A Fool and His Money (1989)

While watching TV, ex-adman Morris Codman receives a message from God. Advised by the Almighty to go into business for himself, Codman inaugurates his own religion, founded on a philosophy of selfishness.

Director:

Daniel Adams

Writers:

Daniel Adams (story), Daniel Adams (screenplay)

Stars:

Jonathan Penner, Gerald Orange, Sandra Bullock

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jonathan Penner	...	Morris Codman
Gerald Orange	...	Ian Clarity
Sandra Bullock	...	Debby Cosgrove
George Plimpton	...	God
Wendy Adams	...	Peggy
Chuck Pfeiffer	...	Brendan Collins (as Chuck Pfeifer)
Earl Hagan Jr.	...	Rev. Billy Bob McElroy
Michael Mandell	...	Joe French
Jaffe Cohen	...	Herman Whipple
Maggie Wagner	...	Sam
Marcia Amron	...	Mrs. Codman
William Hill	...	Lucas
Jerzy Kosinski	...	Beggar
Tama Janowitz	...	TV Host
José Torres	...	Jose Torres (as Jose Torres)

Storyline

While watching TV, ex-adman Morris Codman receives a message from God. Advised by the Almighty to go into business for himself, Codman inaugurates his own religion, founded on a philosophy of selfishness.

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Plot Keywords:

religion | smoking | cigarette | cigarette smoking | depiction of god | 

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Taglines:

A comedy about lovers, destiny and a whole lot of money.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Fool and His Money

Filming Locations:

Edison, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blossom Pictures, Chronicle Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min 81 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (NTSC Color) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Morris is talking to an employee in a meeting about starting up a cocktail hour there is only one pack of cigarettes in front of him when he is seen from the front. But in shots of him from behind, there are two packs.

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Quotes

Ian Clarity: Remember: The road to Utopia is paved with bad intentions!

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Soundtracks

Old Noah
Words and Music by 'Kip Martin (II)' and The Merles
Performed by 'Kip Martin (II)' and The Merles

User Reviews

Tom Cruise & Obama together in this Religious Pamphlet (DVD)

Well, sort of. Actually, the actors (Penner for Cruise and Orange for POTUS) look very much alike and it was my best idea to get your attention. In all cases, it stars the real Sandra Bullock even if her part is a bit small. Thus, she doesn't worth to be at full on the cover! it's a con for idiots (like me!).

It's a very strange flick than this one. It's original because it tackles the two great driving forces of the third millennium (Capitalism and Religion) but the outcomes is rather unusual: a comedy sure but also a criticism of sharks and bigots with a touch of fantastic (God talking in TV while playing tennis). Unfortunately, except the 80s-90s feel, the script fails to grasp such big and explosive thematic.

As ever, we are in need of those movies about faith, wild globalization but a better cast and story would be welcomed. With this movie, it's a golden opportunity missed so everything is still to tell.