ActorDaniel Stern’s character, “Marvin,” delivers the following voice-over before end credits: “Pop died that winter, but not before he made his point. Me and Buddy and Bobby, we all get together for holidays, ballgames, kids' birthdays, and that's because of Pop. By the way, ’Louie Louie’ is a sea chanty.”
       The 10 Aug 1988Newsday and 29 Sep 1988HR mentioned that Kiefer Sutherland would star inCoupe de Ville, scheduled to begin filming in Oct 1988. Actors Charlie Sheen and River Phoenix were being considered to play the other brothers. However, principal photography was postponed for six months, and Sutherland, Sheen, and Phoenix did not appear in the film.
       According to production notes in AMPAS library files, writer and co-producerMike Binder based the story on the experiences of his own father and uncles, which became known in the family as “the Cadillac story.” Though Binder set his script in 1954, directorJoe Roth changed the year to 1963 because he lacked a “frame of reference for 1954” and felt that 1963 was a “pivotal year in contemporary American history and culture.” Roth also told the 24 Feb 1989USA Today that he eliminated all references to the Civil Rights movement, in order to avoid confusion with a spate of other current films about the 1960s. Filming began in Greenville, SC, on 10 May 1989 and ended seven weeks, three states, and four cities later, on 28 Jun 1989. The production had three identical and operable 1954 Cadillacs that cost $30,000 apiece, plus three “sections of mainframe” used for insert shots. The 14 Apr 1989HR ...

       ActorDaniel Stern’s character, “Marvin,” delivers the following voice-over before end credits: “Pop died that winter, but not before he made his point. Me and Buddy and Bobby, we all get together for holidays, ballgames, kids' birthdays, and that's because of Pop. By the way, ’Louie Louie’ is a sea chanty.”
       The 10 Aug 1988Newsday and 29 Sep 1988HR mentioned that Kiefer Sutherland would star inCoupe de Ville, scheduled to begin filming in Oct 1988. Actors Charlie Sheen and River Phoenix were being considered to play the other brothers. However, principal photography was postponed for six months, and Sutherland, Sheen, and Phoenix did not appear in the film.
       According to production notes in AMPAS library files, writer and co-producerMike Binder based the story on the experiences of his own father and uncles, which became known in the family as “the Cadillac story.” Though Binder set his script in 1954, directorJoe Roth changed the year to 1963 because he lacked a “frame of reference for 1954” and felt that 1963 was a “pivotal year in contemporary American history and culture.” Roth also told the 24 Feb 1989USA Today that he eliminated all references to the Civil Rights movement, in order to avoid confusion with a spate of other current films about the 1960s. Filming began in Greenville, SC, on 10 May 1989 and ended seven weeks, three states, and four cities later, on 28 Jun 1989. The production had three identical and operable 1954 Cadillacs that cost $30,000 apiece, plus three “sections of mainframe” used for insert shots. The 14 Apr 1989HR noted other South Carolina locations in Spartanburg, Pickens, and Oconee counties. Final scenes were filmed in FL, according to the 5 May 1989HR.
       By the time the Universal Pictures film premiered at New York’s Museum of Modern Art on 7 Mar 1990,Joe Roth had become the chairman of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, the 14 Mar 1990Var reported. Nonetheless, he hosted the rival studio’s production, saying, “I’d like to see the film do well.”
       The May 1990Box noted thatCoupe de Ville grossed only half-a-million dollars in its first seventeen days.
       Though the interpretation of The Kingsmen’s garbled recording of “Louie Louie” was used prominently to illuminate the three brothers’ personalities, the actual lyrics, sung in a faux-Jamaican accent, were available from writer Richard Berry’s original 1956 recording. The song is a sailor’s lament, but Marvin’s conclusion that it was a “sea shanty” is incorrect.
      Opening credits include the follow information: “Detroit, 1952” and “11 years later.” End credits contain the following information: “Special thanks to City of St. Petersburg, Florida; Derby Lanes, St. Petersburg, Florida; Lee County, Florida; Major League Baseball, St. Petersburg Kennel Club.”

In 1952 Detroit, Michigan, brothers Marvin, Buddy, and Bobby Libner share a bedroom and squabble constantly. Buddy’s science project is destroyed during an altercation, and Marvin exclaims that he cannot wait to get away from the other two. Eleven years later, in 1963, Marvin, now a U.S. Air Force sergeant, arrives at a house to pick up a blue 1954 Cadillac Coupe de Ville convertible. At his father’s request, he is supposed to drive it from Detroit to Miami, Florida, in time for his mother’s fiftieth birthday. Buddy arrives and announces that their father asked him to accompany Marvin and pick up their younger brother, Bobby, at his high school academy, which Buddy calls a “reform school.” Marvin and Buddy discuss whether it has been three or five years since they last saw each other. After Bobby jumps into the back seat, he shouts obscenities at one of his teachers, but instead of driving away, Marvin forces Bobby to confront the teacher face to face. Later, Marvin telephones their father, Fred Libner, from a gas station. Fred insists they deliver the car in perfect condition by Sunday afternoon, and informs Buddy and Bobby that Marvin is in charge during the journey. Driving south, Marvin and Bobby argue over what to play on the radio. Marvin, the most conservative of the three, likes soft rock and roll, while the rebellious Bobby wants rhythm and blues. Bobby smokes a cigarette despite Marvin’s objection and accidentally burns a hole in the back seat. At a restaurant, Buddy and Bobby cannot believe Marvin is going to work with their inventor father. The brothers fight over the bill, and once they get back on ...

In 1952 Detroit, Michigan, brothers Marvin, Buddy, and Bobby Libner share a bedroom and squabble constantly. Buddy’s science project is destroyed during an altercation, and Marvin exclaims that he cannot wait to get away from the other two. Eleven years later, in 1963, Marvin, now a U.S. Air Force sergeant, arrives at a house to pick up a blue 1954 Cadillac Coupe de Ville convertible. At his father’s request, he is supposed to drive it from Detroit to Miami, Florida, in time for his mother’s fiftieth birthday. Buddy arrives and announces that their father asked him to accompany Marvin and pick up their younger brother, Bobby, at his high school academy, which Buddy calls a “reform school.” Marvin and Buddy discuss whether it has been three or five years since they last saw each other. After Bobby jumps into the back seat, he shouts obscenities at one of his teachers, but instead of driving away, Marvin forces Bobby to confront the teacher face to face. Later, Marvin telephones their father, Fred Libner, from a gas station. Fred insists they deliver the car in perfect condition by Sunday afternoon, and informs Buddy and Bobby that Marvin is in charge during the journey. Driving south, Marvin and Bobby argue over what to play on the radio. Marvin, the most conservative of the three, likes soft rock and roll, while the rebellious Bobby wants rhythm and blues. Bobby smokes a cigarette despite Marvin’s objection and accidentally burns a hole in the back seat. At a restaurant, Buddy and Bobby cannot believe Marvin is going to work with their inventor father. The brothers fight over the bill, and once they get back on the road, Buddy vomits in the back seat, egged on by Bobby. Meanwhile, in Florida, Fred Libner shows his brother, Phil Libner, his latest invention, a plastic, rust-proof, lightweight stop sign that will last forever. He calls it an “annuity” for his sons. The two middle-aged brothers bicker until Phil leaves. Meanwhile, Fred’s sons argue whether the car is the same blue 1954 Cadillac their father once owned, because why else would he want a nine-year-old car driven over a thousand miles to Florida? At a motel, Marvin, Buddy, and Bobby fight over whether to watch The Fugitive or Los Angeles Dodgers baseball on television. The next day, policemen follow them, and when Bobby yells at him to speed up, Marvin hits a sign and smashes a headlight. Police fine them $250. Marvin telephones their father, but does not reveal that they damaged the car and have run out of money. They sleep along the road. Buddy confides to Bobby that in Florida he will see Tammy, his college girl friend, who had sex with him on their first date. Buddy plans to ask her to marry him. The next morning, Bobby reveals that he hid most of his money, but surrenders it to Marvin for gasoline. During an argument, Bobby accuses Marvin of being just like their father, grabs his bag, and walks away. Buddy convinces his kid brother to stay by assuring him they will never see each other again after delivering the car. In Florida, as Fred Libner sits on his boat near his house, his wife, Betty, tells him she never regretted marrying him, despite the difficulties between them. As the three younger Libners listen to The Kingsmen’s recording of “Louie Louie” on the car radio, each one interprets the lyrics his own way. Bobby calls it a “hump song,” Buddy a “dance song,” and Marvin a “sea shanty.” Later, while Marvin sleeps in the back seat, Buddy lets Bobby drive. Pushing what he thinks is the cigarette lighter, Bobby hits the button for the convertible top, and the wind rips it off the car. Later, as Buddy drives, he falls asleep, hits a wire fence, and plunges into a shallow pond. Marvin screams at both brothers, declaring their journey is over because he cannot stand them. He confesses that their father is dying, but wanted to hide the news from Buddy and Bobby. When Marvin cools down, they return to the road with a battered fender. Near Miami, they stop at Tammy’s house, but Buddy discovers she is living with a man named Rick. Tammy tells Buddy she thought she would never see him again. The brothers stop at Uncle Phil’s house to borrow money to fix the Cadillac, but despite his expensive home, Phil is penniless because he gambles at the dog track. All he can give is a “hot tip” on a race. Marvin convinces Bobby to pawn his coin collection for $90. That night, Buddy returns to Tammy’s house with a bouquet of roses, while Marvin and Bobby go to the dog track. Studying a tout sheet, Marvin decides not to bet on Uncle Phil’s tip but rather his own choice, and his dog wins. Meanwhile, Buddy makes love with Tammy and wants to rekindle their college romance. However, Rick comes home early and beats him. The next morning, when Marvin hears what happened, he goes to Tammy’s house and punches Rick in the face. Meanwhile, Fred Libner tests his plastic stop sign by replacing a city sign at a nearby intersection, but as soon as he leaves, wind blows it away. The brothers take the Cadillac to Doc Sturgeon, a mechanic who works on vintage automobiles, but because of the their limited funds and twenty-four hour deadline, Sturgeon enlists them to do the work under his supervision. Tammy arrives at the garage and tells Buddy that Marvin broke Rick’s nose. Bobby apologizes to Marvin for accusing him of not looking after his kid brothers. As Buddy and Tammy embrace, Marvin and Bobby hug. After they restore the Cadillac to pristine condition, the brothers drive toward their parents’ home, but Rick and his friend, Raymond, intercept them. Fighting on the same side, Marvin, Buddy, and Bobby send the tough guys running. As the brothers get back in the Cadillac, an old man turns the corner too fast, because the stop sign is no longer there. The man hits the Cadillac’s driver’s side door. When the brothers arrive home, their mother is happy to see them and loves the Cadillac. Their father notices the smashed door, but tells them he does not care. Setting up the journey was a ruse to force the brothers to deal with each other. Marvin admits to his father that he told Buddy and Bobby about his illness. As the family goes into the house, Fred says, “You did good, Marvin.”