Tucker : The Man And His Dream on DVD, Biography, Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen

Tucker : The Man And His Dream  It’s been a while since I saw this movie, and I was already acquainted with they story when I realized they’d made a movie about it. The movie lives up to the reality. No question, Preston Tucker was brilliant. When Uncle Sam requested designs for combat vehicles, he submitted, and demonstrated, a design which significantly blew away all competitors. He was turned down because his design significantly outperformed what Uncle Sam asked for. Small-minded individuals, mired in the relatively wimpy requirements, wouldn’t take the more advanced design. It boggled his mind that they would turn down “steak with all the trimmings” in exchange for a “plain hamburger.” I’ve been in the Military, so it doesn’t surprise me. When he wanted to make a point about safety, emphasizing the need for safety glass and seatbelts (which were NOT standard equipment at the time), he invited the appropriate people to lunch, served medium-rare roast beef, then showed pictures of people who’d died in car accidents. Lots of blood, lots of “raw meat.” My driver’s education teacher, trying to convince us to be safer drivers, did the same (minus the fancy lunch). Anyway, the similarities between what they saw on the screen, and what they’d just eaten, caused many of them to be “re-acquainted” with their lunch. I sincerely doubt they ever forgot the presentation, and his point was very well made. I like this guy. He’s whip-smart, practical, maybe a little too optimistic.  I identify with him. And they broke him. Welcome to reality. Bites, doesn’t it? In the end, he knows he’s beaten, but he still gets the last word in. I hope I manage to do so well.