaign HQ

James urges marriage as a parole strategy

During a discussion about Robin's future, James frames marriage as a practical route to early release rather than a romance. He encourages Robin to consider taking a spouse as part of her parole plan. The idea plants the seed for a decisive course of action.

Campaign HQ

Robin asks Billy to marry her for a year

Robin approaches Billy with an offer of five thousand dollars to marry her for a year so she can get out. Billy agrees, viewing it as a chance to secure a future with her and a sense of stability.

Prison

Robin is released and moves in with Billy

Robin is released not long after the marriage and moves into Billy's home where his brother Peter and son Timmy live. The new domestic setup introduces a blend of tenderness and tension as the family adjusts.

Billy's home

Robin starts a band; Peter joins; James re-enters the scene

Robin pursues a musical career and forms a band with Peter joining the group. James reappears in the spotlight, using Robin's public success as a poster child for prison reform to bolster his campaign.

Band rehearsal space

Open relationships and jealousy emerge

Robin begins affairs with James while Billy has a relationship with another woman, and the couples grapple with jealousy and shifting loyalties. The fragile balance of their blended family is tested by competing desires.

Billy's home and James' circle

Reconciliation, jeep rescue, and a museum shift

The morning after, Robin reconciles with Billy and helps him when his jeep breaks down. They work together restoring an old museum and share a night of intimacy in the workshop, only to be interrupted by tourists.

Workshop / museum

Parole becomes jeopardized as photos surface

Tour photos of Robin in a public, compromising moment reach James, who grows jealous and orders that her parole be revoked. The alliance between them becomes visibly strained as power and affection collide.

James' campaign HQ

Police, flight, and a choice to stop running

Police come for Robin during a band performance; she flees to James' house for help, but he refuses to shelter her. She returns to Billy's home, where he has packed her belongings and money and vows to support her, prompting Robin to decide to stop running.

Billy's home

A clandestine dinner and a revival of hope

Robin and Billy crash James' political dinner, where Robin performs with her band, praising James for his help. The show earns a standing ovation and strengthens James' image, with him promising continued support.

James' campaign dinner

Election victory and a new life together

James wins the election and Robin and Billy return home together, now happily married. The story closes on a note of renewed partnership and shared dreams for the future.

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And God Created Woman Characters

Explore all characters from And God Created Woman (1988). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Robin Shea (Rebecca De Mornay)

Convict Robin Shea escapes from a New Mexico prison and becomes entangled with politician James Tiernan. Her path moves between wild, artistic impulse and a longing for stability, culminating in a marriage-for-parole scheme. She forms a band with Peter Moran and navigates loyalties between Billy's genuine care and James's reform image. The arc blends rebellious charm with vulnerability as she struggles to shape her own fate.

🎭 Drama 🎵 Music 💘 Romance

Billy Moran (Vincent Spano)

Carpenter and handyman Billy Moran takes Robin in after the marriage arrangement, offering a stable home and the possibility of a real relationship. He balances a protective, serious nature with a growing desire for lasting commitment, while supporting Robin's musical ambitions. The presence of his son Timmy and his loyalty to family test his boundaries as their lives intertwine with politics and fame.

🪚 Craftsmanship 🏡 Family 💪 Loyalty

James Tiernan (Frank Langella)

Ambitious politician who uses Robin's rehabilitation story as a campaign tool. His public persona contrasts with private jealousy when Robin's relationship with Billy complicates his image. He vacillates between offering help and asserting control, illustrating how power and public perception intertwine with personal desire.

🏛 Politics 🎭 Manipulation 💼 Power

Peter Moran (Donovan Leitch)

Billy's brother, Peter joins Robin's band and becomes a bridge between the chaotic romance and the family's needs. His easygoing support and musical contribution help anchor Robin's ambitions while reinforcing the sense of chosen family.

🎶 Music 🤝 Family 🧭 Support

Timmy Moran (Jamie McEnnan)

Billy's son who witnesses the adult entanglements around him. He provides a child's or observer's perspective on loyalty, home, and belonging as Robin and Billy navigate their evolving relationship.

👶 Child 🎨 Creativity 🏠 Family

Rupert Willis (Gary Grubbs)

Robin's parole officer who monitors her status and becomes a pressure point when her parole is threatened. He represents the system's authority and its influence on personal freedoms within the rehabilitation narrative.

⚖️ Parole 🧭 Authority 🤝 Oversight

And God Created Woman Settings

Learn where and when And God Created Woman (1988) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.

Location

New Mexico prison, Billy Moran's home and workshop, local museum, bar/venue, James Tiernan's campaign headquarters

The film unfolds primarily within a New Mexico correctional facility, showing the routines of inmate life and the pressures surrounding parole. It expands to the surrounding town—Billy Moran's home and workshop, a local museum, a bar where Robin performs, and James Tiernan's campaign HQ—creating a backdrop for Robin's reinvention. The contrast between confinement and open spaces underscores themes of freedom, second chances, and the costs of public image.

🏜️ New Mexico setting 🏛️ Prison environment 🏠 Small-town ambiance

And God Created Woman Themes

Discover the main themes in And God Created Woman (1988). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

🕊️

Redemption

Robin's arc centers on second chances and the tension between personal freedom and social labels. The film explores how a single act, like marriage for parole, can catalyze change and whether reform is genuine or a staged image. As James uses her story to bolster his campaign, the line between truth and image becomes blurred, challenging the idea of true redemption. Through Robin's choices, the story questions what it means to be given a chance to start over.

🏛️

Power & Image

Politics functions as performance here, with James Tiernan leveraging Robin's rehabilitation as a public banner. The campaign relies on a crafted narrative of reform, while personal relationships feed rivalries and jealousy. The film critiques how media visibility can shape policy and personal fate, sometimes at the expense of truth. It asks whether public support and appearances truly reflect real change.

🏠

Family

A makeshift family forms around Robin, Billy, and Timmy, revealing how trust and stability emerge from shared struggle. Billy's seriousness clashes with Robin's free-spirited ambitions, testing loyalty and commitment. The film surveys the tenderness hidden in domestic spaces—from the workshop to the kitchen table—where people choose to stay or walk away. Even as their relationship deepens, the story keeps returning to the question of belonging and home.

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And God Created Woman Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of And God Created Woman (1988). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

In a sun‑baked corner of New Mexico, the walls of a prison echo with the restless energy of a woman determined to rewrite her story. The film reimagines a classic tale of desire and defiance, placing its heroine in a world where personal freedom collides with the glossy veneer of political ambition. A charismatic campaign for governor looms over the landscape, promising reform while a seductive figure plots a bold escape from the very system the candidate vows to transform.

Robin Shea—a striking, fiercely independent inmate—finds an unlikely ally in a humble carpenter named Billy Moran. Their chance encounter inside the prison compound sparks a pact that is as unorthodox as it is pragmatic: a marriage of convenience that could secure her release. Across the broader stage, James Tiernan—a polished, ambitious politician—carries the promise of change, his polished campaign ads contrasting sharply with the gritty reality of the penitentiary where Robin’s story begins. The three characters orbit each other, each driven by distinct motives that hint at both collaboration and conflict.

The tone balances sultry allure with a biting commentary on power and redemption. The desert setting provides a stark, sprawling backdrop for a narrative that intertwines music, family dynamics, and the tantalizing pull of fame. As Robin steps from confinement toward a world of open highways, workshops, and bright stage lights, the film teases the delicate dance between personal ambition and the public gaze, leaving the audience to wonder how far desire can stretch before it meets the unyielding expectations of a society eager for its own heroes.

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