The Distinguished Gentleman

"Mr. Murphy Goes to Washington." As a sly con man from Florida, Thomas Jefferson Johnson (a name he enjoys reciting), Murphy seems just about perfectly cast. And the notion that a crook would be drawn to Capitol Hill like a fly to honey is a cheap, cynical idea that could be milked for a few belly laughs. The chief bad guy, a greedy lobbyist aptly named Dick Dodge (Lane Smith), is a perfect, smarmy target, but the movie loses its cool and turns earnest and patriotic, striking a high-minded attitude that it has scarcely earned. It may have seemed a clever idea hiring a Brit, Jonathan Lynn (Clue) to direct, but he doesn't bring a fresh eye to the material. Sheryl Lee Ralph and Joe Don Baker bat cleanup. --David Chute




A Florida con man uses the passing of the long time Congressman from his district who he just happens to share a name with, to get elected to his version of paradise, Congress, where the money flows from lobbyists. But soon he learns the nature of the game and decides to fight back the only way he knows how, with a con. Written by Craig D. Barker {cdbarker@umich.edu}




SYNOPSIS