Pushing Tin (1999)

A feud develops between two air traffic controllers: one cocky and determined while the other is restrained and laidback, which inevitably affects their lives.

Director:

Mike Newell

Writers:

Darcy Frey (article), Glen Charles (screenplay)

Stars:

John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Cate Blanchett

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Cusack	...	Nick Falzone
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Russell Bell
Cate Blanchett	...	Connie Falzone
Angelina Jolie	...	Mary Bell
Jake Weber	...	Barry Plotkin
Kurt Fuller	...	Ed Clabes
Vicki Lewis	...	Tina Leary
Matt Ross	...	Ron Hewitt
Jerry Grayson	...	Leo Morton
Michael Willis	...	Pat Feeney
Philip Akin	...	Paul
Mike O'Malley	...	Pete
Neil Crone	...	Tom
Matt Gordon	...	Ken
Joe Pingue	...	Mark

Storyline

Nick and the other boys (and Vicki Lewis) working the hotspot of air traffic control in New York are impressed with themselves, to say the least. They thrive on the no-room-for-error, fast-paced job and let it infect their lives. The undisputed king of pushing tin, "The Zone" Falzone, rules his workplace and his wedded life with the same short-attention span that gets planes where they need to be in the nick of time. That is, until Russell Bell, a new transfer with a reputation for recklessness but a record of pure perfection shatters the tensely-held status quo. The game of one-upmanship between the two flies so high as to lead Nick into Russell's bed with his wife. His sanity slipping just as fast as his hold on #1, Cusack's controller is thrown out-of-control when Thornton's wanderer quietly leaves town. Nick must now find a way to regain his sanity and repair his marriage before he breaks down completely.

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Plot Keywords:

air traffic controller | air traffic control | marriage | job | female bodybuilder | 

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Taglines:

A comedy about losing control

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and a scene of sexuality

Details

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English French

Release Date:

23 April 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mi espacio

Filming Locations:

Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$33,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,555,032, 25 April 1999

Gross USA:

$8,408,835

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,408,835

Company Credits

Production Co:

3 Miles Apart Productions Ltd., Art Linson Productions, Dogstar Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Angelina Jolie had just shaved her head for the dying scenes in Gia (1998). She wore a wig in this film.

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Goofs

When Russell Bell stands on the runway to feel the effect of wing tip vortices from a landing 747-400, he stands directly under the jet as it flies over head. Wing tip vortices roll off the tips of wings in a swirling motion and travel outward and downward. In reality, one would need to be positioned several feet outboard of the wing tips to feel the effect; farther if the airplane were higher. However, if a strong crosswind were to exist, in this instance from the right, it would cause a vortex to persist on the runway for an extended period of time. If strong enough, the vortex can be blown laterally across the runway towards the centerline, where Mr. Thornton's character was standing. Of course the landing attitude of the aircraft depicted in the movie did not indicate such a crosswind; however, the concept is not wholly impossible as implied by the aforementioned.

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Quotes

[Listening to Nick ramble on about their affair]
Mary Bell: I am way too sober for this.

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Connections

Referenced in Bad Girls: Episode #6.4 (2004)

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Soundtracks

Leading the Way
Written by Paul Pritchard
Courtesy of Associated Production Music

User Reviews

Not Bad of a Flight!

Director Mike Newell's `Pushing Tin' is about the turbulent life of air traffic controllers. Its delightful and thought-provoking screenplay is not intended for the usual `airhead' moviegoer. So please put on your thinking cap for this one. The film stars John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Cate Blanchett, and Angelina Jolie. Thornton and Jolie executed average `plane' performances. However, Cusack and Blanchett rose high with theirs. I do not blame Billy Bob or Angelina for not going up to par with John and Cate. Maybe, Billy Bob and Angelina were way too much in the clouds on and off the set, or maybe it was just that their characters were not fully developed in the script. Even though i am not `Pushing Tin' as one of the best film of 99, it is still one that you should put on the `safe landing looking' section. *** Average