Tucker: The Man And His Dream

Francis Ford Coppola is considred by many, myself included, to be one of the greatest filmmakers of our time. But oddly enough, he seems to have had more misses than hits. One of those gems that went under the radar was 1988's Tucker: The Man And His Dream.

Jeff Bridges stars as real life car designer Preston Tucker. It's the late 40's and Tucker has come up with an automobile that he calls "the car of the future." The car would include safety features like disc brakes, breakaway windshields, seat belts, and swiveling headlights. All common place today, but in the 40's this was unheard of, and the three big automobile manufacturers want him out of the picture. Tucker doesn't back down and takes on the fat cats.

Shot like a 40's news reel, Tucker may sound boring, but moves at a brisk pace. The film is aided by Bridges' optomistic performance and a terrific supporting cast that includes Martin Landau, Joan Allen, Christian Slater, Elias Koteas, Frederic Forrest, Dean Stockwell, and Bridges' real life dad Lloyd.

This was a dream project for Coppola, who owned one of the original Tucker automobiles. He envisioned this project back in the 70's, with Marlon Brando in the lead, but had a hard time finding the funding. That was until good friend and fellow filmmaker George Lucas agreed to help him produce it. Lucas also happened to own a Tucker. Coppola originally envisioned the film as a musical, which Lucas talked him out of. Probably a wise choice.

This is a great biopic about a true visionary.

It's available on dvd.