Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)

This film reenacts the Manhattan Project, the secret wartime project in New Mexico where the first atomic bombs were designed and built.

Director:

Roland Joffé

Writers:

Bruce Robinson (story), Bruce Robinson (screenplay),

Stars:

Paul Newman, Dwight Schultz, Bonnie Bedelia

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Newman	...	Gen. Leslie R. Groves
Dwight Schultz	...	J. Robert Oppenheimer
Bonnie Bedelia	...	Kitty Oppenheimer
John Cusack	...	Michael Merriman
Laura Dern	...	Kathleen Robinson
Ron Frazier	...	Peter de Silva
John C. McGinley	...	Capt. Richard Schoenfield, MD
Natasha Richardson	...	Jean Tatlock
Ron Vawter	...	Jamie Latrobe
Michael Brockman	...	William 'Deke' Parsons
Del Close	...	Dr. Kenneth Whiteside
John Considine	...	Robert Tuckson
Allan Corduner	...	Franz Goethe (as Alan Corduner)
Joe D'Angerio	...	Seth Neddermeyer (as Joseph D'Angerio)
Jon DeVries	...	Johnny Mount (as Jon De Vries)

Storyline

In real life, Robert Oppenheimer was the scientific head of the Manhattan Project, the secret wartime project in New Mexico where the first atomic bombs were designed and built. General Leslie Groves was in overall command of it. This film reenacts the project with an emphasis on their relationship.

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Plot Keywords:

atomic bomb | manhattan project | robert oppenheimer | weapons research | world war two | 

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Taglines:

The story of the extraordinary people who changed our world.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 October 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Schattenmacher

Filming Locations:

Durango, Mexico

Box Office

Gross:

$3,563,162 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Lightmotive

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In real life, Newman was a liberal and Schultz is a conservative... opposites of the roles they played in this film.

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Goofs

In one view General Groves is shown wearing the Good Conduct ribbon. This was unlikely because he was a West Point graduate so had no enlisted service of the required 36 months as an enlisted soldier.

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Quotes

Gen. Leslie R. Groves: It's all about ass, isn't it? Either you kick it... or you lick it.

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Connections

Referenced in The Simpsons: Fat Man and Little Boy (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Brown Jug Swing"
(J.E. Winner)
Arranged by Garnett Brown

User Reviews

A Great Movie, Despite What They Say...

Cold War enthusiasts are like Civil War enthusiasts in that they get extremely upset when something is portrayed differently than it actually happened (or differently than they THINK it happened). When you read a negative review of this movie, that is what you are seeing. It may not be 100% factual with the timeline and all of that, but who cares? It is still an excellent movie. The acting is wonderful and the message is even better. Dwight Schultz does an amazing job with his role. The entire cast must have lost 50 lbs each to look like skinny 1940s people. If you haven't seen this film, see it. If you have and you didn't like it, please see it again and look at it with an open heart. It truly questions the moral issues of developing the bomb. It makes you think!