{"id":2444,"date":"2007-03-07T12:20:37","date_gmt":"2007-03-07T19:20:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2444"},"modified":"2023-10-19T23:30:39","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T06:30:39","slug":"tin-men-1987","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2444","title":{"rendered":"Tin Men (1987)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I&#8217;m going to find out everything about this son of a bitch, and then I&#8217;m going to find the one thing that cuts him right to the quick.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-Poster-193x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"193\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-41764\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-Poster-193x300.jpg 193w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-Poster-82x128.jpg 82w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-Poster.jpg 644w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 193px) 100vw, 193px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen two rival aluminum siding salesmen (Danny DeVito and Richard Dreyfuss) in 1963 Baltimore accidentally hit each other&#8217;s cars, they seek continued revenge.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Barbara Hershey Films<\/li>\n<li>Barry Levinson Films<\/li>\n<li>Black Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Con-Artists<\/li>\n<li>Masculinity<\/li>\n<li>Revenge<\/li>\n<li>Richard Dreyfuss Films<\/li>\n<li>Salesmen<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nBarry Levinson&#8217;s fourth feature film &#8212; taking place, once again, in his hometown of Baltimore &#8212; suffers from an incurable dilemma: its two lead characters (as well as their &#8220;tin men&#8221; colleagues) are utterly unsympathetic. In fact, it&#8217;s downright uncomfortable watching these hucksters con gullible homeowners into paying for aluminum siding when they haven&#8217;t been given anything close to a fair sell. Of course, this is part of Levinson&#8217;s point, given that a major subplot of the film revolves around the Home Improvement Commission&#8217;s investigation of the tin men&#8217;s practices; yet the commissioners are clearly posited as the &#8220;bad guys&#8221;, and thus, we&#8217;re left without a clear side to root for. <\/p>\n<p>Similarly, when Dreyfuss shamelessly cuckolds DeVito by seducing his unhappy wife (Barbara Hershey), we&#8217;re not sure how to react &#8212; especially when the two fall genuinely in love. Are we supposed to root for the happiness of a man as devious and conniving as Dreyfuss? Since he undergoes a sort of character transformation (shifting from self-avowed bachelor to pseudo-family man), he&#8217;s supposedly more sympathetic than DeVito, who remains selfish and clueless about his dire straits until the very end &#8212; yet DeVito is, ironically, the more compelling of the two con-men. It&#8217;s his performance &#8212; as well as Levinson&#8217;s impressive set designs, and some occasional moments of genuine humor &#8212; which keep us watching, even as we cringe at the story itself.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Danny DeVito as the eternally optimistic &#8220;tin man&#8221; whose life goes slowly downhill<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-DeVito.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-DeVito.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67663\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-DeVito.jpg 853w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-DeVito-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-DeVito-128x72.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-DeVito-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-DeVito-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Jackie Gayle as Tilley&#8217;s <em>Bonanza<\/em>-bashing partner, Sam<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-Gayle.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-Gayle.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67661\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-Gayle.jpg 853w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-Gayle-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-Gayle-128x72.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-Gayle-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-Gayle-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A detail-perfect evocation of 1960s Baltimore<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-1960s.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-1960s.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67662\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-1960s.jpg 853w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-1960s-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-1960s-128x72.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-1960s-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Tin-Men-1960s-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, but it&#8217;s probably worth watching simply for DeVito&#8217;s performance (which Peary nominates for an &#8220;Alternate Oscar&#8221; as one of the best of the year). <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0094155\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1987\/03\/06\/movies\/film-tin-men-comedy-from-barry-levinson.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/tin-men-1987\">Roger Ebert&#8217;s Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/79473.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m going to find out everything about this son of a bitch, and then I&#8217;m going to find the one thing that cuts him right to the quick.&#8221; Synopsis: When two rival aluminum siding salesmen (Danny DeVito and Richard Dreyfuss) in 1963 Baltimore accidentally hit each other&#8217;s cars, they seek continued revenge. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Barbara Hershey Films Barry Levinson Films Black Comedy Con-Artists Masculinity Revenge Richard Dreyfuss Films Salesmen Review: Barry Levinson&#8217;s fourth feature film &#8212; taking&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2444\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2444"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92608,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2444\/revisions\/92608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}