This was my first HBO made for TV film and holds a dear place in my film collection. Not only that, "Barbarians at the Gate" holds a dear place among the explanation of greed in the 1980's - right next to my other favorite depiction of greed in the 80's film, Oliver Stone's "Wall Street".
But this isn't too much pulp fiction, it's based on a real tale of the sale of RJR Nabisco where its CEO (played brilliantly by James Garner), his financiers at American Express, the board and all the other barbarians who find out its for sale wanting a piece of it. Doesn't sound funny? Oh, but it is. When you have something as popular as a profitable tobacco company which owns several other family oriented divisions such as cookies and crackers, the fight for ownership becomes very real and very profitable.
And the fight is played out well within the 1980's theme of The Regan/Bush era of greed and is very funny. Sad, true and funny. From the CEO's greed of private jets, several homes, humongous salary and failed product introductions to the CEO's obviously younger, trophy wife who is just about to have her husband buy her a PhD so she can be seen as 'serious' and not be called 'cupcake' all the time; to the public relations expert who wants the account-if not from her neighbor/friend then from the person who will eventually give the winning offer, to the brokers who put together buying plans to usurp his offers, to the board that never liked the CEO's extravagances but if his money deal was big enough, who cares?; to the CEO's family dog who's spoiled rotten while you know during that time there were people starving in the streets -- you'll watch in some shock and awe but can't help but laugh at how all of this comes together. And how everyone will mess over everyone just to get it. All for the top prize: Ownership of RJR Nabisco.
Excellent, excellent film.
But this isn't too much pulp fiction, it's based on a real tale of the sale of RJR Nabisco where its CEO (played brilliantly by James Garner), his financiers at American Express, the board and all the other barbarians who find out its for sale wanting a piece of it. Doesn't sound funny? Oh, but it is. When you have something as popular as a profitable tobacco company which owns several other family oriented divisions such as cookies and crackers, the fight for ownership becomes very real and very profitable.
And the fight is played out well within the 1980's theme of The Regan/Bush era of greed and is very funny. Sad, true and funny. From the CEO's greed of private jets, several homes, humongous salary and failed product introductions to the CEO's obviously younger, trophy wife who is just about to have her husband buy her a PhD so she can be seen as 'serious' and not be called 'cupcake' all the time; to the public relations expert who wants the account-if not from her neighbor/friend then from the person who will eventually give the winning offer, to the brokers who put together buying plans to usurp his offers, to the board that never liked the CEO's extravagances but if his money deal was big enough, who cares?; to the CEO's family dog who's spoiled rotten while you know during that time there were people starving in the streets -- you'll watch in some shock and awe but can't help but laugh at how all of this comes together. And how everyone will mess over everyone just to get it. All for the top prize: Ownership of RJR Nabisco.
Excellent, excellent film.