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IMDbPro

Tucker: The Man and His Dream

  • 19881988
  • PGPG
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
21K
YOUR RATING
Jeff Bridges in Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
4K Re-release Trailer
Play trailer1:56
1 Video
51 Photos
BiographyComedyDrama
The story of Preston Tucker, the maverick car designer and his ill-fated challenge to the auto industry with his revolutionary car concept.The story of Preston Tucker, the maverick car designer and his ill-fated challenge to the auto industry with his revolutionary car concept.The story of Preston Tucker, the maverick car designer and his ill-fated challenge to the auto industry with his revolutionary car concept.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
21K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Francis Ford Coppola
  • Writers
    • Arnold Schulman
    • David Seidler
  • Stars
    • Jeff Bridges
    • Joan Allen
    • Martin Landau
  • Director
    • Francis Ford Coppola
  • Writers
    • Arnold Schulman
    • David Seidler
  • Stars
    • Jeff Bridges
    • Joan Allen
    • Martin Landau
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 92User reviews
    • 41Critic reviews
    • 74Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 3 Oscars
      • 8 wins & 9 nominations total

    Videos1

    Tucker: The Man and His Dream
    Trailer 1:56
    Watch Tucker: The Man and His Dream

    Photos51

    Jeff Bridges in Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
    Jeff Bridges in Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
    Joan Allen and Jeff Bridges in Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
    Christian Slater, Jeff Bridges, Elias Koteas, Frederic Forrest, and Mako in Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
    Jeff Bridges in Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
    Martin Landau in Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
    Jeff Bridges in Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
    Jeff Bridges in Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
    Jeff Bridges in Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
    Jeff Bridges, Martin Landau, and Patti Austin in Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
    Jeff Bridges in Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
    Jeff Bridges in Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jeff Bridges
    Jeff Bridges
    • Preston Tucker
    Joan Allen
    Joan Allen
    • Vera
    Martin Landau
    Martin Landau
    • Abe
    Frederic Forrest
    Frederic Forrest
    • Eddie
    Mako
    Mako
    • Jimmy
    Elias Koteas
    Elias Koteas
    • Alex Tremulis
    Christian Slater
    Christian Slater
    • Junior
    Nina Siemaszko
    Nina Siemaszko
    • Marilyn Lee
    Anders Johnson
    • Johnny
    Corin Nemec
    Corin Nemec
    • Noble
    • (as Corky Nemec)
    Marshall Bell
    Marshall Bell
    • Frank
    Jay O. Sanders
    Jay O. Sanders
    • Kirby
    Peter Donat
    Peter Donat
    • Kerner
    Dean Goodman
    • Bennington…
    John X. Heart
    • Ferguson's Agent
    Don Novello
    Don Novello
    • Stan
    Patti Austin
    Patti Austin
    • Millie
    Sandy Bull
    • Stan's Assistant
    • Director
      • Francis Ford Coppola
    • Writers
      • Arnold Schulman
      • David Seidler
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Of the 51 Tuckers ever made, George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola each own two.
    • Goofs
      The transport plane that the car is loaded into on the ground is a C-123 Provider, which made its first flight in October, 1949. The particular variant depicted (with jet pods) did not appear until the 1960s. The air-to-air footage shows a different airplane, a DHC-4 Caribou, which first flew in 1958.
    • Quotes

      Preston Tucker: [making his closing arguments to the jury] ... When I was a boy, I used to, uh... I used to read all about Edison, and the Wright brothers... Mr. Ford, they were, they were my heroes... 'rags to riches' that's not just the name of a book; that's, what this country was all about!... We invented the free enterprise system, where anybody, no matter who he was, where he came from, what class he belonged to... If he came up with a better idea, about ANYTHING, there's no limit to how far he could go... I grew up a generation too late I guess because now the way the system works... The loner; the dreamer; the CRACKPOT, who, comes up with some CRAZY IDEA that everybody LAUGHS at, that LATER, turns out to REVOLUTIONIZE THE WORLD... HE'S SQUASHED, FROM ABOVE, BEFORE HE EVEN GETS HIS HEAD OUT OF THE WATER, BECAUSE THE BUREAUCRATS, THEY'D RATHER KILL A NEW IDEA THAN LET IT ROCK THE BOAT!... IF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WERE ALIVE TODAY, HE'D BE THROWN IN JAIL FOR SAILING A KITE WITHOUT A LICENSE!

      [jury laughs]

      Preston Tucker: ... It's true!... We're all puffed up with ourselves now because we invented *the bomb*... Dropped the... Beat the daylights out of the Japanese; the Nazis... But if 'big business' closes the door on THE LITTLE GUY WITH A NEW IDEA, WE'RE NOT ONLY CLOSING THE DOOR ON PROGRESS, BUT WE'RE SABOTAGING EVERYTHING THAT WE FOUGHT FOR!... EVERYTHING THAT THE COUNTRY STANDS FOR! And one day, we're gonna find ourselves at the bottom of the heap, instead of king of the hill, having no idea how we got there; buying our radios and our cars from our former enemies!... I don't believe that's gonna happen; I *can't* believe it, cuz... if I ever, stop believing in plain old common horse-sense of the American people... there's no way I could get out of bed in the morning... Thank you.

    • Crazy credits
      Photographs of the real Preston Tucker appear during the closing credits.
    • Alternate versions
      2018 Blu-ray Disc release features a newly-film introduction to the film by director Francis Ford Coppola.
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Tucker: The Man and His Dream/Vibes/Cocktail/Clean and Sober/Bagdad Cafe (1988)
    • Soundtracks
      Rhythm Delivery
      Written and Performed by Joe Jackson

      Courtesy of Tusken Music

    User reviews92

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Excellent But Frustrating Story
    Boy, what a frustrating film to watch....even though it is very good and has been a part of my collection for a number of years now. Still, it's hard to see the good guy, the little guy, beaten up by the big guys. Here's one story where Goliath beats David.

    Anyway, this was an interesting supposedly- true-life story of how Preston Tucker got a raw deal form the Big Three car-makers of the day, and by the government after he built a much better automobile in 1948. The film details how the big boys made sure Tucker's company never sold any of those cars.

    As mentioned, it's maddening to watch at times, to hear lies and false charges brought against a man who had the right ideas about car safety and engineering and was way ahead of his time.

    The 1940s atmosphere in this film is very good and the old music is fun to hear, too. The cinematography is great, too, with some tinted vintage-type color at times. It looks wonderful on DVD.

    The car is super to look at and admire. Jeff Bridges does a solid job of portraying Tucker, an upbeat, positive-thinking inventor. It also was refreshing to see a nice, supportive family, too. I enjoyed all the main actors in this film: Bridges, Joan Alen, Martin Landau, Frederic Forest, Elias Koteas and Christian Slater
    helpful•72
    5
    • ccthemovieman-1
    • Jan 20, 2007

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 12, 1988 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Tucker
    • Filming locations
      • Pittsburg, California, USA(Gas Station, Wrecking Yard)
    • Production company
      • Lucasfilm
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $23,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $19,656,113
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,709,562
      • Aug 14, 1988
    • Gross worldwide
      • $19,656,113
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 50 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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