Pink Cadillac (1989)

Wonderful character development!

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

"Pink Cadillac" was one of Clint Eastwood's few flops. Not only did the film do poorly in the box office, but critics hated it. Was all this really merited or was the film actually much better? Well, after watching about 90% of it, I must say that the hatred is, in this case earned. Why only 90%? Because I disliked the film and characters so much I couldn't make myself finish the movie...and that is very rare for me.Eastwood plays Tommy Nowak, a skip tracer. This is a person who works for a bail bondsman in order to track down folks who ran away to avoid prosecution...thus leaving the bondsman with a huge debt. He's really good at what he does and is very clever in order to catch these people...which is why what he does with Lu Ann McGuinn (Bernadette Peters) makes very little sense. In her case, for once, her tears and request for his help after she's captured makes little sense--especially since she is on the run from the law AND already lied to him and escaped from him already. However, the pair go off on an adventure to see her baby before she is turned in...and along the way the sleaze-bag husband and his Neo-Nazi friends show up and Nowak must contend with them.There are two huge problems with the film. First, Nowak's character is very inconsistent and makes little sense. Second, and most importantly, there really is no chemistry between him and Lou Ann. These are problems and good writing wouldn't have let such glaring problems get into the script. Overall, a dopey film which tries, in vain, to be a comedy but just comes off as forced and disappointing.

I knew the leading actor was in this film because I had heard the title quite a few times, I didn't realise it was meant to be a funny as well as serious, and I had to see why it wasn't highly rated. Basically Tommy Nowak (Clint Eastwood) is a skip tracer, with a talent as master of disguise who fool a criminal on the phone or in person into thinking well of him, and then he makes his move to catch them for whatever crime they are wanted for. His latest target is Lou Ann McGuinn (The Jerk's Bernadette Peters) who has skipped bail, and she married to husband Roy (Timothy Carhart) who is Nazi inspired and has a stash of counterfeit money, which he hides in the pink Cadillac. Tommy does catch Lou Ann in Reno, Nevada, but he comes to like her with the time they spend, being chased by Roy's gang of thugs for example. It is when the bad guys kidnap her baby who was being looked after by sister Dinah (Frances Fisher), Tommy decides to help his new friend get her baby back and deciding to forget about her in to the police. While driving through the West and catching a few more criminals with the disguise tactic along the way, romance is blooming between Tommy and Lou Ann. Eventually after some adventure, they do eventually catch up to Roy and the other criminals, and in the end they do manage to get the baby back and Tommy and Lou Ann drive away in the pink Cadillac together seemingly as fugitives. Also starring John Dennis Johnston as Waycross, Michael Des Barres as Alex, Geoffrey Lewis as Ricky Z, William Hickey as Mr. Barton, Home Alone's Gerry Bamman as Buddy, James Cromwell as Motel Desk Clerk, Bryan Adams as Gas Station Attendant and young Jim Carrey as Lounge Entertainer. I will admit I did giggle a little at the moments where Eastwood was in disguise as the radio DJ, the rodeo clown, the casino hotshot and the trash pool player, Peters was also quite amusing as his female companion, and the car of the title is obviously nice, but the film is too long, the more serious side of the story is silly, and not all the jokes are funny, so all in all, a disappointing comedy drama. Adequate!

Pink Cadillac is directed by Buddy Van Horn, written by John Eskow and stars Clint Eastwood, Bernadette Peters & Timothy Carhart. Story sees Peters as Lou Ann McGuinn , who finally has enough of her no good husband Roy (Carhart) and flees off with their baby in his treasured pink Cadillac. Unbeknown to her the car contains a lot of money garnered from illegal means by the white supremacist group that Roy was hanging around with. Bounty hunter Tommy Novak (Eastwood) is then brought in to capture her since she has skipped bail. Once locating her an unusual friendship begins to form as both of them get deeper and deeper into trouble as the gang close in.Pink Cadillac was a flop on release, and now it's almost forgotten by not only the casual film fan, but also by many of Eastwood's loyal fan club. Yet it's hardly the disaster some have painted it out to be. Yes the plot is a thin one and has been done brilliantly before; notably Midnight Run a year previously. While there's not enough action and comedy to sustain the 2 hour running time. It's also not unfair to say that the villains here-an array of dunderhead white supremacists-are weak and in the case of Carhart ; badly acted. But Pink Cadillac does have its moments and in Eastwood & Peters we have a most engaging, unpredictable odd couple act that is easy to warm too. Peters turns in a fine comedy performance, both psychically and verbally. Her ability to blend cute and needy with spunky feistiness works well off of Eastwood's more rugged charms. It seems that finally having a co-star of some worth is loosening the big man up, for here he enjoys playing comedy with his series of caricature disguises that he uses to catch the bail jumpers that form part of the story.Perhaps it's a little unsettling to some fans to see Eastwood not being overtly macho, but this does make for a nice change of pace for Eastwood. A return to his days with the Orangutan; which incidentally up to Pink Cadillac's release were his biggest hit movies. But breaking it down it's a neat character that Eastwood has taken on with Tommy Novak. Almost anti-macho yet able to single handedly protect Lou Ann and her baby. You feel that this was a personal and deliberate choice for Eastwwood in a decade that for him mostly consists of diminishing sequels and poorly scripted misfires. Pink Cadillac has been lumped in with the worst of his career, but viewing it now it holds up much better than nearly all of his 80s output. File it along side Bronco Billy as one of his most underrated performances.Not breaking any rules of the genre, or showing technical prowess and sharp scripting, Pink Cadillac is still the kind of inoffensive fun that knows its limits. Boosted by a relaxed Eastwood and a perky Miss Peters it's just waiting to be reappraised by a new audience. 7/10

My dad and I went to see this film at Garden City. We were disappointed, and I saw it recently. A bit better than the first time I saw it, but do I like it? No! There is nothing special in this forgetable film, but not awful like Pale Rider! This film could be a sleep aid! 4/10.