Cadillac Man

This movie is funny, insightful, and alarming all at the same time. This is a synopsis of mostly Italian American life in working class burroughs of NY (Queens, Long Island, whatever). Joey (Robin Williams) is juggling two neurotic girlfriends and an ex-wife while struggling to keep his job as a smooth talking car salesman. The movie starts off with a shot of a cemetery in Queens, the biggest damn cemetery I have ever seen. It gives you the feeling of crowdedness, that even in death people are crowded and are probably still arguing over elbow room. Joey is desperate and even tries to sell a car to a widow as she is burying her husband. Eventually, a distraught and somewhat deranged husband of the car dealer's secretary takes over the dealership with a machine gun, convinced that somebody there is screwing with his sexy wife (which is true). It isn't Joey, but he takes the rap and tries to talk the guy down, doing a pretty good job. Car salesman becomes psychologist, and he does an amazingly good job, along with help from a phone call from both his wife and his mother to the distraught man. This is the best part of the movie. You see Joey and Larry (Robbins) play out this scene with both humor and fright. Larry is trying to prove his manhood to his wife. You understand his plight and feel his pain, and at the same time you see the mans compassion, especially with the phone calls from Joey's ex-wife and mother. There is something very real about this scene and I would think that someone who has to talk down a hostage situation might gain something from watching how Joey makes connections with Larry on a personal level. Eventually Larry sees what a mess Joey's life is and starts to see that actually his situation isn't that bad. This movie is as much about the alienation and frustration of modern life as anything else. The movie is loud and frantic and might put you off in that respect, but hang with it.

It's 6.5 out of 10 stars for me for this dramedy that should have stayed nearer to drama toward the end.

What's great about it: Williams' performance. I don't think people were ready, at this time of his career, for a nuanced performance, but that's what this is. He breaks into being the crazed Williams of talk shows only twice, and briefly, during this film. Otherwise he is convincing as a middle-aged car salesman with complicated relationships and the absence of a long-term plan. His excellence at sales isn't limited to cars; he can talk many women into bed, and that's his downfall.

Robbins is also good as a stupid, jealous husband with a gun.

What's not as good: the supporting characters at the car dealership were under-written. The Chinese restaurant and police captain stuff was awful. I can't stand Fran Drescher, and I can't stand her here. (If you like her, you'll like her here.) The dog she's carrying was used too much, and I realize the yappiness was supposed to heighten the tension, but mostly it made me want to look for my own gun or consider shutting off the DVD. I never did see that his sacrifice during the hostage-taking was fully motivated. (Seems drastic to be willing to die just to avoid a stressful day.)

I did like the character of the ex-wife and that of the wannabe awful clothes designer girlfriend #2, played well by Lori Petty. Also, I liked the bizarre opening scene which is in the middle of a funeral procession. There's a how-to writing book I once read that said, bring all your characters on stage with their (attributes) flying. This opening scene did just that, so kudos to Ken Friedman.

This movie is worth a watch, but only if you are willing to pay attention to the myriad subtle jokes in it.

Those who think it only occasionally funny just weren't paying attention to EVERY scene with the hostage negotiation team in the restaurant, and lots of subtle jokes in the dialog between Williams and Robbins, and the phone calls out of the car dealership.

This movie took a chance with 'intelligent humor'. Not that the humor is that intelligent, it just doesn't hit you over the head with obvious jokes. It is a take off on the 'real' 'cookie cutter' hostage dramas, and the fun it makes of them is subtle. (For example, the cops' reaction, after disbelieving that Larry has brought explosives taped to his bike, when it is 'revealed' to them that he obtained them in Jersey. There is no over the top joke, but it is VERY funny if you are paying attention and have enough common knowledge to get it).

Unfortunately, there probably just aren't enough 'intelligent viewers' out there for this film to get its due. There certainly weren't among the others leaving comments about it! LOL

Not Robin Williams's greatest movie by any stretch, but still pretty funny, "Cadillac Man" casts him as car salesman Joey O'Brien, whose life is falling apart. His marriage is in the toilet and he has to sell 12 cars or he loses his job. Just when it seems that things couldn't get any worse, angry husband Larry (Tim Robbins) hijacks Joey's lot. From there, it's mostly a series of gags.

This seems like the sort of movie that they just made for fun. And it is pretty fun. Don't expect any life-changing experiences from watching it (e.g., Williams doesn't launch into any wacky monologues); just sit back and enjoy. I don't understand how a previous reviewer thought that this movie relates to quantum mechanics (but then again, I don't know anything about quantum mechanics). Also starring Fran Drescher and Annabella Sciorra.

"Cadillac Man" is an in-your-face type of comedy, as it is a fast paced, relentless and very chaotic type of comedy. You might think that to be too much, but even though it never slows down or backs down, you are in for some good fun and good entertainment.

The story is about Joey (played by Robin Williams), a car salesman pressed hard on his luck. Things are stacked up above his head, and everything comes tumbling down when his coworker Donna's disgruntled boyfriend Larry (played by Tim Robbins) show up at the car lot with guns and explosives.

While this comedy is not one that will leave you in tears from laughing, the comedy used is straight to the point and it matches the outrageous feel there is to the entire movie.

Robin Williams and Tim Robbins are performing quite well in this movie, and they do compliment one another acting side by side. I had seen this movie before, but I didn't remember that Fran Drescher was in the movie too, and she did a good job with her role as well.

If you enjoy the Robin Williams movies and comedy then "Cadillac Man" should be watched. It is fast paced fun and is filled with great characters and good dialogue. Well-worth spending about an hour and a half on watching.