The Lawnmower Man (1992)

A simple man is turned into a genius through the application of computer science.

Director:

Brett Leonard

Writers:

Stephen King (title only), Brett Leonard (screenplay)

Stars:

Jeff Fahey, Pierce Brosnan, Jenny Wright

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeff Fahey	...	Jobe Smith
Pierce Brosnan	...	Dr. Lawrence Angelo
Jenny Wright	...	Marnie Burke
Mark Bringelson	...	Sebastian Timms
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Terry McKeen
Jeremy Slate	...	Father Francis McKeen
Dean Norris	...	The Director
Colleen Coffey	...	Caroline Angelo
Jim Landis	...	Ed Walts
Troy Evans	...	Lieutenant Goodwin
Rosalee Mayeux	...	Carla Parkette
Austin O'Brien	...	Peter Parkette
Michael Gregory	...	Security Chief
Joe Hart	...	Patrolman Cooley
John Laughlin	...	Jake Simpson

Storyline

A scientist performs experiments involving intelligence enhancing drugs and virtual reality on a simple-minded gardener. He puts the gardener on an extensive schedule of learning, and quickly he becomes brilliant. But at this point the gardener has a few ideas of his own on how the research should continue, and the scientist begins losing control of his experiments.

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Plot Keywords:

virtual reality | intelligence | supernatural power | science runs amok | transformation | 

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Taglines:

God made him simple. Science made him a god.

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, sensuality and a scene of violence

Details

Country:

UK USA Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stephen King's The Lawnmower Man

Filming Locations:

Brandeis-Bardin Institute - 1101 Pepper Tree Lane, Simi Valley, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,751,971, 8 March 1992, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$32,101,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$150,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allied Vision,Fuji Eight Company Ltd.,Lane Pringle Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min 140 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jenny Wright (Marnie) did only the close-ups in the VR strobe scene, because the strobe light made her sick. Her wide-angle shots were done using a double, and the close-ups of her face were done with a bluescreen, so that she didn't have to move.

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Goofs

Dr. Angelo, remarking on Jobe's progress with Latin, says that he himself took a year to learn just the Latin alphabet, which is still in use, plus a few letters, as the English alphabet. (In mitigation, he could be referring to the difficulty in reading ancient manuscripts, or how long a child takes to learn how to read, though this seems unlikely in context.)

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Quotes

Dr. Lawrence Angelo: All this power isn't meant to be in the hands of one person!
Jobe Smith: You're wrong! You need to be led, just like everyone else, it's a basic need.
Dr. Lawrence Angelo: This technology was meant to expand human communication, but you're not even human any more! What you've become terrifies me. You're a freak!
Jobe Smith: Your naive idiocy makes me VERY ANGRY!

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Crazy Credits

At the start of the movie, just after the New Line Cinema logo, the following Virtual Reality 'statement' is given (the director stated that this was rewritten many times): By the turn of the millenium a technology known as VIRTUAL REALITY will be in widespread use. It will allow you to enter computer generated artificial worlds as unlimited as the imagination itself. Its creators foresee millions of positive uses - while others fear it as a new from of mind control...

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Connections

Referenced in Special Collector's Edition: La historia interminable (1ª parte) (2010)

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Soundtracks

Jobe's Fury
Written and Performed by Sterling

User Reviews

Not an absolute masterpiece, but well worth the rental

I got 'The Lawnmower Man' as part of one of those 'Buy a pizza and get a free movie' deals, and I put off watching it. And put it off more. And more, until finally I had nothing else to do, so I popped it in the VCR and sat back. Two and half hours later (It was the director's cut- don't see the normal version as it is not nearly as good) it instantly became one of my favorite movies, so I rewound it and watched it again.

To date I have seen it four of five times, as it has problems, it's not very fast paced, but is terribly engaging and Fahey is superb in the lead. The writing isn't great, but is passable, and the computer effects, though far from the center of the story, are excellent.

If you haven't seen it yet, or have only seen the normal version, it is well worth the rental, or even purchase.