Cadillac Man

Robin Williams sells Cadilacs at one of those lots that dot post-industrial North Queens. He loves selling cars, and he loves women. That's a lot of women, including his ex-wife and three girl friends, one of whom is married. So when Tim Robbins comes in with a plastique bomb because he thinks Williams is making love to his wife, Williams has to sell him on the fact that he shouldn't do that. And the thing in common with all good salesmen is they believe in what they're selling, whether it's true or not.

Most of the movie is Williams driving around from one neatly compartmentalized part of his life to the other, breaking the fourth wall to chat with the audience. The scene with Robbins, however, is some top notch acting, sounding wholly unrehearsed by both both men.... and quite mad. Those sequences make this a great movie.

Robin Williams gives yet another superb performance as an egotistical car salesman who is about to confront all of his demons (ex-wife, girlfriends, Mafia buddy) in one very long afternoon when Tim Robbins crashes into the door and holds him and the customers hostage. Incredibly funny, vividly life-like with an unpredictable ending. Not one to miss.

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.

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

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.