My Blue Heaven (1990 film)

My Blue Heaven
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Herbert Ross
Produced by	Herbert Ross Anthea Sylbert Goldie Hawn (executive) Nora Ephron (executive) Andrew Stone (executive)
Written by	Nora Ephron
Starring	Steve Martin Rick Moranis Joan Cusack Carol Kane William Irwin
Music by	Ira Newborn Walter Donaldson (theme song)
Cinematography	John Bailey
Editing by	Robert M. Reitano Stephen A. Rotter
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	August 17, 1990
Running time	97 min.
Language	English
Box office	$23,591,472 (USA)

My Blue Heaven is a 1990 comedy film directed by Herbert Ross, written by Nora Ephron and starring Steve Martin, Rick Moranis, and Joan Cusack.

It has been noted for its relationship to the movie Goodfellas, which was released one month after this film. Both movies are based upon the life of Henry Hill, although the character is renamed to "Vincent 'Vinnie' Antonelli" in My Blue Heaven.

While Goodfellas was based upon the book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, the screenplay for My Blue Heaven was written by Pileggi's wife, Nora Ephron, and much of the research for both works was done in the same sessions with Hill.

The movie was filmed primarily in the California city of San Luis Obispo and the surrounding area, though the nominal setting is a fictional suburb of San Diego, California. Some scenes were actually shot in San Diego. The film's title comes from the famous 1950s song which appears in the soundtrack, performed by Fats Domino.

Plot

Vincent "Vinnie" Antonelli (Steve Martin) is a former mobster recently inducted into the Witness Protection Program with his wife, Linda. The two are under the watchful eye of Barney Coopersmith (Rick Moranis). Vinnie and Barney soon find common ground when both of their wives leave them due to their lifestyles. When he succeeds in getting Vinnie to a suburb in California and a private house, Barney has one more problem: he must make sure the jovial and sometimes mischeivious Vinnie conforms to Witness Protection protocol until he is sent to Federal Court to testify against mob kingpins. Doing this is not as simple as it appears to be.

Casting

Originally, Steve Martin was cast to play Barney Coopersmith, with Arnold Schwarzenegger playing the role of Vinnie Antonelli. However, Schwarzenegger was soon thereafter offered the role of Det. John Kimble in Kindergarten Cop, and left the production. Failing to find another suitable "Vinnie" for Martin's Coopersmith, Martin offered to take on the role of Vinnie himself. Producers agreed, and then cast Rick Moranis as Coopersmith, who had originally been considered for the role, but was unavailable until then.^[1]

Cast list

• Steve Martin - Vincent 'Vinnie' Antonelli
• Rick Moranis - Barney Coopersmith
• Joan Cusack - Hannah Stubbs
• Melanie Mayron - Crystal
• Bill Irwin - Kirby
• Carol Kane - Shaldeen
• William Hickey - Billy Sparrow/Johnny Bird
• Deborah Rush - Linda
• Daniel Stern - Will Stubbs
• Jesse Bradford - Jamie
• Corey Carrier - Tommie
• Seth Jaffe - Umberto Mello
• Robert Miranda - Lilo Mello
• Ed Lauter - Underwood
• Julie Bovasso - Vinnie's Mother
• Colleen Camp - Dr. Margaret Snow Coopersmith
• Gordon Currie - Wally Bunting
• Raymond O'Connor - Dino
• Troy Evans - Nicky
• Dick Boccelli - Rocco
• Ron Karabatsos - Ritchie
• Tony DiBenedetto - Benny
• Melissa Hurley - Angela
• Leslie Cook - Marie
• Darren Chuckry - Supermarket Manager
• Duke Stroud - Supermarket Employee
• Carol Ann Susi - Filomena
• Frankie Gio - Gaetano
• Joel Polis - U.S. Attorney
• Larry Block - Defense Attorney
• Arthur Brauss - Judge
• Greta Blackburn - Stewardess
• Eva Charney - Stewardess
• Ellen Albertini Dow - Nun
• David Knell - Checker
• John Harnagel - Motel Manager
• LaWanda Page - Hotel Maid
• Daniel Riordan - Removal Man
• Thomas Wagner - Umpire
• Jean Spray - Gatto
• James Emery - FBI Man
• Matt Roe - FBI Man
• John Rogers - Police Officer at Motel
• Valerie Wildman - TV Reporter
• Daniel Trent - Bailiff
• Rudy E. Morrison - Maitre d'
• Frank R. Roach - Judge
• Jeff Fredricks - Booking Cop
• Gregory Schmauss -Police Officer at Construction Site

Reception

The film took in a fair $23 million at the box office and was received cooly by most critics, with the New York Times calling it "a truly funny concept and a disappointment on the screen."^[2] However, years of repeats on cable television have won the film a mild cult following.^[3]

Songs

• "My Blue Heaven"
  • Music by Walter Donaldson - Lyrics by George A. Whiting - Performed by Fats Domino
• "Surfin' USA"
  • Written by Chuck Berry and Brian Wilson - Performed by The Beach Boys
• "Stranger in Paradise"
  • Written by Robert Wright and George Forrest - Performed by Tony Bennett
• "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)"
  • Written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddy Holland - Performed by Billy Hill
• "The Boy from New York City"
  • Written by John Taylor and George Davis - Performed by The Ad Libs
• "New York, New York"
  • Written by Fred Ebb and John Kander
• "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"
  • Written by Albert von Tilzer and Jerry Northworth
• "The Star-Spangled Banner"
  • Performed by United States Marine Band

References

1. ^ "The Compleat Steve :: About Steve :: Actor :: Movies :: My Blue Heaven Page 2". Redknotstudio.com. 1990-08-16. http://redknotstudio.com/compleatsteve/actor/blueheaven_2.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-30. 
2. ^ [1]
3. ^ My Blue Heaven Movie Review - Rotten Tomatoes

External links

• My Blue Heaven at the Internet Movie Database