Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)

Director:

Roland Joffé

Writers (WGA):

Bruce Robinson (story)
Bruce Robinson (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 October 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

The story of the extraordinary people who changed our world.

Plot:

This film reenacts the Manhattan Project, the secret wartime project in New Mexico where the first atomic bombs were designed and built.

Plot Keywords:

Atomic Bomb | Manhattan Project | Robert Oppenheimer | Weapons Research | 1940s

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Paul Newman	...	Gen. Leslie R. Groves
Dwight Schultz	...	J. Robert Oppenheimer
Bonnie Bedelia	...	Kitty Oppenheimer
John Cusack	...	Michael Merriman
Laura Dern	...	Kathleen Robinson
Ron Frazier	...	Peter de Silva
John C. McGinley	...	Capt. Richard Schoenfield, MD
Natasha Richardson	...	Jean Tatlock
Ron Vawter	...	Jamie Latrobe
Michael Brockman	...	William 'Deke' Parsons
Del Close	...	Dr. Kenneth Whiteside
John Considine	...	Robert Tuckson
Allan Corduner	...	Franz Goethe (as Alan Corduner)
Joe D'Angerio	...	Seth Neddermeyer (as Joseph D'Angerio)
Jon DeVries	...	Johnny Mount (as Jon De Vries)

Also Known As:

Shadow Makers (UK)

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Iceland:L | USA:PG-13 (# 29576) | France:U | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Germany:12 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Durango, Mexico

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

John Cusack's character, Michael Merriman, is a fictional composite; based primarily on Louis P. Slotin and (to a lesser degree) Harry K. Daghlian.

Goofs:

Factual errors: It was actually Neddermayer who proposed the implosion theory.

Quotes:

Gen. Leslie R. Groves: We could give this country the biggest stick in the playground, and I intend to do that.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Fat Man and Little Boy (#16.5)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

L'apprenti sorcier

A Great Movie, Despite What They Say...

Cold War enthusiasts are like Civil War enthusiasts in that they get extremely upset when something is portrayed differently than it actually happened (or differently than they THINK it happened). When you read a negative review of this movie, that is what you are seeing. It may not be 100% factual with the timeline and all of that, but who cares? It is still an excellent movie. The acting is wonderful and the message is even better. Dwight Schultz does an amazing job with his role. The entire cast must have lost 50 lbs each to look like skinny 1940s people. If you haven't seen this film, see it. If you have and you didn't like it, please see it again and look at it with an open heart. It truly questions the moral issues of developing the bomb. It makes you think!