"Tanner on Tanner" (2004) TV series

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

5 October 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Election | Satire | U.S. President | Political | Multiple Cameos

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Cynthia Nixon	...	Alex Tanner (4 episodes, 2004)
Michael Murphy	...	Jack Tanner (4 episodes, 2004)
Pamela Reed	...	T.J. Cavanaugh (4 episodes, 2004)
Matt Malloy	...	Deke Connors (4 episodes, 2004)
Ilana Levine	...	Andrea Spinelli (4 episodes, 2004)
Luke Macfarlane	...	Stuart DeBarge (4 episodes, 2004)
Aasif Mandvi	...	Salim Barik / ... (4 episodes, 2004)
Harry Belafonte	...	Himself (2 episodes, 2004)
Carl Bernstein	...	Himself (2 episodes, 2004)
Janeane Garofalo	...	Herself (2 episodes, 2004)
Richard Gephardt	...	Himself (2 episodes, 2004)
Robert Redford	...	Himself (2 episodes, 2004)
Alexandra Kerry	...	Herself (2 episodes, 2004)
Jim Fyfe	...	Emile Berkoff (2 episodes, 2004)
Chris Matthews	...	Himself (2 episodes, 2004)
Al Sharpton	...	Himself (2 episodes, 2004)
Michael Kaycheck	...	New York policeman (2 episodes, 2004)
Avery Clyde	...	Rebecca (2 episodes, 2004)
Marla Sucharetza	...	Roxanne Newman (2 episodes, 2004)
Ryan Spahn	...	Ryan (2 episodes, 2004)
Krysten Ritter	...	Saleswoman (2 episodes, 2004)

Also Known As:

"Tanner '04" (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Sandcastle 5 Productions

Trivia:

Cynthia Nixon, who plays the same role she did in the original, did this sequel to HBO's _"Tanner '88" (1988) (mini)_ as she was wrapping up work on "Sex and the City" (1998), also broadcast on HBO. In this series, her character has become a filmmaker and film teacher. In the last episode, a student asks her if she knows anyone "at HBO".

Quotes:

Alex Tanner: AHHHHHHH! A brand new Discover card, with a $10,000 limit! We're going to Boston!
Andrea Spinelli: Wow! 19 per cent interest, bring it on!

Movie Connections:

Features "The Charlie Rose Show" (1991)

Diary of a Mad Film-maker

It was a joy to discover 8 hours of Robert Altman's best work that I had not previously seen or even heard of. In the last week in the UK the BBC has screened the series Tanner 88 on its late night cultural ghetto channel BBC Four, followed by the recent update, Tanner on Tanner filmed largely during the 2004 democratic convention. This work has a breadth that has not been seen since Nashville, and, with a screenplay by Garry Trudeau, it also has a rare depth.

It is, of course, difficult for me to judge how well Tanner on Tanner would stand up as a film on its own. Much of the pleasure of the film is in seeing how the characters have matured over the 16 years since the original series, notably Alex Tanner played by the 22 year-old Cynthia Nixon in 1988. As a British viewer I learned a lot about the American political system from watching these films, although Tanner on Tanner is as much a satire about film-makers as it is a film about politicians.

It was clear from the beginning that the successful project would not be Alex Tanner's film about her father but her student's study of Alex, which we see at the end as Diary of a Mad Filmmaker. However, the anticipation of the irony did not detract from the pleasure. To my mind, the best scene in the film is where Alex Tanner and Alexandra Kerry find themselves double-booked to film an interview with Ron Reagan. They alternate Kerry's serious questions about stem-cell research with Tanner's ditzy questions about what it's like to have a celebrity father. I don't know what the future may hold for her father ( this is written 2 days before the election) but Alexandra Kerry would certainly seem to have a future as a comedy actress.