Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
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86% of critics liked it
(36 reviews) -
60% of users liked it
(7,560 ratings)
History tells us that would-be automobile mogul Preston Tucker was a silver-tongued con man, who misappropriated his investors' money and played fast and loose with ethics and legalities in the pursuit of his dream. Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola isn't buying this: to hear Coppola tell it,… More History tells us that would-be automobile mogul Preston Tucker was a silver-tongued con man, who misappropriated his investors' money and played fast and loose with ethics and legalities in the pursuit of his dream. Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola isn't buying this: to hear Coppola tell it, Tucker was "Mr. Smith Goes to Detroit," a sincere visionary who tried and failed to buck the Big Three auto manufacturers. Moreover, he was a staunch defender of family values, as witness his inseparable relationship with his loyal wife (Joan Allen) and adoring children. It was for his family's sake, rather than any dreams of financial gain, that Tucker created the oddball three-headlight vehicle which he envisioned as the "car of the future". Naturally, the corporate fat cats of 1947 can't abide competition from a rugged individualist; thus, with several politicos in their pockets, they crush the Tucker and the man who built it. We'd have been more inclined to believe the story had Coppola adopted a straightforward Capraesque approach and not utilized all sorts of complicated camera trickery. Somehow, by presenting Tucker in so showoffy a directorial manner, the character comes off more as a sleight-of-hand artist than a bastion of sincerity. Even so, Jeff Bridges does a nice job as Tucker, as does Martin Landau as Tucker's incongruous business partner. Jeff's dad, Lloyd Bridges, appears in an uncredited role as a "bought" senator. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Genres
- Drama
PG,
- In Theaters
- Aug 12, 1988 Wide
- Studio
- Paramount Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
The true story of a great American visionary who was thwarted, if not destroyed, by the established order, Tucker represents the sunniest imaginable telling of an at least partly tragic episode in recent history.
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Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine
The result is a film consistent narratively, confident stylistically and abounce with the quaint quality that animated both the hero and his times, something we used to call pep.
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Francis Coppola's stylish and heartfelt tribute to the innovative automobile designer Preston Thomas Tucker turns out to be one of his most personal and successful movies.
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, Time Out
The cinematic sleight-of-hand parallels the bombast of its hero, but you never get a glimpse of either visionary.
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Janet Maslin, New York Times
Mr. Coppola has done things this fancily before, but never with so clear and moving a sense of purpose.
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Cast
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Jeff Bridges
as Preston Tucker
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Joan Allen
as Vera Tucker
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Martin Landau
as Abe Karatz
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Frederic Forrest
as Eddie Dean
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Dean Stockwell
as Howard Hughes
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Mako
as Jimmy Sakuyama
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Lloyd Bridges
as Senator Homer Ferguson
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Elias Koteas
as Alex Tremulis
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Nina Siemaszko
as Marilyn Lee Tucker
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Christian Slater
as Junior
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Corin Nemec
as Noble Tucker
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Anders Johnson
as Johnny Tucker
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Marshall Bell
as Frank
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Don Novello
as Stan
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Jay O Sanders
as Kirby Defense Attorney
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Peter Donat
as Otto Kerner Prosecutor
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Dean Goodman
as Drew Pearson
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Patti Austin
as Millie
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Hope Alexander-Willis
as Tucker's Secretary
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Scott Beach
as Floyd Cerf
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Bill Bonham
as Garage Owner
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Cab Covay
as Security Guard
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Joe Flood
as Dutch
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Taylor Gilbert
as Ferguson's Secretary
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Ken Grantham
as SEC Agent
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John X. Heart
as Ferguson's Agent
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Joe Lerer
as Reporter at Trial
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Michael McShane
as Recording Engineer
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Al Nalbandian
as Jury Foreman
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Bill Reddick
as Board Member
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Morgan Upton
as Ingram
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Abigail Van Alyn
as Ferguson's Secretary
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Leonard Gardner
as Gas Station Owner
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Mark Anger
as Blue
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Mary Buffett
as Singing Girl
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Sandy Bull
as Stan's Assistant
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Ron Close
as Fritz
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James Cranna
as Man in Audience
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Jim Giovanni
as Police Sergeant
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Al Hart
as Newscaster
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Jay Jacobus
as Head Engineer
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Anne Lawder
as Bennington's Secretary
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Ed Loerke
as Mayor
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Larry Menkin
as Doc
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Joseph Miksak
as Judge
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Jessie Nelson
as Woman on Steps
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Bob Safford
as Narrator
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Jeanette Lana Sartain
as Singing Girl
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Roland Scrivner
as Oscar Beasley
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Annie Stocking
as Singing Girl
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Taylor Young
as Tucker's Secretary
- Aleta Helena Chappelle
- Jane Jenkins
- Janet Hirshenson
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David Booth
as Man in Hall
