Man of the Century (1999)

Fantasy-comedy about a young man who lives as if it is 1928 or so, and his encounters with modern-day women and modern-day criminals.

Director:

Adam Abraham

Writers:

Adam Abraham, Gibson Frazier

Stars:

Gibson Frazier, Cara Buono, Ian Edwards

5 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gibson Frazier	...	Johnny Twennies
Cara Buono	...	Virginia Clemens
Ian Edwards	...	Clarence
Brian Davies	...	Victor Young
Susan Egan	...	Samantha Winter
Yul Vazquez	...	Brooding Artist
Dwight Ewell	...	Richard Lancaster
Brian Kite	...	Messenger
David Margulies	...	Mr. Meyerscholtz
Anthony Rapp	...	Timothy Burns
Alfred Hyslop	...	Public Official
David Anzuelo	...	Degenerate
Sean Patrick Reilly	...	Reporter
Alan Davidson	...	Tyrus
Kevin Weisman	...	Squibb

Storyline

Johnny Twennies, a newspaper columnist in present-day New York, is a jauntily cheerful, very friendly, totally honest and upstanding young man who happens to be completely oblivious to any technological or social changes in the past 70 years. He routinely uses telegrams, a manual typewriter, and a manual toaster, and to the pleasure and despair of his girlfriend conducts his personal life in correspondingly anachronistic style. One day he's threatened by criminals who want to plant a false news story. But they've never met anyone like him before...

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Plot Keywords:

typewriter | telegram | newspaper | reference to eliot spitzer | reference to harry houdini | 

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Taglines:

He's Yesterday's Answer To Today's World.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Feature film debut of Ian Edwards, who portrays Clarence.

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Goofs

Johnny promises his editor that he will scoop the Journal American. Johnny's character is set in the 1920s, but the New York Journal American, a Hearst newspaper, did not exist until 1937, after the merger of two Hearst newspapers, the New York Journal, and the New York American.

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Quotes

Johnny Twennies: Oh, I see. You think the world owes you a living. Well you fell for that one, hook, line and sinker.

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Connections

References Laverne & Shirley (1976)

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Soundtracks

Original music score performed by the Cleopatra Four Plus Two
with Timothy Curle and Tom Marion

User Reviews

Banana Oil!

Caught this on cable quite by accident-- the idea behind it seemed really cute, and I decided to give it 10 minutes, to at least see how long it took for the filmmakers to screw it up.

Surprisingly, it held my attention for the entire film. The gimmick never got old; just when it seemed in danger of doing so, something new would happen to keep it fresh. A new character here, a plot twist there. Good, thoughtful filmmaking... and I really dug the 1920's slang. I wish I could remember more of it. Why DID we stop talking like this, anyway?

Good acting, some clever writing and a smartly-plotted story. The ending was a little cheesy, I thought, as I wanted to know the fates of the characters beyond the newspaper-story driven plot. But considering the source material, it really ended the only way it could have. So it's an amusing distraction for 90 minutes or so. And kind of educational, too. Banana Oil!

Details

Official Sites:

Former Official site for the film - site no longer active. [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

Italian Chinese English

Release Date:

24 January 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Johnny Twennies

Filming Locations:

Soho Pharmacy - 3 Walker Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,724, 31 October 1999

Gross USA:

$34,857

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$34,857

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jubilee Pictures Corporation, Sun-Telegram Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1