Crossing the Bridge (1992)

The adventures of three teenage friends in 1970s Detroit.

Director:

Mike Binder

Writer:

Mike Binder

Stars:

Josh Charles, Jason Gedrick, Stephen Baldwin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Josh Charles	...	Mort Golden
Jason Gedrick	...	Tim Reese
Stephen Baldwin	...	Danny Morgan
Cheryl Pollak	...	Carol Brockton
Rita Taggart	...	Kate Golden
Hy Anzell	...	Manny Goldfarb
Richard Edson	...	Mitchell
Ken Jenkins	...	Lou Morgan
Abraham Benrubi	...	Rinny
David Schwimmer	...	John Anderson
Bob Nickman	...	Baldy
James Krag	...	Smiling Jack
Rana Haugen	...	Monica
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Uncle Alby
Todd Tidgewell	...	Ricky Toller

Storyline

An off-screen narrator, Mort Golden, takes us back to winter around 1975, the year he was 21. He and his two buddies, Tim and Danny, have a fateful trip over the bridge from Detroit into Canada. The three of them are going nowhere in life, although Mort has thoughts of being a writer, while his mom wants him to go to college. He and his pals contemplate making a quick fortune transporting drugs over the border in their beat-up Buick, "the war wagon." Mort's also hopelessly in love with a girl he dated briefly a couple years before. With border inspectors, Tim's temper, and Danny's bottled up emotions, is there any way this can end well?

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Plot Keywords:

male bonding | sex | drug smuggling | coming of age | detroit michigan

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Taglines:

Every day you make a million decisions. But it only takes one to change your life. Forever . . .

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and drug use

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 September 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

...und sie spielten mit dem Leben

Filming Locations:

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$479,676 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Outlaw Productions (I), Touchstone Pictures, War Wagon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

The movie is set in the early- to mid-1970s. When the guys went to visit Windsor, Ontario, they stop at a Petro Canada Service station. Petro Canada did not exist until the late-'70s.

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Quotes

Tim: If your brains were dynamite, you wouldn't have enough to blow your ass.

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Connections

Referenced in Creating 'The Upside of Anger' (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Love Song"
Written by Lesley Duncan
Performed by Elton John
Published by Blue Seas Music Inc./JAC Music Co. Inc.
Courtesy of Polygram Special Products
A Division of Polygram Group Distribution Inc.

User Reviews

Crossing a bridge as an allegory for a more important transition

Bridges have always been symbolic of transitions, whether from a major to a minor key, from Canada to the US, or from adolescence to adulthood. This film is about those transitions. It seems that all men have stories about when they `came-of-age', about the person they were then and about the friends they shared their lives with. This is another of those films.

This one had a particular resonance for me, as it's set in Michigan in the mid 70's. I lived in Michigan in the mid 70's and have been across the Ambassador Bridge many times. It was also interesting in that I had just seen `Threesome' in which Josh Charles plays a character in love with Stephen Baldwin's character. Add to that, the great songs of the period, that brought back so many memories and the unexpected appearance of David Schwimmer in an early minor role and this was an unexpectedly enjoyable movie experience.

If stories about young men coming of age and becoming the person that they will later be are enjoyable to you then I can highly recommend this movie.