I wonder. If not for Barry Levinson and John Waters, would the town of Baltimore, Maryland be used as the setting for any movies?
Tin Men is the story of rival aluminum siding salesmen set in 1963. The main characters in competition are Bill Babowsky (Richard Dreyfuss) and Ernest Tilley (Danny DeVito). So much in competition that Bill even "steals" Ernest's wife Nora (Barbara Hershey). Now, I just had a really hard time seeing Barbara Hershey with Danny DeVito and I really didn't like her any better with Richard Dreyfuss. I mean she played her character ok, but I just didn't like the pairing of her with either of the actors.
John Mahoney ("Frasier") plays Moe Adams, Bill's partner. And Jackie Gayle is Tilley's partner. J.T. Walsh and Bruno Kirby ("City Slickers") play other salesmen.
The thing I absolutely loved about this movie is the accents. If you're from Baltimore or any of the surrounding area, you know what I mean. It's sort of like a Philly accent, only definitely different. And the characters - at least a few of them really nailed the accent - Richard Dreyfuss ("Bill") at times and Michael Tucker ("Bagel") all the time.
During the sales pitch for the siding job, they say about the siding - "It won't chip, peel, blister or crack in any way. This house will be a monument to your good taste. I'll tell you what, I'll throw in a garden hose."
Eventually Nora learns why Bill hooked up with her (to get back at Tilley) and Bill says "It was a lousy thing to do, but a lot of good came out of it."
Something I found really interesting was that the house used in the siding scam for the "Life" magazine story, was actually Barry Levinson's childhood home in Baltimore.
So do I recommend this movie? Yes. It's a good solid comedy and DeVito and Dreyfuss are great together.
When You Think Of Corporate Battles, Revenge And Challenges,, Some Of The Aluminum Siding Business Doesn't Seem A Significant, Battlefield. But Devito...More at HotMovieSale.com
Cruse back to Baltimore 1963, to the time and turf of a rare American breed: the tin man (aluminum siding salesman). Two less-than-honest rivals in th...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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