Just the Ticket (I) (1999)

A ticket scalper wants to make one last big deal on the pope's visit to finally do something worthwhile about his relationship.

Director:

Richard Wenk

Writer:

Richard Wenk

Stars:

Andy Garcia, Andie MacDowell, Richard Bradford

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andy Garcia	...	Gary Starke
Andie MacDowell	...	Linda Palinski
Richard Bradford	...	Benny Moran
Alice Drummond	...	Lady with Cash
Fred Asparagus	...	Zeus
Louis Mustillo	...	Harry the Head
Anita Elliott	...	Refund Lady at the Met
Patrick Breen	...	San Diego Vinnie
Laura Harris	...	Alice / 'Cyclops'
Don Novello	...	Tony
Ron Leibman	...	Barry the Book
Michael Willis	...	TV Customer
Jack Cafferty	...	Newscaster
Molly Wenk	...	Catholic Schoolgirl Fanny
Daniella Garcia-Lorido	...	Catholic Schoolgirl Lucy

Storyline

Gary is a charming guy, but Linda is tired of his grand plans and schemes. All of which have gone down the drain. Gary is a 'scalper'. Together with his friends and his 'Guardian Angel', Benny, he buys tickets to events and sells them off at highly increased prices. This doesn't really make him rich and proves to be more difficult than usual when a new guy gets into town, strong-arming all of Gary's sources. But then the gift of heaven arrives. The Pope is coming for a visit. Gary wants to make a lot of money on this so he can finally get one of his (more decent) plans for Linda off the ground and really work on a lasting relationship with her.

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Plot Keywords:

ticket scalping | con artist | new york city

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Taglines:

Irresponsible, Unreliable, Unpredictable and totally Irresistible.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 February 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Ticket Scalper

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, CineSon Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The end credits includes a song about Gary's Plaque-O-Rama which was based off of the jingle that Andie MacDowell improvised during the shooting of a scene.

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Crazy Credits

After all of the credits have run, the character of Fred Asparagus is shown selling some merchandise, accompanied by credit saying "Fred Asparagus (1947-1998)"

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Connections

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

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Soundtracks

"Money (That's What I Want)"
Performed by Nil Lara & Dr John

User Reviews

Not A Great Film But A Good Film

In England they are known as Ticket Touts, but whether you know them as Touts or Scalpers the character is the same. Unpleasant. So an unlikely candidate as a leading character in a romantic comedy? Maybe so, but this is one of the things that sets this film apart from the average romantic comedy. Another is the performances. Not Oscar winning stuff maybe, but they all seem to be getting the most out of their roles. While the focus is on the relationship between Garcia and McDowell, the relationship between Garcia and his pal/father figure Benny underpins the film and ultimately is the catalyst which is the reason for the ending. Benny is ably played by Richard Bradford, at last being given a chance to stretch his wings outside of the corrupt coppers he is usually asked to play, and you would have to be a hard hearted person not to be touched by his portrayal. It is such a shame that so much of "Benny" ultimately ended up on the cutting room floor and so we are only given a glimpse of why Garcia takes him under his wing.

If you want your intellect stretched, look elsewhere. But if you want to curl up on the sofa armed with a box of Kleenex and a box of chocolates, you could do a lot worse than let this film into your living room.