The Whole Nine Yards (2000)

Nick is a struggling dentist in Canada. A new neighbor moves in, and he discovers that it is Jimmy "The Tulip" Teduski. His wife convinces him to go to Chicago and inform the mob boss who wants Jimmy dead.

Director:

Jonathan Lynn

Writer:

Mitchell Kapner

Stars:

Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry, Rosanna Arquette

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Willis	...	Jimmy 'The Tulip' Tudeski
Matthew Perry	...	Nicholas 'Oz' Oseransky
Rosanna Arquette	...	Sophie Oseransky
Michael Clarke Duncan	...	Franklin 'Frankie Figs' Figueroa
Natasha Henstridge	...	Cynthia Tudeski
Amanda Peet	...	Jill St. Claire
Kevin Pollak	...	Janni Pytor Gogolak
Harland Williams	...	Special Agent Steve Hanson
Carmen Ferland	...	Sophie's Mom (as Carmen Ferlan)
Serge Christianssens	...	Mr. Boulez
Renee Madeline Le Guerrier	...	Waitress (as Renée Madelaine Le Guerrier)
Jean-Guy Bouchard	...	Mover
Howard Bilerman	...	Dave Martin
Johnny Goar	...	Hungarian Hood
Deano Clavet	...	Polish Pug

Storyline

Oz is a Montréal dentist, paying off debts so he can divorce his wife: the dislike is mutual. When she learns their new neighbor is hit man Jimmy the Tulip, with a price on his head, she sends Oz to Chicago to earn a finder's fee telling Mob boss Yanni where to find Jimmy. To get his wife off his back, Oz goes, his assistant Jill urging him to get laid while there. One of Yanni's men awaits Oz at the hotel; Oz's now in too deep to avoid telling Yanni what he knows. Meanwhile, Oz's wife rats on Oz to Jimmy, hoping Jimmy will kill Oz and she can cash in on life insurance. Oz meets Jimmy's wife (Yanni's captive), flips for her, and the double-crosses mount. Even Jill isn't whom she seems.

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Plot Keywords:

dentist | tulip | neighbor | canada | hitman | 

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Taglines:

In the heart of suburbia, a hit man with heart has just moved in.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Spanish

Release Date:

18 February 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bérgyilkos a szomszédom

Filming Locations:

297 Rue Marcel-Giguère, Blainville, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$24,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£667,508 (UK) (19 May 2000)

Gross:

£2,564,228 (UK) (16 June 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Franchise Pictures, Lansdown Films, Morgan Creek Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Biddles Jazz & Ribs club was named after legendary Montréal bassist Charles Reed Biddle. He appears in the nightclub scenes with his daughter, Stephanie, on vocals. Biddle passed away in 2003 and the club is now named House of Jazz.

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Goofs

When Jill and Oz are at lunch she puts ketchup on her hamburger and replaces the top bun. In the next shot the bun is missing.

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Quotes

Jimmy: [speaking about Oz] You are the most chivalrous guy I've ever met.
Jill St. Claire: Do you see why I couldn't kill him?
Jimmy: I love him!

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Crazy Credits

At the beginning of the end credits, we see Niagara falls with traffic passing by it. We then see Oz and Cynthia dancing with each other. [fade to black] [fade in to band] Finally, we see the band we saw earlier in the film, with the singer, performing the song "They All Laughed."

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Connections

References Die Hard 2 (1990)

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Soundtracks

"I Wanna Rock"
aka " (Every Time I Hear) That Mellow Saxophone"
Written by Roy E. Montrell, John Marascalco, and Robert 'Bumps' Blackwell
Performed by The Up Top Orchestra
Courtesy of Bruncotic Music

User Reviews

Fun, light entertainment

I watched this one on the dish the other day, eager to see Montreal in a movie actually playing Montreal, as opposed to masquerading as New York or Chicago or some other city. Other than that, I really didn't know what to expect.

I was pleasantly surprised in a few ways. Matthew Perry was playing his usual goofy character, as a result of total lack of any acting ability whatsoever. But Bruce Willis is always good, Amanda Peet stole the screen in almost every scene she was in, and the plot line was just quirky enough to be entertaining. Innovative and fresh, I found this film to be more creative than most of what's currently out in the theatres. It didn't have that formula imprint of so many Hollywood films (i.e. take the comedy formula off the shelf and cast it by Friday). I actually laughed out loud at a few moments.

The movie did go wrong in a couple of places. Being a Montrealer, I noticed a few things that most viewers might have missed. For instance that their obsession with Mayonnaise on hamburgers, which is integral to the plot, isn't based on any reality that I know of as I have yet to find a Montreal restaurant that puts mayonnaise on burgers. Rosanna Arquette's French accent is even worse than mine, even though it's supposedly her character's first language. Matthew Perry's love scenes with Natasha Henstridge are so ridiculously unrealistic, even the non-cynical will yawn. And the director seemed to have an obsession with pointing out Montreal landmarks, even if they had nothing to do with the plot.

Those are small things in the grand context of the movie, though. If you liked movies such as The Big Hit, this is very similar. It's not meant to be taken very seriously, so the plot turns are more for absurdity's sake than for any kind of buildup of suspense. Still, if you're looking for some lighter entertainment, it's a good choice.