Born Yesterday (1993)

User Rating:

4.6/10   

Director:

Luis Mandoki

Writers (WGA):

Garson Kanin (play)
Douglas McGrath (screenplay)

Release Date:

26 March 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

A businessman shows up in Washington to lobby agendas that are friendly to his construction plans. His...

Plot Keywords:

Teaching | Washington D.C. | Based On Play

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Melanie Griffith	...	Billie Dawn
John Goodman	...	Harry Brock
Don Johnson	...	Paul Verrall
Edward Herrmann	...	Ed Devery
Max Perlich	...	JJ
Michael Ensign	...	Phillipe
Benjamin C. Bradlee	...	Alex Duffee, Sect. of the Navy
Sally Quinn	...	Beatrice Duffee
William Frankfather	...	Sen. Kelley
Fred Dalton Thompson	...	Sen. Hedges
Celeste Yarnall	...	Mrs. Hedges
Nora Dunn	...	Cynthia Schreiber, NPR Talk Show Host
Meg Wittner	...	Mrs. Kelley
William Forward	...	Sen. Duker
Mary Gordon Murray	...	Bindy Duker

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Finland:S | Germany:6 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Hollywood Pictures

Trivia:

The Secretary of the Navy and his wife are played by retired Washington Post editor Benjamin C. Bradlee and his real-life wife, former Post reporter Sally Quinn.

Goofs:

Continuity: After playing Gin Rummy, she says that'll be $225.10. When he counts the money out of his pocket, he only counts out 3 bills. No combination of 3 bills could possibly equal $225. He does take the 10 cents out after that.

Quotes:

Billie: But I've been thinking a lot lately about something my dad used to say: "Without knowledge, you're less than everybody." And I don't want to be less. I mean, I don't want to be better than anybody neither and I don't want to go above myself. I just want- I want to not be less.
Paul: Well, I'm afraid it's too late for that... cause you're already more than most people.

Movie Connections:

Features "Home Improvement" (1991)

Soundtrack:

TEACH ME TONIGHT

Propensity for trying...

If at first you take and forget that this is a remake, it will help for those who remember the original actors and such to get through this. On the other hand, as this is a current movie, (at that time) and sometimes updating a story can be entertaining, fun and necessary. Some stories don't seem to age well, now I'm not at all talking about this movie in that context. But with all said and done, after the movie ended, I had a good time. I really enjoyed it, so did many others, when "Born Yesterday" played in theaters . Don Johnson, as Paul, the reporter was good, no tough-talking bad boy role here. Then there was, the third character, John Goodman. Here is a comedic big-man! He has and brings a whole different ingredient to this story. If it had been another big man, it would have been all together not the same. Now Melanie Griffith, I have always had a 'soft' spot for in my heart for her, in a friendly way. She came in behind Judy Holiday and took on the role of a modern day 'simpleton' wife, who had her routine and therefore was happy as a pig in mud. It won't win any awards, but if you just look at that body of work and give it an honest chance, it comes through, delivering good laughs.

The chemistry and interest among Johnson and Griffith was sustaining and entertaining which if it's lacking, will ruin just about anything that the main story could offer a viewer. Born Yesterday, has a propensity for trying. Sometimes 'trying' is too much and doesn't work and sometimes the movie makers hit a hard-and really good remake and make a new stake in the film remake game. At any rate, this was an enjoyable film that I would recommend to a comedy fan. With John Goodman playing it out and out funny and the bad-guy too, you can't miss. It's tough to beat William Holden, in a dirty-day mature adult affair type story, so this doesn't have the feeling to it that the original has. Even so they are two different films that can be enjoyed. The supporting cast was a nice choice as well as the main personalities. (**)