Here is a F.F. Coppola film that did not do well at the box office, but is worth a look. It is a well-made, period movie (1940s) that takes a look at a classic American type - the upbeat, ambitious, innovative entrepreneur. Bridges is fine in the lead role, playing an engineer who wants to take on the big Detroit automobile manufacturers with a new and improved sedan. But the story grows quite a bit darker. The big 3 car companies, along with their political allies (especially Sen. Ferguson, played by Bridges' dad Lloyd) want to destroy Tucker, so they set about prosecuting him for financial fraud. Dean Goodman is fine as the smarmy executive who undermines the Tucker business from within. At one point Tucker tells his finance guy Karatz, "Isn't that the point? To build a better mousetrap?" "No," says Karatz. "It is catching the mouse."
The film sides with the enthusiastic Tucker and his team, portraying them as heroic Davids up against an evil Goliath. It is fun to see the Tucker sedan being built and driven around. However, the story fails to address one glaring issue - if Tucker was the automotive genius he is portrayed as, then why didn't the big companies buy him out? Isn't that what usually happens with successful new businesses? Instead Tucker's failure is spun as a moral victory.
The film sides with the enthusiastic Tucker and his team, portraying them as heroic Davids up against an evil Goliath. It is fun to see the Tucker sedan being built and driven around. However, the story fails to address one glaring issue - if Tucker was the automotive genius he is portrayed as, then why didn't the big companies buy him out? Isn't that what usually happens with successful new businesses? Instead Tucker's failure is spun as a moral victory.