Gone Fishin' (film)
Encyclopedia
Gone Fishin' is a 1997 American comedy film starring Joe Pesci
and Danny Glover
as two bumbling fishing
enthusiasts. Nick Brimble
, Rosanna Arquette
, Lynn Whitfield
, and Willie Nelson
costar.
. When they take a road trip there, they are tricked en route by con man Dekker Massey (Brimble) and lose Joe's car to him. They then hitch a ride with two women, Rita (Arquette) and Angie (Whitfield). Rita knows of Dekker because he stole her mother's valuables, and they are looking for him. They bring Joe and Gus along and embark on an adventure that involves fishing, guns, treasure maps, boat chases, and storms.
gave the film a "BOMB" rating which is the worst rating a film can get from Maltin. He called it "an annoyingly unfunny gambit" and declared that it was a waste of Pesci and Glover's talent, and "this film really smells". Film critic Chris Hicks of Salt Lake City said after Gone Fishin and 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag the Academy should have asked Pesci to return his Oscar (which he had won for Goodfellas
). The film earned a pretty low box office income of about $19 million domestically.
"Gone Fishin'" was released by Hollywood Pictures which is one of the brands of the Walt Disney Company that releases more mature-themed films. Although the film could probably pass as family entertainment Disney chose to use their Hollywood brand for distribution considering the fact that the film has all adult main characters and many Disney films revolve typically around adults and children. "Gone Fishin'" started filming in November 1995 and completed filming in early February 1996. Disney had scheduled to release the film some time in late summer or Holiday Season 1996, but the film kept going in a back and forth manner in terms of getting a release date. Disney delayed the film's release to the end of May 1997 which more or less was the start of Summer movie season that year, and finally released the film nearly two years after it began filming. Despite the fact it was released later, in the Spring-early Summer time-slot of 1997, it did not much help the films chances of getting a very big audience because some other blockbusters had been released previously and more blockbusters would follow throughout the rest of the summer.
Joe Pesci
Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci is an American actor, comedian, and musician.He is known for playing a variety of different roles, from violent mobsters to comedic leads to quirky sidekicks...
and Danny Glover
Danny Glover
Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
as two bumbling fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
enthusiasts. Nick Brimble
Nick Brimble
Nick Brimble , is an English actor known for his performance as Little John in the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and his appearances on various television shows....
, Rosanna Arquette
Rosanna Arquette
Rosanna Lauren Arquette is an American actress, film director, and producer.-Early life:Arquette was born in New York City, the daughter of Brenda Olivia "Mardi" , an actress, poet, theater operator, activist, acting teacher, and therapist, and Lewis Arquette, an actor and director. Her paternal...
, Lynn Whitfield
Lynn Whitfield
Lynn Whitfield is an American actress.Whitfield began her acting career in television and theatre, before progressing to supporting roles in film. She won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special and a NAACP Image Award for her performance as Josephine Baker in the...
, and Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
costar.
Plot synopsis
Joe Waters (Pesci) and Gus Green (Glover) are bumbling yet happy best friends who live modestly in New Jersey and have known each other since childhood. They share the hobby of fishing and win a stay in the Florida Everglades to do anglingAngling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
. When they take a road trip there, they are tricked en route by con man Dekker Massey (Brimble) and lose Joe's car to him. They then hitch a ride with two women, Rita (Arquette) and Angie (Whitfield). Rita knows of Dekker because he stole her mother's valuables, and they are looking for him. They bring Joe and Gus along and embark on an adventure that involves fishing, guns, treasure maps, boat chases, and storms.
Filming accident
During production of the film, stuntwoman Janet Wilder was killed when a boat that was made to jump a ramp in one of the scenes landed on top of her. Wilder's husband and father-in-law were also injured.Reaction
In its opening weekend, the film opened at #3 at the U.S. Box office making $5.8 million USD approximately. The film was a critical and financial disappointment. In his book famed film critic Leonard MaltinLeonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
gave the film a "BOMB" rating which is the worst rating a film can get from Maltin. He called it "an annoyingly unfunny gambit" and declared that it was a waste of Pesci and Glover's talent, and "this film really smells". Film critic Chris Hicks of Salt Lake City said after Gone Fishin and 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag the Academy should have asked Pesci to return his Oscar (which he had won for Goodfellas
Goodfellas
Goodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese...
). The film earned a pretty low box office income of about $19 million domestically.
"Gone Fishin'" was released by Hollywood Pictures which is one of the brands of the Walt Disney Company that releases more mature-themed films. Although the film could probably pass as family entertainment Disney chose to use their Hollywood brand for distribution considering the fact that the film has all adult main characters and many Disney films revolve typically around adults and children. "Gone Fishin'" started filming in November 1995 and completed filming in early February 1996. Disney had scheduled to release the film some time in late summer or Holiday Season 1996, but the film kept going in a back and forth manner in terms of getting a release date. Disney delayed the film's release to the end of May 1997 which more or less was the start of Summer movie season that year, and finally released the film nearly two years after it began filming. Despite the fact it was released later, in the Spring-early Summer time-slot of 1997, it did not much help the films chances of getting a very big audience because some other blockbusters had been released previously and more blockbusters would follow throughout the rest of the summer.
See also
- Gone Fishin' (soundtrack)Gone Fishin' (soundtrack)Gone Fishin' is an album released on May 20, 1997. It is the soundtrack to the film Gone Fishin.-Track listing:#Willie Nelson - "Down in the Everglades" – 2:35#Randy Edelman - "Gone Fishin'" – 1:48#Randy Edelman - "Speed Boat Race" – 2:14...
- Accidents while performing a stunt