Coupe de Ville (film)
Coupe de Ville is a 1990 American comedy-drama film directed by Joe Roth. It stars Daniel Stern, Arye Gross, and Patrick Dempsey as three very different brothers asked by their father to drive a 1954 Cadillac Series 62 convertible from Detroit to Miami.
| Coupe de Ville | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Joe Roth |
| Produced by | James G. Robinson Mike Binder |
| Written by | Mike Binder |
| Starring | |
| Music by | James Newton Howard |
| Cinematography | Reynaldo Villalobos |
| Edited by | Paul Hirsch |
Production company | Morgan Creek Productions |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $715,983 |
Plot
Meet the Libner brothers: Marvin (Daniel Stern), the oldest, is a sergeant in the U.S. Air Force. Buddy (Arye Gross), the middle child, is a timid dreamer. Bobby (Patrick Dempsey), the youngest, is a handsome rebel in reform school. As kids, they fought a lot and as adults, they barely speak to each other. In the summer of 1963, their tough and eccentric father, Fred (Alan Arkin), gives them a task: to bring a 1954 Cadillac, bought for their mother, Betty (Rita Taggart), from Detroit to Miami. As the trip goes on, the three brothers fight and begin to reconnect with each other while trying to keep the Caddy in mint condition.
Cast
- Patrick Dempsey as Robert "Bobby" Libner
- Arye Gross as Buddy Libner
- Daniel Stern as Marvin Libner
- Alan Arkin as Fred "Pop" Libner
- Rita Taggart as Betty Libner
- Annabeth Gish as Tammy
- Joseph Bologna as Uncle Phil Libner
- James Gammon as Dr. Sturgeon, the Cadillac Surgeon
- Ray Lykins as Rick
- Chris Lombardi as Raymond
- Josh Segal as Billy Sturgeon
Release and reception
Critical reaction
Coupe de Ville received moderate reviews.
Notes
Despite of the film's title, the Cadillac in the movie is not a Coupe De Ville. Cadillac used the Coupe De Ville model name for a two-door hardtop from 1949 to 1993, not a convertible. The Cadillac in the film was actually a Series 62 Convertible.
Box office
The film was a box office failure; in its opening weekend (March 9–11, 1990), it didn't even make the charts, only grossing $66,871. In the end, Coupe de Ville only opened in 170 theaters and made $715,983 in the US.[1]
Trivia
A portion of the film was shot in Cape Coral, FL. When set director Richard Villalobos needed props for the Florida segments, he connected with the CEO of Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida to acquire props for the film, purchasing $4,000 worth of gently-used items from the local Goodwill store.[2]
Arye Gross, who plays middle brother Buddy, narrated the pilot episode of The Wonder Years, but was replaced by Daniel Stern, who plays oldest brother Marvin, for the remainder of the series and in all subsequent rebroadcasts of the pilot.[3]
References
- Coupe de Ville (1990) – Box Office Mojo
- Goodwill Goodies (March 1989). Newsletter for the employees of Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, Inc.
- The Wonder Years (1988) – Trivia