Tin Men (1987)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writer:

Barry Levinson (written by)

Release Date:

6 March 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

The Year - 1963. Selling the American Dream is a risky, funny business - you could wind up paying with your wife!

Plot:

A minor car accident drives two rival aluminum-siding salesmen to the ridiculous extremes of man versus man in 1963 Baltimore.

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Volkswagen Beetle | Salesman | 1960s | Baltimore Maryland

Cast

Richard Dreyfuss	...	Bill 'BB' Babowsky
Danny DeVito	...	Ernest Tilley
Barbara Hershey	...	Nora Tilley
John Mahoney	...	Moe Adams
Jackie Gayle	...	Sam
Stanley Brock	...	Gil
Seymour Cassel	...	Cheese
Bruno Kirby	...	Mouse
J.T. Walsh	...	Wing
Richard Portnow	...	Carly
Matt Craven	...	Looney
Alan Blumenfeld	...	Stanley
Brad Sullivan	...	Masters
Michael Tucker	...	Bagel
Deirdre O'Connell	...	Nellie

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

Bandai Films

Trivia:

Director Trademark: [Barry Levinson]Ralph Tabakin (Chaplain Captain Noel) has appeared in every Levinson picture from Diner (1982) to Liberty Heights (1999).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In this Baltimore-based story, during a scene in the bar, there is a Busch promotional light on the wall. The movie is set in the 1960s, but Busch beer was not licensed for sale in Maryland until the late 1970s.

Quotes:

Nora Tilley: If we went on a picnic it would be fun.
Ernest Tilley: I don't understand a picnic. We go someplace, we put a thing on the ground and eat.
Nora Tilley: Yeah, it's nice to do that.
Ernest Tilley: Why? I don't get it. It's better sittin' in front of the TV.
Nora Tilley: I happen to think there's somethin' nice about a picnic. It's fun.
Ernest Tilley: What's fun about it? Ants get in the food - there's bees. I don't get it. You have to drive - it takes you maybe an hour to get there. And then whataya do? You sit on the grass and eat. Why is that fun?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Willie Nelson (#12.12)" (1987)

Soundtrack:

In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning

Hilarious and touching

Few films can be laugh-out-loud funny and ultimately as touching and deep as this film. Most people remember the dialogue, seemingly ad-libbed during the diner scenes by the cast (Danny DeVito, Jackie Gayle, Bruno Kirby)--and that looks like the same diner that Barry Levinson used for his first movie. But the characters and their quirks are totally fleshed out before the conflict (DeVito's stiff neck, Dreyfuss's ladies' man schtick), making for a few truly hilarious lines and scenes (Gayle talking to DeVito about what a great dancer Dreyfuss is comes to mind). The movie really has a sad story underneath about very unhappy people who delight in the misfortunes of others, until Barbara Hershey's character realizes what's going on. All of these characters and story points climax in a rather sweet and yes, believable final sequence. This movie came out during a spate of late '80s blockbusters and never really found its audience, I think. But it is one of the few late '80s movies I rewatch every couple of years and find more to appreciate with each viewing. I would rank it as Levinson's best film.