Tin Men (1987)

A minor car accident drives two rival aluminum-siding salesmen to the ridiculous extremes of man versus man in 1963 Baltimore.

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writer:

Barry Levinson

Stars:

Richard Dreyfuss, Danny DeVito, Barbara Hershey

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Bill 'BB' Babowsky
Danny DeVito	...	Ernest Tilley
Barbara Hershey	...	Nora Tilley
John Mahoney	...	Moe Adams
Jackie Gayle	...	Sam
Stanley Brock	...	Gil
Seymour Cassel	...	Cheese
Bruno Kirby	...	Mouse
J.T. Walsh	...	Wing
Richard Portnow	...	Carly
Matt Craven	...	Looney
Alan Blumenfeld	...	Stanley
Brad Sullivan	...	Masters
Michael Tucker	...	Bagel
Deirdre O'Connell	...	Nellie

Storyline

One step short of larceny, the aluminum siding salesmen in this movie sell their wares, compete with each other, and engage in a lot of great dialog. Tin Men focuses on the rivalry between BB Babowsky and Ernest Tilley. At the same time, the end of small world of which they are kings looms near as a government probe investigates their industry.

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Plot Keywords:

aluminum siding | car | car accident | 1960s | competing businesses | 

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Taglines:

The American Dream Changes. The People Who Sell It Don't.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The main character in this movie and the 1959 film Jet Storm share the same name: Ernest Tilley.

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Goofs

The bottles of Budweiser and Miller beer are the more modern (1987) style and not the correct bottles of the time.

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Quotes

Sam: You know when I saw 'Bonanza' the other day, something occurred to me.
Ernest Tilley: Eh?
Sam: Ya got these four guys living on the Ponderosa and ya never hear them say anything about wanting to get laid.
Ernest Tilley: Huh.
Sam: I mean ya never hear Hoss say to Little Joe, "I had such a hard-on when I woke up this morning."
Ernest Tilley: No, no, no...
Sam: They don't talk about broads - nothing. Ya never hear Little Joe say, "Hey, Hoss, I went to Virginia City and I saw a girl with the greatest ass I've ever seen in my life." They just walk around the ...

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: The Bone Collector/Last Night/Liberty Heights/The Bachelor/American Movie/The Legend of 1900 (1999)

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Soundtracks

How Insensitive
English Lyrics by Norman Gimbel
Original Lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes
Music by Antonio Carlos Jobim
Courtesy of Polygram Special Products

User Reviews

underrated classic

This heartbreakingly funny comedy is lovingly rooted in Baltimore, giving it a nice cultural base. Devito and Dreyfuss give wonderful performances as a pair of con artists (common at that time) whose hard shell of sales shtick and dishonesty is merely a by product of the job. Each day they are aware of the slow chipping away of their integrity; its the price of admission into the high risk/high reward grift they ply. This is one of barry levinson's best efforts.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 March 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tin Men

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$187,381, 8 March 1987

Gross USA:

$25,411,386

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$25,411,386

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bandai Films, Silver Screen Partners III, Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1