Tin Men *** (1987, Richard Dreyfuss, Danny DeVito, Barbara Hershey, John Mahoney) – Classic Movie Review 6409

Richard Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito enjoy themselves as battling tin sellers in the early Sixties in one of writer-director Barry Levinson’s ambitious semi-autobiographical Baltimore comedies made in 1987 between Diner (1982) and Avalon (1990).

BB Babowsky (Dreyfuss) and Ernest Tilley (DeVito) are serious rivals. The duo’s feud starts when their cars are involved in a minor crash.

It is a likeable film, extremely well performed by two experts, though perhaps it is not quite as funny or clever as it wants to be. The bitter-sweet sad tone often turns sour, and the handling of the story and characters is wobbly and under-developed.

Still there is plenty of truth, humour and intelligence on show here, plus a lot of good dialogue and a whole gallery of admirable players on top form.

Also in the cast are Barbara Hershey, John Mahoney as Moe Adams, Jackie Gayle, Stanley Brock, Seymour Cassel, Bruno Kirby, J T Walsh, Michael Tucker, Matt Craven, Richard Portnow, Alan Blumenfield and Brad Sullivan.

A fourth Baltimore film followed: Liberty Heights (1999).

John Mahoney (June 20, 1940 – February 4, 2018),

Dear John Mahoney (June 20, 1940 – February 4, 2018), thanks for the memories.

Mahoney’s first major film role was in Tin Men. He went on to have prominent roles in acclaimed films in the late 1980s and 1990s, including two with Cher in 1987, Moonstruck and Suspect, Eight Men Out, Say Anything, In the Line of Fire, Reality Bites, and The American President. He appeared in two Coen brothers films, Barton Fink and The Hudsucker Proxy. In 2000, he played the owner of The Broken Hearts Club. His last film was Flipped in 2010.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6409

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