The Pick-up Artist (1987)

Director:

James Toback

Writer:

James Toback (written by)

Release Date:

18 September 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

The Pick-Up Artist... has finally met his match.

Plot:

A womanizer meets his match when he falls for the daughter of a mobster. |

Plot Keywords:

Gambling | Museum | Car Dealership | Planetarium | Gym Teacher

Cast

Molly Ringwald	...	Randy Jensen
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Jack Jericho (as Robert Downey)
Dennis Hopper	...	Flash Jensen
Danny Aiello	...	Phil Harper
Mildred Dunnock	...	Nellie
Harvey Keitel	...	Alonzo Scolara
Brian Hamill	...	Mike
Tamara Bruno	...	Karen
Vanessa Williams	...	Rae, Girl with Dog
Angie Kempf	...	Jack's Student
Polly Draper	...	Pat, Jack's Colleague
Frederick Koehler	...	Richie
Robert Towne	...	Stan
Victoria Jackson	...	Lulu
Lorraine Bracco	...	Carla

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:15 (video rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Australia:M | Netherlands:MG6 | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #27920) | Iceland:L | Spain:T | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11

Filming Locations:

Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Amercent Films

Trivia:

DIRCAMEO: James Toback as Jack's landlord.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: During the most of the movie, Randy wears a blouse is buttoned up to the neck and a necklace over the top of it. Except for the scene where she is exiting the casino after her big loss, as she walks out and her blouse is unbuttoned at the neck and she is not wearing the necklace. However, in the next scene the blouse is buttoned again and necklace returns. The description of an apparent discontinuity is accurate; however, in the shot with open blouse and sans necklace, Randy is also not wearing her jacket. In the following shot, as she emerges from the casino with Jack after her devastating setback, she has donned her jacket, buttoned her blouse, and restored her necklace. The apparent costume discontinuity dissolves in the brief lapse of unrecorded time.

Quotes:

Flash Jensen: You know something? I can't do this anymore.
[Referring to his alcoholism, as he dumps out his drink]

Movie Connections:

References "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" (1984)

Soundtrack:

She's Crafty

A summer movie for people under 20 (max!)

The good things first (sing this): Summer in the city!, and the city, New York, the one star in this movie that looks good 'til the very end, is just beautiful. And because it is summer, and because the city looks as good as the women that populate it, we do not ask that whatever Robert Downey is up to in the beginning is in any way "realistic", as long as it is carefree, funny, and playfully energetic. But from then on...

I do not ask of a movie that it be literally truthful, however, there should be some inner truth, a veracity in the characters or a thoughtful comment on life or something--and this movie does not have any of it. It seems that most of the characters are caricatures, such as the alcoholic gambling father, the mafia bad guy and his entourage (a whole armada with Italian accents), the corrupt policeman, and the Columbian rich man; nobody is in any way real, not even three-dimensional. (I did like the bad guy's girlfriend though, probably also a caricature, but at least flirty, lively, and refreshing.) On top of that, our romantic couple has no chemistry (at least not any I can detect), always deadly for a romantic comedy. The philosophic sentences about life and relationships that come out of our protagonists' mouths are, well let's say, completely beside the point. They are probably supposed to show that our characters are "serious", and maybe if I was 16 again, I would find these parts of the movie "deep", but at my age, I just find them false and somewhat annoying.

So, if you have seen this movie already, I hope you enjoyed the city, the summer, Robert Downey... and maybe some thing or other that I have missed.