Matinee

19931993
PGPG
1h 39min

6.9/10

A small-time film promoter releases a kitschy horror film during the Cuban Missile Crisis.A small-time film promoter releases a kitschy horror film during the Cuban Missile Crisis.A small-time film promoter releases a kitschy horror film during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

6.9/10

10K

Director
- Joe Dante
Writers
- Jerico Stone(story)
- Charles S. Haas(story)
Stars

Top credits

See production, box office & company info

Awards
- 1 win

Videos2

Kellie Martin, Omri Katz, and James Villemaire in Matinee (1993)

John Goodman, John Sayles, Simon Fenton, and Dick Miller in Matinee (1993)

John Goodman and Simon Fenton in Matinee (1993)

John Goodman, John Sayles, and Dick Miller in Matinee (1993)

A showman introduces a small coastal town to a unique movie experience and capitalises on the Cuban Missile crisis hysteria with a kitschy horror extravaganza combining film effects, stage props and actors in rubber suits in this salute to the B-movie. —Keith Loh <loh@sfu.ca>

film within a film movie theatre cuban missile crisis b movie mother son relationship 17 more

Taglines
- Lawrence Woolsey presents the end of civilization as we know it. Make that... Proudly Presents!
Genres
- Comedy
- Drama
Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
- Rated PG for language, and for mild violence and sensuality
Parents guide

Trivia
For "Mant," the movie-within-the-movie, Joe Dante cast actors who had actually appeared in 1950s-era science fiction movies. These included Kevin McCarthy, Robert Cornthwaite, and William Schallert.

Goofs
The aircraft shown flying along the beach are A-4 Skyhawks, which flew with the US Navy and Marine Corps from 1956 until 2003. Marine Attack Squadron 242 (VMA-242)based at Cherry Point, NC deployed to NAS Key West, Fla during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, therefore the aircraft shown are the actual models flown during the time depicted in the movie.

Quotes
Gene Loomis: Y'know, it's hard to believe you're a grown-up.
Ruth Corday: No kidding.
Lawrence Woolsey: You think grown-ups have it all figured out? That's just a hustle, kid. Grown-ups are making it up as they go along, just like you. You remember that, and you'll do fine.

Crazy credits
After the credits are complete, we are treated to a quick snippet from "MANT" with the Cathy Moriarty character pining, "Oh, Bill".

Connections
Featured in At the Movies: Matinee/Alive/Body of Evidence/Sniper (1993)

Soundtracks
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
Written by Hugo Peretti, Albert Stanton, George David Weiss & Luigi Creatore
(based on a song by Solomon Linda and Paul Campbell)
Performed by The Tokens
Courtesy of the RCA Records label of BMG Music

Top review

You Gotta Have a Gimmick!

Certainly John Goodman portraying Lawrence Woolsey as a film director bent on all kinds of creative devices to lure audiences in to see his sci-fi/horror movies is a homage to the King of Gimmicks himself, William Castle. This movie is not great by any standards, but it sure is a lot of fun. It is a trip down memory lane for many. Although I am not old enough to remember the Cuban Missile Crisis nor William Castle movies premiering, I am given a pretty accurate feel of the times through Matinee. The best part of the movie, however, is the movie within a movie....MANT...the story of a man that is half-man and half-ant. The scenes of this film alone are good enough reason to see Matinee. The one scene where the Mant character throws an ant farm to the ground and yells "You're free, You're free" is hilarious. The movie characters are also made up of old sci-fi stars Kevin McCarthy(Invasion of the Body Snatchers), William Shallert(Hundreds of films it seems), and Robert Cornwaithe(The Thing). Also look for John Sayles and Dick Miller in smaller roles hamming it up. Goodman is larger than life in his portrayal, much the same way that Castle was. And certainly, we in the audience that are great genre fans dream what it would have been like to help William Castle...I mean Lawrence Woolsey...make a picture.

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