Tin Men
| Tin Men | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Barry Levinson |
| Produced by | Mark Johnson |
| Written by | Barry Levinson |
| Starring | Richard Dreyfuss Danny DeVito Barbara Hershey |
| Music by | Fine Young Cannibals |
| Cinematography | Peter Sova |
| Editing by | Stu Linder |
| Studio | Silver Screen Partners III |
| Distributed by | Touchstone Pictures Buena Vista Pictures |
| Release date(s) | March 6, 1987 |
| Running time | 110 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $11,000,000 (estimated) |
| Box office | $25,411,386 |
Tin Men is a 1987 comedy film written and directed by Barry Levinson, produced by Mark Johnson and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Danny DeVito and Barbara Hershey. It is part of Levinson's series of "Baltimore Films", set in his hometown during the 1940s through the 1960s. The series, in order, is Diner, Tin Men, Avalon, and Liberty Heights.
[edit] Plot
Ernest Tilley and Bill "BB" Babowsky are "tin men," door-to-door aluminum-siding salesmen in Baltimore in 1963. Working for different companies, they are prepared to do almost anything — legal or illegal — to close a sale. They are based on actual salesmen from the era who sold formstone - a concrete overlay for the brick houses in Baltimore that gave the look of a stone facade to the homes (few Baltimore homes had aluminum siding installed).
The two meet after BB buys a new Cadillac to maintain a successful image and almost immediately crashes into another Cadillac driven by Tilley. It is not clear who is at fault for the accident -- BB is entering the street from the dealer's garage door, in reverse but very slowly, while Tilley was clearly distracted despite having the right of way -- but the two vow to do anything to get back at one another.
After smashing the glass on each other's cars, BB takes it a step further. He seduces Tilley's wife as an act of revenge. What he doesn't know is that Tilley wants to leave her anyway.
Exhausted by their rivalry, the two men decide to play a game of pool to decide who should get her. BB loses, but he does not honor the bet. He has begun to have genuine feelings for Tilley's wife.
A newly formed Maryland Home Improvement Commission charged with uprooting corrupt sales practices in the home-improvement industry subpoenas both men and takes away their licenses. Reconciled to their fate, Tilley and BB begin sharing ideas for a new business.
[edit] Main cast
- Richard Dreyfuss as Bill "BB" Babowsky
- Danny DeVito as Ernest Tilley
- Barbara Hershey as Nora Tilley
- John Mahoney as Moe Adams
- Jackie Gayle as Sam
- Seymour Cassel as Cheese
- Bruno Kirby as Mouse
- Michael Tucker as Bagel (the character he played in "Diner")
- J.T. Walsh as Wing
[edit] External links
- Tin Men at the Internet Movie Database
- Tin Men at AllRovi
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