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Plot Summary
All-star musical follows Steve Martin ("Bowfinger," "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," "Father of the Bride") as a womanizing sheet-music salesman who's married to hapless Jessica Harper ("My Favorite Year") but carries on an affair with a schoolteacher, Tony-winner Bernadette Peters ("Annie"). Set during the Depression, it features lyp-synced songs from the greats of that era, including Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. Also stars Oscar-winner Christopher Walken ("The Deer Hunter," "Brainstorm," "The Dead Zone"). Produced and directed by Oscar-nominee Herbert Ross ("The Vanishing Point," "The Sunshine Boys") with stunning black and white cinematography by Oscar-nominee Gordon Willis ("The Godfather," "Annie Hall"). Based on the successful British TV series by Dennis Potter whose adapted script earned an Oscar-nomination.
Credits
Director
Screenwriter
Producers
Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
84%- Reviews Counted: 25
- Fresh: 21
- Rotten: 4
- Average Rating: 7.1/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Rotten: The movie, though, is not easy to respond to. It's chilly without being provocative in any intellectual way.
Fresh: he point is made endlessly, though it's in the film's favor that it's made with seriousness, consideration, and a certain amount of imagination.
Fresh: Let's face the music and dance, indeed.
Fresh: Potter adapted his immensely successful British TV series into a Hollywood script that maintained most of its intelligence as well as the musical numbers.
Customer Reviews
Pennies From Heaven
Christopher Walken was great. Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters were also outstanding. The music and choreography were very good. This turned out to be one of the most depressing movies I have seen in a long time. Did not expect this result.
Whitney 13 year old girl
I was 12 when I watched this movie it's been a year since I watched it, I live this movie and the music(I like old stuff like this)
INTERESTING FAILURE
It was bold of Steve Martin to take on a movie that had very little potential for a big audience and has several good scenes (Christopher Walken's in particular and the performing of the title song) but if one can find the original multi part Dennis Poyyer series with Bob Hospkins in the Steve Martin role I recommend watching that instead.
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- $14.99
- Genre: Drama
- Released: 1981
- © 1981 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Also Available
- Pennies From Heaven (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
- Various Artists