Renaissance Man (1994)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Penny Marshall

Writer (WGA):

Jim Burnstein (written by)

Release Date:

3 June 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

One Man's Mission To Teach The Few, The Proud... The Impossible!

Plot:

Danny DeVito plays an advertising man who is slowly sliding downhill. When he is fired from his job in Detroit...

Plot Keywords:

Advertising | Army | Teaching | Captain | Shakespeare's Henry V

Cast

Danny DeVito	...	Bill Rago
Gregory Hines	...	Sergeant Cass
James Remar	...	Captain Tom Murdoch
Ed Begley Jr.	...	Jack Markin
Lillo Brancato	...	Pvt. Donnie Benitez (as Lillo Brancato Jr.)
Stacey Dash	...	Pvt. Miranda Myers
Kadeem Hardison	...	Pvt. Jamaal Montgomery
Richard T. Jones	...	Pvt. Jackson Leroy
Khalil Kain	...	Pvt. Roosevelt Nathaniel Hobbs
Peter Simmons	...	Pvt. Brian Davis, Jr.
Gregory Sporleder	...	Pvt. Melvin (as Greg Sporleder)
Mark Wahlberg	...	Pvt. Tommy Lee Haywood
Cliff Robertson	...	Colonel James
Ben Wright	...	Private Oswald
Ann Cusack	...	Bill's Secretary

Also Known As:

Army Intelligence
By the Book

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Philippines:G | Australia:M | France:U | Germany:6 | Norway:11 | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Company:

Cinergi Pictures Entertainment

Trivia:

Mark Wahlberg's feature film debut.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: The Silver Star medal is actually a small silver star inside of a large gold star, so at first glance, it would appear Pvt. Davis received the wrong medal, but his medal was was the actual Silver Star.

Quotes:

Soldier 1: You seen my green socks?
Soldier 2: We all got green socks.

Movie Connections:

References Rocky (1976)

Soundtrack:

WASHINGTON POST MARCH

I recommend it to all

What a polarity of opinions on this one! It's either love it or hate it time. Put me definitely in the camp of this movie's admirers and supporters. I noticed that many of this film's fans were from all over: Texas, Canada, Scotland, Brooklyn, Australia, and Paris! Many noticed the similarity to Dead Poets Society as did I. Other movies it could be compared to are Mr. Holland's Opus and Konrack, and the more recent French film, The Chorus, movies in which other teachers too are celebrated for enriching the lives and spirits of their students. I think your Parisian correspondent sums it up the best: to see fine art working its way into the psyches of those previously unaware of it and to see people growing in spirit as a result of their exposure to and interactivity with it: that's what makes this story such a treat and an inspiration. It's what makes being a teacher worthwhile and justified. It moved and touched me. I had a personal connection to this movie's plot line as well: I knew a teacher who used to go into inner city schools and also taught the kids Shakespeare, especially the old-fashioned swear words the author used in the plays! Quite successfully too. Also, I grew up in Detroit so I appreciated the opening of the film set on familiar streets of the Motor City. A beautiful and touching film. None of the film's critics or supporters commented on the plot line in which the teacher recovered the true history of his recruit's father's unrecognized heroism. That was beautiful too. Go see this film and be inspired.