Pink Cadillac (1989)

Skip tracer Tommy Nowak is tracking Lou Ann McGuinn for a bail bondsman in California. Lou Ann is also being chased by her husband Roy McGuinn and his birth right/neo-nazi friends for ... See full summary »

Director:

Buddy Van Horn

Writer:

John Eskow

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, Bernadette Peters, Timothy Carhart

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clint Eastwood	...	Tommy Nowak
Bernadette Peters	...	Lou Ann McGuinn
Timothy Carhart	...	Roy McGuinn
Tiffany Gail Robinson	...	McGuinn Baby
Angela Louise Robinson	...	McGuinn Baby
John Dennis Johnston	...	Waycross
Michael Des Barres	...	Alex
Jimmie F. Skaggs	...	Billy Dunston
Bill Moseley	...	Darrell
Michael Champion	...	Ken Lee
William Hickey	...	Mr. Barton
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Ricky Z
Gary Howard Klar	...	Randy Bates (as Gary Klar)
Dirk Blocker	...	Policeman #1
Leonard R. Garner Jr.	...	Policeman #2 (as Lenny Garner)

Storyline

Skip tracer Tommy Nowak is tracking Lou Ann McGuinn for a bail bondsman in California. Lou Ann is also being chased by her husband Roy McGuinn and his birth right/neo-nazi friends for taking their counterfeit money. Nowak eventually captures Lou Ann in Reno, but agrees to stop at her sisters on the way back to see her baby. There she finds her husband and his whacked out friend. A struggle begins and Roy takes off with her baby. Now it's up to Tommy to get the baby back.

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Plot Keywords:

baby | counterfeit | motor car wash | pistol | tough guy | 

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Taglines:

It takes a real man to bring in a lady in a pink Cadillac.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 May 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cadillac Cor-de-Rosa

Filming Locations:

Carson City, Nevada, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$12,143,484 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Malpaso Productions, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The picture was an attempt at returning Clint Eastwood to the action-comedy genre which had produced box-office success with his two earlier movies Every Which Way But Loose and Any Which Way You Can.

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Goofs

(at around 31 mins) A boom mic's reflection can be seen in the car's window.

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Quotes

Tommy Nowak: You just have to play that little-girl-lost routine, don't you.
Lou Ann McGuinn: I'm still feminine. I'm a Cosmo fighter.
Tommy Nowak: Obviously a hardened criminal. I can tell by your kewpie-doll lips.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade/Miracle Mile/Pink Cadillac/Road House/Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills (1989)

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Soundtracks

"Beneath The Texas Moon"
Written by J.C. Crowley and Jack Wesley Routh
Performed by J.C. Crowley
Courtesy of RCA Records

User Reviews

Track em and snatch em Clint.

Pink Cadillac is directed by Buddy Van Horn, written by John Eskow and stars Clint Eastwood, Bernadette Peters & Timothy Carhart. Story sees Peters as Lou Ann McGuinn , who finally has enough of her no good husband Roy (Carhart) and flees off with their baby in his treasured pink Cadillac. Unbeknown to her the car contains a lot of money garnered from illegal means by the white supremacist group that Roy was hanging around with. Bounty hunter Tommy Novak (Eastwood) is then brought in to capture her since she has skipped bail. Once locating her an unusual friendship begins to form as both of them get deeper and deeper into trouble as the gang close in.

Pink Cadillac was a flop on release, and now it's almost forgotten by not only the casual film fan, but also by many of Eastwood's loyal fan club. Yet it's hardly the disaster some have painted it out to be. Yes the plot is a thin one and has been done brilliantly before; notably Midnight Run a year previously. While there's not enough action and comedy to sustain the 2 hour running time. It's also not unfair to say that the villains here-an array of dunderhead white supremacists-are weak and in the case of Carhart ; badly acted. But Pink Cadillac does have its moments and in Eastwood & Peters we have a most engaging, unpredictable odd couple act that is easy to warm too. Peters turns in a fine comedy performance, both psychically and verbally. Her ability to blend cute and needy with spunky feistiness works well off of Eastwood's more rugged charms. It seems that finally having a co-star of some worth is loosening the big man up, for here he enjoys playing comedy with his series of caricature disguises that he uses to catch the bail jumpers that form part of the story.

Perhaps it's a little unsettling to some fans to see Eastwood not being overtly macho, but this does make for a nice change of pace for Eastwood. A return to his days with the Orangutan; which incidentally up to Pink Cadillac's release were his biggest hit movies. But breaking it down it's a neat character that Eastwood has taken on with Tommy Novak. Almost anti-macho yet able to single handedly protect Lou Ann and her baby. You feel that this was a personal and deliberate choice for Eastwwood in a decade that for him mostly consists of diminishing sequels and poorly scripted misfires. Pink Cadillac has been lumped in with the worst of his career, but viewing it now it holds up much better than nearly all of his 80s output. File it along side Bronco Billy as one of his most underrated performances.

Not breaking any rules of the genre, or showing technical prowess and sharp scripting, Pink Cadillac is still the kind of inoffensive fun that knows its limits. Boosted by a relaxed Eastwood and a perky Miss Peters it's just waiting to be reappraised by a new audience. 7/10