Cadillac Man (1990)

Joe's a car salesman with a problem. He has two days to sell 12 cars or he loses his job. This would be a difficult task at the best of times but Joe has to contend with his girlfriends (... See full summary »

Director:

Roger Donaldson

Writer:

Ken Friedman

Stars:

Robin Williams, Tim Robbins, Pamela Reed

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robin Williams	...	Joey O'Brien
Tim Robbins	...	Larry
Pamela Reed	...	Tina
Fran Drescher	...	Joy Munchack
Zack Norman	...	Harry Munchack
Lori Petty	...	Lila
Annabella Sciorra	...	Donna
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Little Jack Turgeon
Bill Nelson	...	Big Jack Turgeon
Eddie Jones	...	Benny
Mimi Cecchini	...	Ma
Tristine Skyler	...	Lisa
Judith Hoag	...	Molly
Lauren Tom	...	Helen the Dim Sum Girl
Anthony Powers	...	Captain Mason

Storyline

Joe's a car salesman with a problem. He has two days to sell 12 cars or he loses his job. This would be a difficult task at the best of times but Joe has to contend with his girlfriends (he's two timing), a missing teenage daughter and an ex-wife. What more could go wrong ?.. a lot, enter a crazy jealous husband with a machine gun..

---

Plot Keywords:

queens new york city | mistress | debt | car dealership | police | 

---

Taglines:

If tou can't trust a car salesman who can you trust?

---

Genres:

Comedy | Crime

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 May 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cadillac Man - Mister occasionissima

Filming Locations:

54th Avenue, Maspeth, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$27,627,310

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tim Robbins had previously starred in Bull Durham (1988), directed by Ron Shelton. Like this film's director Roger Donaldson, Shelton was born in 1945. His birthday is September 15th, and Donaldson's birthday is November 15th.

---

Goofs

Although a Jewish funeral and cemetery are shown at the opening of the film, as evidenced by the tombstone inscriptions, flowers are seen accompanying the coffin. This is inconsistent with Jewish burial tradition, where flowers are never used in the funeral ceremony.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Funeral Director: [funeral procession of cars is halted and the engine of the hearse is smoking] I don't know what's wrong with it! I thought you guys were supposed to service this thing!
Hearse Driver: I don't know why he didn't service it.
Funeral Director: Yeah, yeah, "I don't know".

---

Crazy Credits

At the end of the credits of the cast, it says: Oh... and Elaine Stritch as the widow

---

Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Bird on a Wire/Last Exit to Brooklyn/Back to the Future Part III/Cadillac Man/Longtime Companion (1990)

---

Soundtracks

PURPLE BAMBOO MELODY
Written by Ma Shenglong
Used by permission of EMI April Music Inc.
Performed by the combined Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra (as Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra Society) and the Peking Opera Theater of Shanghai
Courtesy of CBS Records, Music Licesing Department

User Reviews

Great Concept, Could have been Executed Much Bettsr,

Cadillac Man is a decent movie with a reasonably well developed plot and a very talented cast. The saving grace of the film is certainly Robin Williams and Tim Robbins, who have a great back and forth with one another, as well as both playing consistently interesting characters that are very different to them.

My biggest issue with the film is that it has such a surefire concept that seems like it will have no chance of not being at least exciting, and it really is not, the film never seems to fully realise or embark on the potential of a man who "has two days to sell 12 cars or he loses his business, while also shielding his two girlfriends from each other, until a gunman enters his dealership", it could have been far more fun and bizarre than it ended up.

I felt the film should have focused far more on Williams' and Robbins' characters, instead of jumping back and fourth to a bunch of characters in the dealership who I cared far less about. I would have loved a far larger focus on their characters, it could have been a two hander, the other characters were unnecessary.

Great concept, poor delivery. Has it's moments, but Cadillac Man never truly shines, and for that reason I could not recommend it.

A car salesman is trying to balance many great stresses that all need to be put on hold when a gunman enters his dealership.

Best Performance: Robin Williams