Barbarians at the Gate (1993)

The president of a major tobacco company decides to buy the company himself, but a bidding war ensues as other companies make their own offers.

Director:

Glenn Jordan

Writers:

Bryan Burrough (book), John Helyar (book)

Stars:

James Garner, Jonathan Pryce, Peter Riegert

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 6 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Garner	...	F. Ross Johnson
Jonathan Pryce	...	Henry Kravis
Peter Riegert	...	Peter Cohen
Joanna Cassidy	...	Linda Robinson
Fred Thompson	...	Jim Robinson (as Fred Dalton Thompson)
Leilani Sarelle	...	Laurie Johnson
Matt Clark	...	Edward A. Horrigan Jr.
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	H. John Greeniaus
David Rasche	...	Ted Forstmann
Tom Aldredge	...	Charlie Hugel
Graham Beckel	...	Don Kelly
Peter Dvorsky	...	George Roberts
Peter Frechette	...	Robert Allegro
Judy Altman	...	Robinson's Aide
Bruce Beatty	...	Anthony the Pizza Man

Storyline

F. Ross Johnson, the CEO of RJR Nabisco decides that the time is ripe to take over his own company and enlists American Express. This kicks off a tide of other firms swarming in to tender offers. The outline of the film follows the actual takeover of the RJR Nabisco empire in a tongue in cheek way.

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Plot Keywords:

multi millionaire | market research | tobacco | wall street manhattan new york city | cigarette smoking | 

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Taglines:

In the 80's Wall Street had fun at your expense. Now it's time for you to have the last laugh.

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

A TV movie for the HBO network.

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Goofs

When the private jet takes off from Charlie Brown Airport, Atlanta (now Fulton County Airport) with only the dog on board (at around 33min into the film), the runway is clearly marked "12L". There is no such runway at that airport (the three runways are 8/26, 14/32 and 9/27). In addition, the use of "L" indicates there is more than one runway with the same bearing, suggesting a larger airport.

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Quotes

F. Ross Johnson: [Johnson and Kelly looking at one of Kravis' old master paintings] The guy must have had a hell of a week.
Don Kelly: [Kelly supplies name of painter] Renoir.
F. Ross Johnson: Ballpark?
Don Kelly: 20, 30 million.
F. Ross Johnson: [sarcastically] Is that with the frame?
F. Ross Johnson: [heading towards another painting] Uh uh.
Don Kelly: Monet
[this painter's name, pronounced 'mo-ney']
F. Ross Johnson: Yea right, tons of it.

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Connections

Referenced in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Barbarians at the Planet (1994)

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Soundtracks

Perfect Combination
(uncredited)
Music by Geoff Levin and Manny Mendelson

User Reviews

Come on, Fellas, cough it up!

Can a made-for-TV movie about leveraged buy outs ("LBO"s) be funny? Yup.

I haven't read the book but the teleplay by Gelbart is very amusing and sometimes hilarious. Be prepared for the profanity which generates some of the best laughs. "There should be a warning on every pack: Danger, these cigarettes will tear your b***s off."

But it isn't just the swearing that makes this movie as funny as it is. The set ups are marvelously done. The initial big celebration held by RJR Nabisco features a character who suffers a cruel cough every time he tries to light his cigarette until Garner comes over and flicks open a lighter to help him.

All the characters' roles are well written but I wish Fred Dalton Thompson had an expression other than his default -- as if he were watching his daughter marry a biker with a face tattoo. James Garner gets the palm, not just for his unforced and vulgar wit but for a breezy disregard for everything except his own wealth, exemplified in his fleet of jet airplanes with their private hangar. Garner keeps denigrating the pursuit of wealth for it's own sake -- "After all, how many sets of golf clubs can you be buried with?" -- but acts all the way through as if that were his one and only priority. In his own defense, he says indignantly, "I don't plan to be homeless -- or planeless either for that matter."

There must have been enormous pressure on Gelbart and the others involved to turn this movie "serious" towards the end, to bring in cancer and emphysema, a sobbing victim, a military-industrial conspiracy to undermine the health of the proletariat, to expose big business for the angry, villainous, mean-spirited, duplicitous cretins that they are but, thank Bog, Gelbart resisted any tendency to make the movie "about something." He keeps the ending as ironic as the rest of the film.

Poor Garner. He loses his job, "The first time I've been out of work since I was fourteen," he moans, and retires with a severance package amounting (after taxes) to only $23m. Close on a shot of a mansion in Palm Beach.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 March 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Barbarians at the Gate

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Films, Columbia Pictures Television, Rastar Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1