IMDb > Nothing in Common (1986)
Nothing in Common
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Nothing in Common (1986) More at IMDbPro »

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Nothing in Common (1986) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
Nothing in Common (1986) -- Clip: Wait a minute

Overview

User Rating:
5.7/10   2,406 votes
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Down 16% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Garry Marshall
Writers:
Rick Podell (written by)
Michael Preminger (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Nothing in Common on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
30 July 1986 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama | Romance more
Tagline:
On his way up the corporate ladder. David Basner confronts his greatest challenge: his father.
Plot:
A successful ad man (Hanks) must juggle his ever-demanding career while his parents' marriage breaks up. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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User Comments:
Great Chicago movie and last hurrah for a Hollywood great. more (21 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Tom Hanks ... David Basner
Jackie Gleason ... Max Basner

Eva Marie Saint ... Lorraine Basner

Hector Elizondo ... Charlie Gargas

Barry Corbin ... Andrew Woolridge

Bess Armstrong ... Donna Mildred Martin

Sela Ward ... Cheryl Ann Wayne
Cindy Harrell ... Shelley the Stewardess

John Kapelos ... Roger the Commercial Director
Carol Messing ... David's Secretary
Bill Applebaum ... Ted Geller
Mona Lyden ... Mishi

Anthony Starke ... Cameron
Julio Alonso ... Rick
Jane Morris ... Dale
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
118 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Certification:
Singapore:PG | Australia:M | Iceland:L | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:12
Filming Locations:
Chicago, Illinois, USA more
Company:
Delphi Films more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Several Ringo Starr references were made in the movie: David aims at being a fourth partner in the firm just like Ringo was the fourth person to join the Beatles. David plays with drum sticks, a reference to Ringo being a drummer. Then when doing auditions for grandmothers, Roger mentions how Ringo Starr had become a grandfather in his 40s. more
Quotes:
Charlie Gargas: At the end, I had my father in a nursing home. I gave him the best doctors in Illinois. He was a little senile... not much. I never spent much time with him. I was too busy. Finally, when I got around to seeing him, he didn't recognize me. Till the day he died, he didn't know who the hell I was.
David Basner: Here I thought you were the perfect son, Charlie.
Charlie Gargas: No. They told me there was only one of those guys. Listen, you take care of what you've got to take care of. I'll take care of Woolridge.
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Movie Connections:
References 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) more
Soundtrack:
Loving Strangers more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
5 out of 7 people found the following comment useful.
Great Chicago movie and last hurrah for a Hollywood great., 29 August 2004
Author: OCOKA from Chicago, IL

I happened to catch this movie while I was in college in 1991. At the time though, I only saw the ending, but it really piqued my interest b/c the last scene where Tom Hanks is pushing a wheel-chair-bound Jackie Gleason down a hospital corridor through a windowed overpass was actually filmed where I was born -- Northwestern Memorial Passavant Hospital in Chicago.

Years later, I was finally able to view "Nothing in Common" in its entirety on video, and while I liked some parts of it -- mostly b/c of its numerous Chicago location shots -- I thought the film's production value was a little bit low for a Hollywood film as it was produced and directed in such a way as to be reminiscent of network television soap operas and made-for-TV movies. The overlaid 80's soundtrack, for example, gave this movie a sappy feel and exuded tres gauche maudlin schamltziness, IMO.

Nevertheless, Tom Hanks was great, as usual, in his reprisal of the sympathetic 'everyman' role that has now become his trademark, and I believe that this was Jackie Gleason's last performance. Sela Ward, however, is the number one reason to see this film, as she is from beginning to end the unequivocal scene stealer.

Not only is Sela Ward hot hot hot, Ward brought a certain amount of authenticity in her portrayal of a big-city advertising executive circa 1980s. This is because long before Ward became a model and began her acting career, Ward, who majored in advertising at Ole' Miss, was a real-life advertising copywriter and exec on Madison Avenue in NYC in the late 70's and early 80's. Regardless, Ward's drop-dead gorgeousness did not detract from her believability as the cutthroat yuppie executive, Cheryl Ann Wayne, by one iota.

Great Chicago references though, e.g., Wrigley Field, location shoots in neighborhood pubs, downtown scenes, etc.

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