The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)

In the future, a man struggles to keep his lunar nightclub out of the hands of the mafia.

Director:

Ron Underwood

Writer:

Neil Cuthbert

Stars:

Eddie Murphy, Jay Mohr, Randy Quaid

Bottom Rated Movies #94 | 1 win & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eddie Murphy	...	Pluto Nash
Randy Quaid	...	Bruno
Rosario Dawson	...	Dina Lake
Joe Pantoliano	...	Mogan
Jay Mohr	...	Tony Francis
Luis Guzmán	...	Felix Laranga
James Rebhorn	...	Belcher
Peter Boyle	...	Rowland
Burt Young	...	Gino
Miguel A. Núñez Jr.	...	Miguel
Pam Grier	...	Flura Nash
John Cleese	...	James
Victor Varnado	...	Kelp
Illeana Douglas	...	Dr. Mona Zimmer
Jacynthe René	...	Babette

Storyline

After his successful night club is blown to flaming bits, Pluto and his band travel across the moon looking for clues as to who is behind the arson. Along with Bruno and Dina, Pluto visits a seedy motel, his secret hide out and the casino of the most powerful man on the moon searching for the evil doer, only to find out that the destruction of his club may have been his own fault

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Plot Keywords:

african american hero | gangster | breasts growing | violence | nightclub shootout | 

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Taglines:

Action's future has arrived...

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Genres:

Comedy | Action | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual humor and language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

USA Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 August 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pluto Nash

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,182,900, 18 August 2002, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$4,420,080, 6 October 2002

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,683,893

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment, Village Roadshow Pictures, NPV Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Eddie Murphy refused to promote the film at its time of release, and stated that the money is the only reason he took the role.

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Goofs

When Pluto, Dina and Bruno leave town in the stolen car, they pass under a road sign announcing the "Neil Armstrong Monument". The photo on the sign however is one of Edwin Aldrin, taken by by Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 11 mission.

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Quotes

Mogan: Hey Bruno. What are you? A 65?
Bruno: Model 63. Deluxe.
Kelp: 63? Talk about ancient.
Bruno: Your sister didn't seem to mind.

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Connections

Referenced in Easy to Assemble: Personal Shopper (2008)

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Soundtracks

Distance
Written by Karl Gordon, Shaznay Lewis and Kyle McCray
Performed by All Saints
Courtesy of Warner Strategic Marketing UK
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

I was prepared to hate this... But "The Adventures of Pluto Nash" was a Pleasant Surprise!

3.7. A 3.7 out of 10. As I sit here, writing this review, this film has a user-average rating of 3.7 out of 10. I'm going out on a limb here, and assume that there are many people who blindly voted low scores to bring down the rating, based solely on the negative publicity. Because, I honestly can't believe that they all witnessed the same film I did. (Not to mention, mass negative voting from people who haven't seen the film is a problem here for movies with hype or notoriety.)

I knew the story, I heard about it all. The film was shelved for two years, didn't get much publicity, and was released August of 2002. Releasing a major comedy with a huge budget 2 years after completion, with little publicity on almost the exact date of the 1-year anniversary of one of the biggest tragedies to ever hit the US... Seriously, did the studio even think when they tried to push this film out? I can only assume not. Critics crucified it. Audiences ignored it. It was a flop.

I went along, blindly following the notion that because it flopped, it sucked. (Although, I have found out that many great films flopped, among them "It's a Wonderful Life.") Finally a few months ago, a friend of mine said: "Hey Adam, let's watch 'Pluto Nash'! It's on NetFlix!" I scoffed, but after he persisted, I agreed.

I'm glad I did.

"Pluto Nash" was refreshingly entertaining, and in no way was it the abysmal slight against cinema I had been told it was.

The film centers on Pluto Nash (Eddie Murphy in a fun performance), his sidekick robot Bruno (Randy Quaid in perhaps my favorite performance in the film) and Dina Lake (the astonishingly beautiful Rosario Dawson), with numerous other actors in supporting roles. Nash is the owner the nightclub "Club Nash", on the moon, some time in the future. He bought the club to save the life of a friend (Jay Mohr), who has since become a famous "singer" in a snazzy upscale part of the moon, leaving Nash behind. Dina arrives, hoping to work for Nash in order to earn money to buy her way back to Earth.

Soon, henchmen sent by the mysterious Rex Crater arrive, interested in buying Nash's club. When Nash turns them down, they destroy the place. Nash, Dina and Bruno vow to discover who this Rex Carter is, and stop him.

And so begins this fun action/comedy/sci-fi feature. In all honesty, the story is cliché, but it actually works quite well. This isn't supposed to be a revolutionary masterpiece, it's meant to be a fun good-guys-VS-bad-guys-buddy-movie type film, only set on the moon in the future. The characters are quite endearing and likable as well. They feel like people you'd want to hang out with.

The special effects (which were unfairly criticized at the time) are surprisingly good, considering they were from 2000 (remember, the film was finished but shelved for two years), and the direction of Ron Underwood is quite nice. Visually, the film is a treat.

The cast works. Murphy, Dawson and Quaid are all great in their roles, and supporting characters are played very well by some big names, such as Peter Boyle, Pam Greir, Burt Young and even a cameo by Alec Baldwin.

The music is fun, the editing is great, the set design is exquisite, the acting is generally very good, the direction is fantastic, the story is decent enough. I really can't say much. The craftsmanship is very competent. It's not a bad film by any stretch of the imagination from any conceivable way you look at it. Is it a particularly strong film? No. But is it a halfway decent film with some laughs and some heart? Yes, it is most definitely. I also admire the fact that this film isn't ashamed of being light-hearted and positive. A lot of films (especially these days) try to be dark and gritty. It's nice to see just a positive, fun film.

I honestly can't understand how this was so hated by critics upon release, and so ignored by the general public. It's a very fun movie, and I had a blast watching it. I will gladly be buying this flick sometime soon, and sharing it with others, so they can finally see this treat they missed out on.

I give "The Adventures of Pluto Nash" a good 7 out of 10. It's lighthearted fun.