Oscar (1991 film)

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Oscar

Theatrical release poster
Directed by John Landis
Produced by Leslie Belzberg
Written by Claude Magnier (play)
Michael Barrie (screenplay)
Jim Mulholland (screenplay)
Starring Sylvester Stallone
Peter Riegert
Chazz Palminteri
Kurtwood Smith
Music by Elmer Bernstein
Cinematography Mac Ahlberg
Editing by Dale Beldin
Distributed by Touchstone Pictures
Release date(s) April 26, 1991
Running time 109 min.
Country Flag of the United States United States
Language English / Italian
Budget $35,000,000 (estimated)
IMDb profile

Oscar is a 1991 comedy movie directed by John Landis The film is a remake of Oscar from 1967. The story is set in Depression era New York and centers around a Mob Boss trying to go straight. The film stars Sylvester Stallone. It was a rare attempt by Stallone at doing a comedy role. It is directed as if it were a film of that time with humor and dialogue delivered in a manner reminiscent of old Hollywood comedies.

The movie did poorly in theatres both with its audience and with critics, never recouping its $35,000,000 budget. Critics gave overall bad reviews however it maintains a high viewer rating today as a DVD rental.

Contents

Except for the prelude and epilogue, the story takes place over the course of one morning. The story follows gangster Angelo “Snaps” Provolone (Sylvester Stallone), A feared gangster who, at the beginning of the film, promises his dying father that he will give up a life of crime, and instead “go straight.” He has a busy morning in preparation for a meeting with several prominent bankers, as he hopes to donate a large sum of cash and join the bank’s board of trustees, thereby having an honest job and keeping his word to his father. Snaps's day is filled with surprises and challenges, as all the while he tries to stay calm and not kill anyone. Anthony Rossano (Vincent Spano), a young good natured accountant of Snaps arrives at the mansion and sets all events in motion. Anthony tells his boss that he’s in love, asks for a monumental raise, then tells Snaps the true love he speaks of is actually "Snaps's daughter." After Anthony professes his love for the daughter, Snaps agrees to let he and his daughter marry. After his negotiations with the bankers go sour, he decides to abandon his short-lived honest ways and return to a life of crime.

Lisa Provolone (Marisa Tomei) is the only child of Snaps and Sofia. Lisa is a spoiled daughter whose dreams of seeing the world’s great sights run into a roadblock because of her overly protective father. Wishing to move out of the house, she lies to her parents (at the suggestion of the maid, Nora) and claims to be pregnant. Snaps, believing the father to be Anthony (as he wants to marry "Snaps's daughter"), is shocked when Lisa says the father is Oscar, the old chauffeur. Because Oscar is out of the country, Lisa is forced to marry Anthony (after a trick by Snaps), but gets out of the arrangement when she falls in love with someone else – Dr. Poole, Snaps' Dialectician.

What Anthony soon learns is this: The woman he fell in love with is not actually Snaps' daughter, but was merely pretending to be. Before Anthony can catch on, Snaps tricks him into agreeing to marry his actual daughter, Lisa, who is pregnant but without a husband. Anthony uses his cunning to get out of his hasty agreement, but Snaps always seems one step ahead of him. By the film's end, Anthony arranges a budding romance between Lisa and Dr. Poole, getting him out of the marriage. He decides to marry his true love, Theresa turns out to actually be Snaps's daughter from an old love who turns up as the new maid. The final scene of the movie shows a double wedding. The moment the priest ask if there is someone who objects to the marriage, a lone voice is heard from in the back. The crowd parts and a young man approaches in full army uniform and duffle bag. When he is asked who he is, he replies "I'm Oscar!"

Produced by Buena Vista, the film featured Original Music by Elmer Bernstein. The costumes were designed by Deborah Nadoolman and Art Direction by William Ladd Skinner. The movie recreates a 1930 era film, including the gestures along with bit acts and with some slapstick.

  • Peter Riegert ... Aldo, Snaps’s top man who took over the role of house butler when his boss went straight. Often underappreciated, Aldo tries to keep all the mansion henchmen in line in preparation for Snaps’s important meeting with the bankers.
  • Chazz Palminteri ... Connie,a loyal but dim-witted button man for Snaps. Connie’s penchant for carrying numerous weapons and his slow brain make for several humorous moments.
  • Joey Travolta ... Ace
  • Paul Greco ... Schemer
  • Sylvester Stallone ... Angelo 'Snaps' Provolone is feared gangster who, at the beginning of the film, promises his dying father that he will give up a life of crime, and instead “go straight.”
  • Richard Foronjy ... Knucky
  • Don Ameche ... Father Clemente
  • Richard Romanus ... Vendetti, rival gangster of Snaps who’s worried at how quiet Snaps has been recently. Vendetti gathers a group of men and plans to assassinate Snaps in the early afternoon. His car full of men crashes near the house though, right in front of Lt. Toomey, who arrests the whole group.
  • Arleen Sorkin ... Vendetti's Manicurist
  • Eddie Bracken ... Five Spot Charlie
  • Tony Munafo ... Frankie the Roach
  • Robert Lesser ... Officer Keough
  • Art LaFleur ... Officer Quinn
  • Kurtwood Smith ... Lt. Toomey, Chicago PD
  • Vincent Spano ... Anthony Rossano, the kind yet wily accountant of Snaps. Anthony’s early morning arrival to the mansion sets all events in motion. Anthony tells his boss that he’s in love, asks for a monumental raise, then tells Snaps the true love he speaks of is actually "Snaps's daughter." After Anthony professes his love for the daughter, Snaps agrees to let he and his daughter marry. What Anthony soon learns is this: The woman he fell in love with is not actually Snaps' daughter, but was merely pretending to be.
  • Joycelyn O'Brien ... Nora
  • Marisa Tomei ... Lisa Provolone, the only child of Snaps and Sofia. Lisa is a spoiled daughter whose dreams of seeing the world’s great sights run into a roadblock because of her overly protective father. Wishing to move out of the house, she lies to her parents (at the suggestion of the maid, Nora) and claims to be pregnant.
  • Martin Ferrero ... Luigi Finucci is one of a pair of Italian tailors who arrive early to find Snaps the perfect suit for his important meeting. The Fenucci’s are constantly disrupted as problems around the house continue to occur.
  • Harry Shearer ... Guido Finucci, Luigi's brother. Snaps manages to convince Anthony that the Fenucci’s are vicious assassins who will murder Anthony on a moment’s notice should he step out of line.
  • William Atherton ... Overton
  • Mark Metcalf ... Milhous
  • Ken Howard ... Kirkwood
  • Sam Chew Jr. ... Van Leland
  • Elizabeth Barondes ... Theresa
  • Ornella Muti ... Sofia Provolone
  • Sal Vecchio ... Vendetti Hood
  • Tim Curry ... Dr. Thornton Poole is a linguistics expert who arrives for an elocution lesson with Snaps. Poole is a world traveler, who giddily traverses the country in his studies of the sub-dialects of the English language.
  • Danny Goldstine ... Cab Driver
  • Kai Wulff ... Underwood Chauffeur
  • Linda Gray ... Roxanne, a replacement maid sent over by the service after Nora’s sudden departure. Snaps recognizes Roxanne (“Roxy”), as the two are actually former lovers who had a fling many years ago, before Snaps became a gangster. Roxanne reveals she left Snaps one night because she was pregnant. She is extremely surprised to see her daughter in the mansion – Theresa. Connie then puts all the facts together and reveals that Theresa is actually Snaps’ real daughter from a relationship 20 years ago.
  • Marshall Bell ... Reporter #1
  • Tom Grant ... Reporter #2
  • Louis D'Alto ... Reporter #3
  • Rick Avery ... Vendetti's Driver
  • Jim Mulholland ... Oscar
  • Joe Dante ... Face on the Cutting Room Floor
  • Kirk Douglas ... Eduardo Provolone

The film did badly at the boxoffice. First weekend gross was $5,091,027, only 21.6% of total gross.

The film was released on April 26, 1991 (USA) and nine international releases from June until September. The Laser Disc version was released Released November 1991. The VHS releas was Date: April 21, 1994, and the DVD was released May 6, 2003.

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