Johnny Suede (1991)

A struggling young musician and devoted fan of Ricky Nelson wants to be just like his idol and become a rock star.

Director:

Tom DiCillo

Writer:

Tom DiCillo

Stars:

Brad Pitt, Richard Boes, Cheryl Costa

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brad Pitt	...	Johnny Suede
Richard Boes	...	Man in Tuxedo
Cheryl Costa	...	Woman in Alley
Michael Luciano	...	Mr. Clepp
Calvin Levels	...	Deke
Nick Cave	...	Freak Storm
Ralph Marrero	...	Bartender
Wilfredo Giovanni Clark	...	Slick
Alison Moir	...	Darlette
Peter McRobbie	...	Flip Doubt
Ron Vawter	...	Winston
Dennis Parlato	...	Dalton
Tina Louise	...	Mrs. Fontaine
Michael Mulheren	...	Fred Business
Wayne Maugans	...	Ned Business

Storyline

A struggling young musician and devoted fan of Ricky Nelson wants to be just like his idol and become a rock star.

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Plot Keywords:

bare chested male | male objectification | antihero | barbershop | cake | 

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Taglines:

Keeping up an image can be a full time job.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and elements of sexuality

Details

Country:

Switzerland France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 April 1992 (France)

Also Known As:

Johnny Suede

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,535, 16 August 1992

Gross USA:

$90,091

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$90,091

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arena, Balthazar Productions, Starr

Technical Specs

Color:

Black and White Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A few weeks into filming, Writer and Director Tom DiCillo fired the original Director of Photography after finding all of the footage shot to be worthless. When confronted with this, DiCillo claims he confessed to deliberately sabotaging the film, due to jealousy.

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Goofs

When Johnny takes the pistol cartridge out of the coffee cup and loads it into the revolver, you can see that the primer has a dent in it. This indicates that the cartridge has already been used, and that a bullet was simply pressed into the case, creating a dummy prop round.

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Quotes

Johnny Suede: [to the hand] Cut the caveman act man, don't you know you hold onto something tightest with an open hand?

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Alternate Versions

The new DVD from Second Sight in the UK features no voiceover intro, outro, and a scene that was cut from the original film. The scene takes place at the end of the film when Johnny runs out to find his shoe. He stops at the bar and runs into Freak Storm. He tells Freak that he doesn't have a place to stay so Freak offers for him to stay with over at his place. When Johnny walks over to Freaks table, he sees Freak with Darlette. Johnny leaves and it cuts back to the original cut of the film.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 WTF Hairstyles in Movies (2017)

User Reviews

Poor Little Fool

Big hair-pieced Brad Pitt (as Johnny Suede) moves to a large American city, from North Dakota; he wants to become a Big pop music star. He has everything except "Black Suede Shoes". One evening, he discovers a woman being roughed up in an alley/alcove. While in a nearby phone booth, calling for help, Pitt is practically hit over the head with his blessed "Black Suede Shoes". Then, he feels he is on his way. Pitt is hampered by an underwhelming singing voice, and poor material; but, due to his muscular good looks, he is successful with women. Pitt has several sexy underwear scenes; and, he slips under the sheets with quirky Catherine Keener (as Yvonne) and alluring Alison Moir (as Darlette).

Pitt idolizes Ricky Nelson (who certainly would have gotten a *kick* out of this movie). For the record, the most frequently played song, Rick Nelson's "Teen Age Idol" could not have been turned over to play "Travelin' Man", as Pitt does in an effective scene with Ms. Moir. The two Nelson hits were on different Imperial singles. The record album hanging on Pitt's apartment wall is the excellent "Ricky Sings Again" album. "Midtown" is the best of the "original" tunes; it has some of the breezy feel evident in Nelson's early Decca material.

Moir, Ms. Keener, and Calvin Levels (as Deke) perform very well. Keener won an "Independent Spirit Award"; but, Moir and Mr. Leeds are also very impressive. Tempting Tina Louise (as Mrs. Fontaine), from "Gilligan's Island", has a leggy cameo; and, Nick Cave is a "Freak Storm". Debuting director Tom DiCillo's "Johnny Suede" is filled with style and good intentions.

****** Johnny Suede (1991) Tom DiCillo ~ Brad Pitt, Catherine Keener, Calvin Levels