Tommy Wilhelm is a good honest man who's fallen on hard times after losing his job, but what really gets to Tommy is seeing both his friends and family turning their backs on him one after the other. He tries to seize the day - in vain.
Director:
Writers:
Awards:
- 1 win & 1 nomination.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Robin Williams | ... |
Tommy Wilhelm
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| Richard B. Shull | ... |
Rojax
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| David Bickford | ... |
Son-in-Law
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| Glenne Headly | ... |
Olive
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| Stephen Strimpell | ... |
Stockbroker
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| Joseph Wiseman | ... |
Dr. Adler
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Jayne Heller | ... |
Mrs. Adler
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| Katherine Borowitz | ... |
Margaret
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| John Fiedler | ... |
Carl
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William Duell | ... |
Joey
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| Jerry Stiller | ... |
Dr. Tamkin
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James Cahill | ... |
Phil
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Louis Guss | ... |
Rubin
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| Gillien Goll | ... |
Receptionist
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Mara Lori | ... |
Little Girl
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| Fran Brill | ... |
Mother
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| Steve Vinovich | ... |
Zeigler
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| Tony Roberts | ... |
Bernie Pell
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| Saul Bellow | ... |
Man in Hallway
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Adam Rappaport | ... |
Michael
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Carl Low | ... |
Rowland
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| Jo Van Fleet | ... |
Mrs. Einhorn
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Marianne Scheja | ... |
German Woman
(as Marianne Brinkendahl)
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| Paula Trueman | ... |
Woman #1
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Mildred Clinton | ... |
Woman #2
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Rose Arrick | ... |
Waitress
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| Roger De Koven | ... |
Fischer
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| Allen Swift | ... |
Maurice Venice
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| Fyvush Finkel | ... |
Shomier
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Harry Davis | ... |
Elderly Man
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| William Hickey | ... |
Perls
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| Walt Gorney | ... |
Panhandler
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Robertson Carricart | ... |
Trader #1
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Joe Sharkey | ... |
Trader #2
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| Kent Broadhurst | ... |
Trader #3
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| Tom Aldredge | ... |
Rappaport
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Dan Joiner | ... |
Bearded Man
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Jaroslav Stremien | ... |
Investor
(as Jarek Streimien)
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Sally Moffet | ... |
Cleaning Woman
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| Eileen Heckart | ... |
Funeral Woman #1
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Elizabeth Perry | ... |
Funeral Woman #2
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P.H. Singer | ... |
Rabbi
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Nelson Aspen | ... |
Stock Exchange Runner (uncredited)
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| Ian Blackman | ... |
Commodities Runner (uncredited)
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| Vince Cupone | ... |
Son (uncredited)
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Bronson Dudley | ... |
Man in Hat (uncredited)
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| O.L. Duke | ... |
Funeral Home Attendant (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Fielder Cook | ||
Written by
| Saul Bellow | ... | (novel) |
| Ronald Ribman | ... | (screenplay) |
Produced by
| Brian Benlifer | ... | associate producer |
| Robert Geller | ... | executive producer |
| Chiz Schultz | ... | producer |
Music by
| Elizabeth Swados | ||
Cinematography by
| Eric van Haren Noman | ... | (as Eric Van Haren Noman) |
Editing by
| Sidney Katz | ||
Casting By
| Peter Golden | ||
Production Design by
| John Robert Lloyd | ||
Set Decoration by
| John Lawless | ||
Costume Design by
| Peggy Farrell | ... | (as Peggy Farrel Salten) |
Makeup Department
| Victor DeNicola | ... | hair stylist |
| David Forrest | ... | makeup artist |
Production Management
| Carl Clifford | ... | production manager |
| Diana Pokorny | ... | unit manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Mark Croll | ... | second assistant director |
| Liz Ryan | ... | dga trainee |
| Dwight Williams | ... | first assistant director |
Art Department
| David H. Allen | ... | assistant set decorator (as David Allen) |
| Rand Angelicola | ... | chargeman scenic artist |
| Dimitri Apletchef | ... | property master |
| Martin Bernstein | ... | construction coordinator |
| Scott G. Jones | ... | assistant to production designer (as Scott Jones) |
| Betsy Klompus | ... | set dresser |
| Beth Kushnick | ... | assistant set decorator |
| Hank Liebeskind | ... | assistant set decorator |
| Rick Liss | ... | property assistant |
| Jeff Naparstek | ... | assistant property master |
Sound Department
| Gary Alper | ... | sound |
| Tom Bellfort | ... | sound editor |
| Melissa Dietz | ... | sound editor |
| Tom Johnson | ... | sound mixer |
| Doug Kagel | ... | Assistant Sound Editor |
| David Platt | ... | boom operator |
| Leslie Shatz | ... | Sound Designer / sound mixer |
| Greg Smith | ... | sound effects recordist (as Greg M. Smith) |
Stunts
| Cliff Cudney | ... | stunt coordinator |
| Katherine B. Flusk | ... | stunt driver |
| Jeffrey Lee Gibson | ... | stunt driver |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Donald M. Angst | ... | third electrician |
| James Boniece | ... | second grip |
| Maurizio Dotto | ... | assistant camera |
| Ken Howard | ... | still photographer |
| Charlie Marroquin | ... | key grip |
| Scott H. Ramsey | ... | gaffer |
| Mike Reed | ... | second electric |
| Andre Sobczak | ... | third grip |
| Gayle Warren | ... | clapper loader |
| Chris Rosen | ... | electrician (uncredited) |
Casting Department
| Lauren Craig | ... | extras casting associate |
| Pat Golden | ... | extras casting |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Denise Andres | ... | second wardrobe (as Denise Romano) |
| Helen P. Butler | ... | wardrobe supervisor |
| Lisa R. Frucht | ... | wardrobe assistant |
| Margaret Shan Jensen | ... | assistant costume designer (uncredited) |
Location Management
| David DeClerque | ... | location coordinator |
| Jan Foster | ... | assistant location coordinator |
Music Department
| Danny Epstein | ... | music coordinator |
Script and Continuity Department
| Eva Z. Cabrera | ... | script supervisor |
| Peter Conn | ... | script advisor |
| Earl Rovit | ... | script advisor |
Additional Crew
| Ed Askinazi | ... | intern |
| Tamara Bally | ... | production office coordinator |
| Karen Bauer | ... | intern |
| Peggy Byrne | ... | production auditor |
| Craig Cannold | ... | intern |
| Madeline Clark | ... | intern |
| Lynn Comerford | ... | intern |
| Carlos Covian | ... | teamster |
| Maria Cummings | ... | intern |
| Michael D'Elia | ... | intern |
| Rocco Derasmo | ... | teamster captain |
| Pamela Dewey | ... | secretary to Mr. Geller |
| Richard Field | ... | intern |
| Randy Fletcher | ... | production assistant |
| Suzy Geller-Wolf | ... | assistant to producer (as Suzy Geller) |
| Jan Grossman | ... | internship coordinator |
| Khalid Hafiz | ... | production assistant |
| Victor Kanefsky | ... | syncher/coder |
| Amy Kaplan | ... | intern |
| Howard Krupa | ... | production assistant |
| Stewart Lewis | ... | production assistant |
| Christopher Lopez | ... | production assistant |
| Fritz Mayer | ... | production assistant |
| Robert Mazze | ... | production assistant |
| Victor Meich Jr. | ... | teamster |
| Michelle Morrissey | ... | assistant production office (as Michelle Weinberg) |
| Storn Peterson | ... | intern |
| Jean Ann Powers | ... | intern |
| Maureen Puckerin | ... | intern |
| Caryl Rappaport | ... | secretary |
| Deana Rich | ... | intern |
| Robert Rodriguez | ... | intern |
| Alison R. Rosenzweig | ... | intern (as Alison Rosenzweig) |
| Mark Rutenberg | ... | assistant: Mr. Williams |
| Annie Sancoff | ... | controller |
| Tom Sanders | ... | intern |
| Shelly Seymour | ... | intern |
| John Shapiro | ... | production assistant |
| Steve Szucs | ... | teamster (as Steven Szucs) |
| Tom Tyre | ... | intern |
| Jim Vecchio | ... | intern (as James Vecchio) |
| Ted Vigilante | ... | intern |
| Francis Volpe | ... | teamster |
| Barbara Watts | ... | administrative assistant |
| Dee Howard White | ... | production assistant |
| William Berloni | ... | animal trainer (uncredited) |
Production Companies
Distributors
- HBO/Cannon Video
- Monterey Home Video (2002) (United States) (DVD)
- Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1987) (United States) (tv) (broadcast premiere)
- Vestron Video International (1988) (Australia) (video)
- Video Omega (1992) (Argentina) (VHS)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) (This film was made possible by grants from:)
- First Church of Christ, Scientist (Special thanks to:)
- Lucasfilm (Sound Mixed at)
- Lucasfilm (post-production sound services: Skywalker Sound/Sprocket Systems)
- National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (NABET) (THIS PICTURE MADE UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF)
- Shrine Cathedral Church (Special thanks to:)
- Skywalker Sound (Sound Mixed at)
- Skywalker Sound (post-production sound services)
- Sprocket Systems (Sound Mixed at)
- Sprocket Systems (post-production sound services)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Tommy Wilhelm (Robin Williams) is a salesman. An honest, hard-working guy who has lost his job, his girlfriend, and left part of his sanity behind as he heads to New York to pick up the pieces of his life. He's always been able to sell, but caught in a downward spiral, he must, in addition, face the father who never really understood him, while trying to balance his newly precarious existence Written by monterey media/Learning in Focus, Inc. |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | Losers aren't born, they're made. See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
Additional Details
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | Coincidentally, Robin Williams went on to star in Dead Poets Society (1989) in which, as a teacher, he extolled the proverb - "carpe diem" - Latin for "seize the day." See more » |
| Goofs | As Tommy drives through the suburbs, cars from the 1980s can be seen parked in driveways. See more » |
| Movie Connections | References Popeye (1980). See more » |
| Crazy Credits | After the end credits have rolled, this can be seen: ...for Joe, who taught so many to seize each day. See more » |
| Quotes |
Man in Elevator:
The truth is one parent can support ten children but ten children can't support one parent. See more » |