{{Short description|1990 US comedy film by Roger Donaldson}} {{For|the homeless American author|The Cadillac Man}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{use mdy dates|date=March 2023}} {{Infobox film | name = Cadillac Man | image = Cadillacman.jpg | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = Roger Donaldson | producer = {{plainlist| * Roger Donaldson * Charles Roven }} | writer = Ken Friedman | starring = {{Plainlist| * Robin Williams * Tim Robbins * Pamela Reed * Fran Drescher }} | music = J. Peter Robinson | cinematography = David Gribble | editing = Richard Francis-Bruce | distributor = Orion Pictures | released = {{Film date|1990|5|18}} | runtime = 97 minutes<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/CVF062716 |title=Cadillac Man (15)|work=British Board of Film Classification|date=July 6, 1990|accessdate=January 31, 2019}}</ref> | country = United States | language = English | budget = $15 million<ref name="thewrap">{{cite web |url= http://powergrid.thewrap.com/project/cadillac-man |title= Powergrid: Cadillac Man |website= TheWrap.com |accessdate= 12 March 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150402120554/http://powergrid.thewrap.com/project/cadillac-man |archive-date= 2015-04-02 |url-status= dead }}</ref> | gross = $27.6 million (US)<ref name="bom">{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=cadillacman.htm|title=Cadillac Man (1990)|work=Box Office Mojo|accessdate=January 31, 2019}}</ref> }}
'''''Cadillac Man''''' is a 1990 American black comedy film directed by Roger Donaldson, starring Robin Williams and Tim Robbins. The plot of the film centers on car salesman Joey O'Brien (Williams), whose life is consumed by turmoil, which all comes to a head when his dealership is taken hostage by Larry (Robbins), a love-crazed motorcyclist.
The film received mixed reviews from critics, and grossed $27.6 million against its $15 million budget.<ref name="thewrap"/><ref name="bom"/>
==Plot== Queens car salesman Joey O'Brien must deal with the ever-increasing pressures in his life: his ex-wife Tina is demanding alimony, his daughter Lisa is missing, his married mistress Joy Munchack and his single mistress Lila are both desperately in love with him, and he has a two-day deadline to either sell twelve cars or lose his job. In addition, he has an outstanding loan from Mafia don Tony DiPino; a loan that he must either quickly repay or lose his life.
On the day of the big dealership car sale (and the final day of O'Brien's deadline), the car dealership is taken hostage by Larry Kosciuski, a motorcyclist toting an AK-47 who believes that his wife Donna is cheating on him. Joey manages to talk Larry out of doing any harm, by claiming that he is the one who is sleeping with Donna. As police surround the dealership, Joey and Larry begin to bond, and Joey convinces Larry to give himself up.
Not realizing that Larry's gun is not loaded, the police wound him after most of the hostages have already been released. Joey promises to remain with him while he recovers, and confesses that he had never actually slept with Donna. The crisis resolves all of Joey's problems: Joy and Lila learn of each other and dump him, Lisa returns, his job is secure, Tony (whose son Frankie was among the hostages) forgives his debt, and he begins to reconcile with Tina.
==Cast== {{Cast listing| * Robin Williams as Joey O'Brien * Tim Robbins as Larry Kosciuski * Pamela Reed as Tina O'Brien * Annabella Sciorra as Donna Kosciuski * Fran Drescher as Joy Munchack * Zack Norman as Harry Munchack * Lori Petty as Lila * Paul Guilfoyle as Jack "Little Jack" Turgeon * Bill Nelson as Jack "Big Jack" Turgeon * Eddie Jones as Benny * Mimi Cecchini as Ma * Tristine Skyler as Lisa O'Brien * Judith Hoag as Molly * Lauren Tom as Dim sum Waitress * Anthony Powers as Captain Mason * Bill Nunn as Grave Digger * Paul Herman as Tony DiPino * Erik King as Davey * Richard Panebianco as Frankie DiPino * Gary Howard Klar as Detective Walters * Elaine Stritch as Widow * Jack Mulcahy as S.W.A.T. Team Officer }}
==Production== To prepare for his role in the film, Robin Williams spent time in car dealerships in Queens, New York.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rosenthal |first=Donna |date=May 9, 1990 |title='Cadillac Man' Finds a New Life |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-09-ca-373-story.html}}</ref>
==Release== The film opened at number 2 at the box office on May 18, 1990, behind ''Bird on a Wire''.<ref name="bom" /> Its total worldwide gross was $27,627,310.<ref>{{cite news|title= 'Recall' Totally Outdistances 'Future' in Box-Office Race Movies|work=Los Angeles Times |date=June 5, 1990|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-06-05-ca-641-story.html| access-date=2010-11-30}}</ref>
==Reception== On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 62%, based on 13 reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cadillac_man|title=Cadillac Man|work=Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate=January 6, 2025}}</ref> Metacritic gives it a score of 50 out of 100, based on 21 critic reviews.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.metacritic.com/movie/cadillac-man | title = Cadillac Man | website= Metacritic }}</ref> Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a "B−" grade on scale of A+ to F.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |title= Cinemascore |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date= 2018-12-20 |access-date= 2019-08-25 }}</ref>
''Chicago Sun-Times'' critic, Roger Ebert, had mixed feelings about the film, giving it a two stars out of four, stating, "My problems with ''Cadillac Man'' were probably inspired more by false expectations than by anything on the screen, and maybe if Robbins had come crashing in through the window in the first scene I would have liked it more."<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/cadillac-man-1990 |title= Cadillac Man (1990) Review |first= Roger|last= Ebert |author-link= Roger Ebert |date=May 18, 1990 |accessdate=January 31, 2019 }}{{rating|2|4}}</ref>''Variety'' thought that the film had "the distinction of being the loudest film of 1990 and one of the worst".<ref name="varrev">{{cite magazine|title= Film Reviews: Cadillac Man|magazine=Variety|date=May 16, 1990|page=26}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{IMDb title|0099204|Cadillac Man}} * {{rotten-tomatoes|cadillac_man|Cadillac Man}} * {{Mojo title|cadillacman|Cadillac Man}} *{{AFI film|id=58440|title=Cadillac Man}}
{{Roger Donaldson}}
Category:1990 films Category:1990 black comedy films Category:1990 crime comedy films Category:1990s buddy comedy films Category:American black comedy films Category:American business films Category:American crime comedy films Category:Cadillac Category:Films directed by Roger Donaldson Category:Films produced by Charles Roven Category:Films set in Brooklyn Category:Films about hostage takings Category:Orion Pictures films Category:Films about adultery in the United States Category:Films about car dealerships Category:Films scored by J. Peter Robinson Category:American buddy comedy films Category:1990 English-language films Category:1990 American films Category:Films about salespeople Category:English-language black comedy films Category:English-language crime comedy films Category:English-language buddy comedy films