Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola

Writers:

Arnold Schulman (writer)
David Seidler (writer)

Release Date:

12 August 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

When they tried to buy him, he refused. When they tried to bully him, he resisted. When they tried to break him, he became an American legend. The true story of Preston Tucker.

Plot:

The story of Preston Tucker, the maverick car designer and his ill fated challenge to the auto industry with his revolutionary car concept.

Plot Keywords:

Car Factory | Corrupt Politician | Courtroom | Automobile Industry | Car Safety

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Jeff Bridges	...	Preston Tucker
Joan Allen	...	Vera
Martin Landau	...	Abe
Frederic Forrest	...	Eddie
Mako	...	Jimmy
Elias Koteas	...	Alex
Christian Slater	...	Junior
Nina Siemaszko	...	Marilyn Lee
Anders Johnson	...	Johnny
Corin Nemec	...	Noble (as Corky Nemec)
Marshall Bell	...	Frank
Jay O. Sanders	...	Kirby
Peter Donat	...	Kerner
Dean Goodman	...	Bennington / Drew Pearson's Voice
John X. Heart	...	Ferguson's Agent

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Netherlands:AL | Sweden:7 | UK:PG | USA:PG (certificate #29156)

Filming Locations:

City Hall - 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Lucasfilm

Trivia:

The "junk" car used as the starting point for the prototype of the Tucker car started life as a 1942 Oldsmobile.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: During the early drive sequence which is supposed to be taking place in Ypsilanti, Michigan (700 feet above sea level), the California mountains can clearly be seen in the background.

Quotes:

Preston Tucker: Isn't that the idea? To build a better mouse trap?
Abe: Not if you're a mouse!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Boy's Life (1997)

Soundtrack:

Tucker Jingle

An interesting look into some American automotive history.

Preston Tucker was a man with a dream. He actually advertised his new car and even took advanced orders for it. But the truth is that there was never a chance that Tucker would ever be able to deliver on his promises. Jeff Bridges plays the would be automotive tycoon with an Oscar going to his co-star Martin Landau for his portrayal of "Abe" Tucker's business manager. You will enjoy seeing most all of the remaining Tuckers in this film. This is a good film and I recommend it.