Tucker: The Man and His Dream

Tucker: The Man and His Dream
Theatrical release poster
Directed byFrancis Ford Coppola
Written byArnold Schulman
David Seidler
Produced byFred Fuchs
Fred Roos
Starring
Narrated byBob Safford
CinematographyVittorio Storaro
Edited byPriscilla Nedd-Friendly
Music byJoe Jackson
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • August 12, 1988 (1988-08-12)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$22–24 million[1][2]
Box office$19.7 million[3]

Tucker: The Man and His Dream is a 1988 American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Jeff Bridges as inventor Preston Tucker. The film recounts Tucker's story and his attempt to produce and market the Tucker 48, which was met with scandal between the Big Three automobile manufacturers and accusations of stock fraud from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Joan Allen, Martin Landau, Elias Koteas, Frederic Forrest and Christian Slater appear in supporting roles. For his performance, Landau was nominated for the Academy Award and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor.

In 1973, Coppola began development of a film based on the life of Tucker, originally with Marlon Brando in the lead role. Starting in 1976, Coppola planned Tucker to be both a musical and an experimental film with music and lyrics written by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. The project eventually collapsed when Coppola's American Zoetrope experienced financial problems. Tucker was revived in 1986 when Coppola's friend, George Lucas, joined as an executive producer.

The film received positive reviews from critics, despite underperforming at the box office. Tucker: The Man and His Dream produced a spike in prices of Tucker 48s, as well as a renewed appreciation for Tucker and his automobiles.

  1. ^ "'48 Tucker Collectors Keep the Dream Alive". Los Angeles Times. 26 July 1988. Archived from the original on 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference kit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference mojo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).