THE WHOLE NINE YARDS (2000)

MORGAN'S RATING

There goes the neighborhood -- in a pine box. When hit man Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski moves into a comfy suburb, everyone's suddenly in danger of pushing up daisies. And it's not all Jimmy's doing, either. Bruce Willis is Jimmy, whose arrival sparks a chain reaction in which just about everybody wants to clip somebody else. Matthew Perry is a hapless dentist who finds a way to get on the Tulips good and bad sides.

Bruce Willis (Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski), Matthew Perry (Nicholas "Oz" Oseransky), Rosanna Arquette (Sophie Oseransky), Michael Clarke Duncan (Frankie Figs), Natasha Henstridge (Cynthia Tudeski), Amanda Peet (Jill St. Claire), Kevin Pollak (Janni Gogolack), Harland Williams (Officer Steve Hanson), Carmen Ferland (Sophie's Mom), Serge Christianssens (Mr. Boulez), Renee Madeline Le Guerrier (Waitress), Jean-Guy Bouchard (Mover), Howard Bilerman (Dave Martin), Johnny Goar (Hungarian Hood), Deano Clavet (Polish Pug), Stephanie Biddle (Jazz Singer).

IN THE HEART OF SUBURBIA, A HIT MAN WITH HEART HAS JUST MOVED IN.

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

DIRECTOR: Jonathan Lynn. WRITER: Mitchell Kapner. PRODUCERS: Allan Kaufman and David Willis. ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Stephen J. Eads. CO-PRODUCERS: Don Carmody, James A. Holt and Tracee Stanley. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Andrew Stevens and Elie Samaha LINE PRODUCER: Mike Drake. ORIGINAL MUSIC: Randy Edelman. DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Bros.

QUOTES

FACTS

Nicholas: He's upset. I've managed to upset a mass murderer.

RELEASE DATE: February 18th, 2000 (USA) BOX OFFICE OPENING: $13.7 million (USA) BOX OFFICE RESULT: $57.2 million (USA) BUDGET: $40 million (USA) SHOOTING DATES: May 1999 -- ??? - Bruce Willis tried to contact Matthew Perry to get him to take part in the film while, unbeknown to him, Perry was on vacation. After a few weeks of trying to get hold of him, Willis left the famous line, "I will chop off your legs, set fire to you house, and watch you drag..." on Perry's answer machine. They thought it was so funny that they included it on the film. - When Volkswagen was approached about a product placement in the movie for its new Beetle, they said they would only pay if a male character drove the car, because there are already plenty of women who want to drive the new VW Beetles. However, it was decided that it was such a perfect car for Sophie to drive that they would use it anyway, even though Volkswagen didn't pay them. - When Oz first recognizes Jimmy The Tulip, several newspaper front pages flash on the screen. Among them was a promo shot of Bruce Willis taken for the movie Die Hard 2 (1990). - The three kids who run between Jimmy and Oz when they are standing next to the flower cart are Bruce Willis' three daughters: Tallulah, Scout, and Rumer. - While mowing his lawn, Oz wears a T-shirt with the logo of the Ottawa Senators. Perry grew up in Ottawa, Ontario. - Followed by a sequel: The Whole Ten Yards (2004)

Nicholas: I don't generally go around risking my life for people who just like me.

Jill: I'm still a virgin. I mean I haven't killed anyone yet.

Jimmy: It doesn't matter how many people I've killed. What matters is how I get along with the people who are still alive.

Frankie: You know, I can't think of nothing finer than a fine naked woman holding a gun.

CRITICAL COMMENTS

"It's laugh-out-loud, side-splitting funny." --Lou Lumenick, New York Post

"A Laugh Riot!" -- Larry King, USA Today

"The more frenzied the action gets, the duller the film becomes." -- Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

"The Whole Nine Yards is a bright crowd pleaser with a clever script." -- Jay Carr, Boston Globe

"A witless, listless muck-up that sends you reeling from the theater with thoughts of suicide instead of a chipper grin." -- Shawn Levy, The Oregonian

"A subtle but unmistakable aura of jolliness sneaks from the screen during The Whole Nine Yards." -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times

"It's like one of those Blake Edwards comedies in which very little is working, but you have to admire the attempt at some physical humor." -- Mike Clark, USA Today