| Tin Men | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Barry Levinson |
| Written by | Barry Levinson |
| Produced by | Mark Johnson |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Peter Sova |
| Edited by | Stu Linder |
| Music by | Fine Young Cannibals |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $11 million |
| Box office | $25.4 million |
Tin Men is a 1987 Americancomedy film written and directed byBarry Levinson, produced byMark Johnson, and starringRichard Dreyfuss,Danny DeVito, andBarbara Hershey.[1] It is the second of Levinson'stetralogy of films set in his hometown ofBaltimore,Maryland, during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, along withDiner (1982),Avalon (1990), andLiberty Heights (1999).[2]
Ernest Tilley and Bill "BB" Babowsky are rivaldoor-to-dooraluminum siding salesmen inBaltimore, Maryland, in 1963, an era when "tin men", as they are called, will do almost anything, legal or illegal, to close a sale. Both have the required gift of the gab, but while BB is a smooth-talkingcon man who scams naive young women with his sales pitches, Tilley struggles to close his sales.
They first meet when BB, driving his newCadillac automobile off the dealer's lot, backs into Tilley's own Cadillac. Though Tilley had theright of way, each man blames the other, and an escalating feud erupts between them.
After BB smashes Tilley's headlights and Tilley shatters BB's car windows in response, BB sets out to seduce Tilley's long-suffering wife Nora in revenge. Immediately after having sex with Nora, he calls Tilley to taunt him with the news. Tilley tells BB to keep Nora; he wants to be rid of her.
Meanwhile, both men have their own personal troubles. BB's older partner and mentor, Moe Adams, is hospitalized with a serious heart condition. Tilley has a gambling problem and squanders what little money he makes betting on horse races, causing a rift with Nora. He is in debt to various creditors and theIRS, which begins confiscating his possessions for unpaid property taxes. Exhausted by their rivalry, the two men decide to play a game ofpool to decide who should get Nora in order to end their personal war. BB loses, but he does not honor the bet. He has fallen in love for the first time, and Nora moves in with him.
The newly formedMaryland Home Improvement Commission is investigating corrupt sales practices in the home improvement industry. Both men are subpoenaed, and after giving testimony about their sales practices, the commission takes away both of their licenses. While Tilley gives up his license reluctantly, BB does so willingly. Seeing that Tilley has lost everything, including his car, BB takes pity on him and gives him a ride. Together, the two freshly unemployed men with very similar personalities begin sharing ideas for a new business they can create for themselves.
Steve Buscemi auditioned for a role.[3]
The groupFine Young Cannibals appears as thehouse band in a nightclub in the film and contributed songs to the film'ssoundtrack, including the future US #1 "Good Thing".[4]
Tin Men received positive reviews from critics. On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 82% of 22 critics' reviews are positive.[5]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 75 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[6]
