The Distinguished Gentleman (1992)

Director:

Jonathan Lynn

Writers (WGA):

Marty Kaplan (story) and
Jonathan Reynolds (story) ...

Release Date:

4 December 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

From con man to congressman

Plot:

A Florida con man uses the passing of the long time Congressman from his district who he just happens to share a name with...

Plot Keywords:

Congressman | Lobbyist | Cancer | Election | Van

Awards:

4 wins

US TV Schedule:

Sun. Nov. 15	1:20 PM	MAX
Thur. Nov. 19	6:35 PM	MAX
Mon. Nov. 23	8:00 PM	MAX

Cast

Eddie Murphy	...	Thomas Jefferson Johnson
Lane Smith	...	Dick Dodge
Sheryl Lee Ralph	...	Miss Loretta
Joe Don Baker	...	Olaf Andersen
Victoria Rowell	...	Celia Kirby
Grant Shaud	...	Arthur Reinhardt
Kevin McCarthy	...	Terry Corrigan
Charles S. Dutton	...	Elijah Hawkins
Victor Rivers	...	Armando
Chi McBride	...	Homer (as Chi)
Sonny Jim Gaines	...	Van Dyke
Noble Willingham	...	Zeke Bridges
Gary Frank	...	Iowa
Daniel Benzali	...	'Skeeter' Warburton
Cynthia Harris	...	Vera Johnson

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Finland:S | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

Hollywood Pictures

Trivia:

In the scene between 'Eddie Murphy' and 'Charles Dutton' eating crab they are eating Dungeoness crab, which is found only on the west coast. Washington DC, Baltimore is known for their blue crab - an entirely different species typically eaten exactly the same way shown in the film. Dungeoness crab are not.

Goofs:

Continuity: The videotape at the end sounds different when played back than the actual conversation that took place.

Quotes:

[pretending to be Zeke Bridges]
Thomas Jefferson Johnson: I'm madder than a Baptist in a brothel, you som-bitch!
Thomas Jefferson Johnson: I tell ya, I'm bout as crazy as a dog in a hubcap factory.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004)

Soundtrack:

THE POLITICS OF LOVE

One of Murphy's few above average movies

I'll start off by saying I don't particularly like Eddie Murphy. I think he is not always in tune with what is funny, and the only movie that he was in that I truly enjoyed (I thought he was excellent in the Nutty Proffessor but I didn't like the movie really) was Beverly Hills Cop. And this one. Here's why:

Eddie Murphy does not force his humor in this movie, like he tries in almost everything else I've seen him in. For most of the movie, he seems himself. Not only that, you actually see a little drama from Eddie, which while not ranking up there with the likes of Hanks and Hackman, he certainly makes you believe he's got another side to him.

The movie, while stretching credibility, attacks the System very well, both dramatically and humorously. If one watches this movie expecting a mild satire instead of a barrel of laughs or a breathtaking plot, they will probably enjoy it, assuming they didn't hate Beverly Hills Cop.