Tucker: The Man And His Dream (1988) ***1/2
Tucker: The Man And His Dream (1988) is the second Francis Ford Coppola film that I watched for the first time this month (the other being The Cotton Club (1984), my review here).
The genesis of the film began in the mid 70s, when Coppola envisioned Tucker as a musical with Marlon Brando in the lead with music and lyrics by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. That version of the film never materialized. Instead the project was revived when George Lucas hopped on board as producer. Coppola's original vision undoubtedly would have been interesting to see, but the innovative and non-traditional biopic (with liberties taken) that he did create is a very good film with a lot to appreciate.
Tucker features one of Jeff Bridges' best performances as the titular character and strong supporting roles by Martin Landau and Elias Koteas. It also has stunning photography by that master cinematographer, Vittorio Storaro, extravagant production design by Dean Tavoularis, and a peppy big band score by Joe Jackson.
Despite struggles and odds against him, Tucker the film and the character in the film both largely retain a cool, breezy tone that makes this a movie that is easily digestible and rewatchable. The film mirrors its director in many ways—a man who insisted on doing things his way and steadfastly refused to buckle under pressure.
You can find my Francis Ford Coppola Feature Films Ranked list here.
The genesis of the film began in the mid 70s, when Coppola envisioned Tucker as a musical with Marlon Brando in the lead with music and lyrics by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. That version of the film never materialized. Instead the project was revived when George Lucas hopped on board as producer. Coppola's original vision undoubtedly would have been interesting to see, but the innovative and non-traditional biopic (with liberties taken) that he did create is a very good film with a lot to appreciate.
Tucker features one of Jeff Bridges' best performances as the titular character and strong supporting roles by Martin Landau and Elias Koteas. It also has stunning photography by that master cinematographer, Vittorio Storaro, extravagant production design by Dean Tavoularis, and a peppy big band score by Joe Jackson.
Despite struggles and odds against him, Tucker the film and the character in the film both largely retain a cool, breezy tone that makes this a movie that is easily digestible and rewatchable. The film mirrors its director in many ways—a man who insisted on doing things his way and steadfastly refused to buckle under pressure.
You can find my Francis Ford Coppola Feature Films Ranked list here.
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