Tucker: The Man and His Dream

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Tucker: The Man and His Dream

PG

Released Aug 12, 1988

1h 51m

Biography

History

Drama

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Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

49 Reviews

68%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Obsessed with cars since childhood, inventor Preston Tucker (Jeff Bridges) has his first successful auto design partnership in the 1930s and designs a successful gun turret for World War II use. With those achievements under his belt, Tucker is determined to create a futuristic car for the masses: the Tucker Torpedo. However, his dreams are challenged by Detroit's auto manufacturers, production problems and accusations of stock fraud, and he is forced to defend his dream and honesty in court.

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Critics Consensus

Though it may not be as comprehensive as some would like, Francis Ford Coppola's cheerful biopic of the failed automotive designer features sparkling direction and a strong central performance from Jeff Bridges.

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James Jackson

The Times (UK)

[Bridges'] handsome, effortless charisma is on full beam as Preston Tucker, an American car entrepreneur during the 1940s.

Sep 27, 2023

Full Review

Derek Malcolm

Guardian

Tucker works well enough on a purely emotional level to become a resonant film. And its naivety is in certain ways its strength.

Aug 16, 2021

Full Review

Alexander Walker

London Evening Standard

Tucker's style, like the film commemorating him, is that of a story-board artist turning life into instant wish-fulfilment. All posture, no depth: all good looks nothing behind them.

Aug 16, 2021

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Joshua Mooney

Movieline

It's brilliant but flawed, beautiful to look at, often hard to relate to.

Sep 16, 2025

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Megan Fisher

Loud and Clear Reviews

It’s a bright, beaming piece of crowd pleasing entertainment that finds the silver lining in failure.

Jan 11, 2025

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Terry Francis

Southern Voice (Atlanta)

If Tucker is the work of a director who is lavishly in command of his medium, it's also a shallow piece of moviemaking, whose message is spelled out in oversized block letters for everyone to read in all their pastel, Capraesque banality.

May 8, 2023

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Hughe J

Tucker The Man and His Dream was released in theatres in 1988 and stars Jeff Bridges and Martin Landau, among others, with the iconic Francis Ford Coppola directing. Jeff Bridges plays Preston Tucker who following WWII has the belief that he can start his own car company and build the best cars ever made. He not only challenges the country's biggest automakers but also goes head to head with the US government. This movie is based on the true story of Preston Tucker and his dream to build better cars and many of his original vehicles are still running today as shown throughout the film; Coppola actually owns two of them. Jeff Bridges was excellent as usual and the same can be said of Martin Landau. This is a classic Coppola movie with beautiful cinematography, great score, and solid writing. For me this is a classic movie and an excellent period piece and always worth a watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/21/25

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S R

Saw this before and its an inspiring true story about the American Dream, but how Tucker's was squashed by the big 3 car makers. Good acting and compelling story. I own it digitally.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/17/24

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Alec B

Its a workable biopic because it isn't just about Tucker Preston nor is it just a thinly veiled metaphor for filmmaking. This is about Francis Ford Coppola and/or George Lucas trying desperately to make art in a system made up of people who only want to make money.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/24

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Larry K

The plot is all over the place but its a good movie. Jeff Bridges kills it

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/24

Full Review

Joel H

Much like many of the characters in this movie, I never really caught the vision of Tucker: The Man and His Dream. I know Francis Ford Coppola is a big fan of Preston Tucker and his car, which is why he made this passion project, but this film didn't really make me care about his story. I just felt apathetic while watching it, despite all the wide-eyed enthusiasm Jeff Bridges brings to the table. And the rest of the cast just seemed to be along for the ride as the plot zoomed from scene to scene. I wonder if the reason this film got such critical acclaim is primarily because Coppola was involved.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/03/23

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R B

A must watch, fact-based film about the little guy vs. the big guy.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/11/23

Full Review

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Francis Ford Coppola

Director

Jeff Bridges

Preston Thomas Tucker

Joan Allen

Vera Tucker(Fuqua)

Martin Landau

Abe Karatz

Frederic Forrest

Eddie Dean

Mako

Jimmy Sakuyama

Tucker: The Man and His Dream: Official Clip - The Idea and the Dream

2:13

Tucker: The Man and His Dream: Official Clip - Tucker's Defense

2:12

Tucker: The Man and His Dream: Official Clip - Police Chase

2:02

Tucker: The Man and His Dream: Official Clip - Factory Accident

1:43

Tucker: The Man and His Dream: Official Clip - Christening the Tucker Sedan

2:13

Tucker: The Man and His Dream: Official Clip - The Car of Tomorrow Today

2:08

Tucker: The Man and His Dream: Official Clip - The Design Department

1:32

Tucker: The Man and His Dream: Official Clip - Tucker's Presentation

2:15

Tucker: The Man and His Dream: Official Clip - Catching Dreams

2:13

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Tucker: The Man and His Dream: Trailer 1

1:55

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Synopsis

Obsessed with cars since childhood, inventor Preston Tucker (Jeff Bridges) has his first successful auto design partnership in the 1930s and designs a successful gun turret for World War II use. With those achievements under his belt, Tucker is determined to create a futuristic car for the masses: the Tucker Torpedo. However, his dreams are challenged by Detroit's auto manufacturers, production problems and accusations of stock fraud, and he is forced to defend his dream and honesty in court.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Producer: Fred Roos, Fred Fuchs
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Lucasfilm Ltd.
Rating: PG
Genre: Biography, History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 12, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 31, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $19.2M
Runtime: 1h 51m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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