The Adventures of Pluto Nash
Encyclopedia
The Adventures of Pluto Nash is a 2002
science fiction
comedy film
directed by Ron Underwood
and starring Eddie Murphy
as the owner of a lunar nightclub investigating who was behind the arson that destroyed his club. The film is considered to be one of the worst box office flops of all time, grossing only around $7.1 million on its reported $100 million budget.
) visits his friend, club owner Anthony Frankowski (Jay Mohr
). Nash advises Frankowski to change his name and singing style, so Frankowski rebrands himself Tony Francis. A few minutes later, Nash discovers Frankowski's creditors, Gino (Burt Young
) and Larry (Lillo Brancato), trying to kill Frankowski by forcing him to drink battery acid. Nash suggests he'll buy the club himself, since being a nightclub owner has been a longtime dream.
Seven years later, "Club Pluto" is a successful business. It is run by Nash, a Hispanic assistant, and the obsolete android Bruno (Randy Quaid
). Meanwhile, Frankowski, as Tony Francis, has become an interplanetary star despite his inability to sing. Nash is approached by Dina Lake (Rosario Dawson
), a young woman who is stranded on the Moon and wants to make some money so she can return to Earth. Because her father "Nicky Sticks" was a friend of Nash's she seeks his help and offers her singing skills. Nash instead gives her a job waiting on tables and lets her sleep there. Nash is also visited by messengers of the mysterious entrepreneur Rex Crater, who wants to buy Club Pluto. Nash refuses, and Crater's minions bomb the club. Nash, Dina and Bruno escape and begin to investigate the unknown Rex Crater. Nash learns from Rowland (Peter Boyle
) a retired policeman, that Rex Crater never leaves his penthouse in Moon Beach City. He had also worked with the late Runa Pendankin, a geneticist who specialized in cloning. She created an entire basketball team using Michael Jordan
's DNA
, called the Air Jordans, before human cloning was declared illegal when she moved to the moon.
Nash and Dina visit Dr. Pendankin's apprentice, Mona Zimmer (Illeana Douglas
), who operates a cosmetic surgery station. They pose as a married couple attempting to revitalize their relationship by having bodywork done. After trying several examples of Zimmer's modifications they pretend to be the police when Zimmer accepts a bribe to do the work without a permit. Nash tells Zimmer that they want to know about Dr. Pendankin's last days. Zimmer, intimidated by Nash, states that Dr. Pendankin was working with an Earth criminal with the initials WZW on his briefcase. Nash and Dina return to their hotel. There they are attacked by Crater's assassins, who tracked them there. After hijacking a limo with a holographic chauffeur named James (John Cleese
) Nash takes Dina and Bruno to an abandoned mine, his smuggler hideout. There, Nash searches the internet for any Earth criminal with the initials "WZW". When he finds nothing, Dina suggests that the initials were actually MZM, since Zimmer might have seen them upside down. Nash searches for MZM and discovers Michael Zoroaster Marucci. Nash suspects that Marucci and Crater are the same person. His mother contacts him to tell him Rowland has been murdered and that he needs to run. Shortly afterward the hideout is attacked by Crater's agents. They're chased but the heroes escape using Nash's rille-hopping technique to jump a canyon. Their car is damaged and soon after they leave the area it explodes, causing them to be presumed dead.
They are eventually rescued and taken to Moon Beach by Felix Laranga (Luis Guzmán
) a smuggler who idolizes Pluto Nash. They infiltrate Crater's casino, but Bruno ends up fighting with a robot slot machine whose lever he mistakenly breaks off. When Bruno is taken away by security Nash sends Dina to bail Bruno out. Nash meets with Tony Francis and asks him how to get to Crater's penthouse. He tells Nash that the only way up is to jump onto Crater's private elevator. Nash and Francis are then tasered by Rex's men. Meanwhile, Dina approaches the robot security station. Bruno manages to knock the guard out. They are then captured by Crater's agents. Once he wakes up Nash accuses Rex Crater of being Michael Marucci (Alec Baldwin
). Rex reveals himself to actually be a clone of Nash. He was created by Dr. Pendankin from Nash's removed appendix. He acts as public face of Michael Marucci's illegal activities. Crater then admits he killed both Marucci and Pendankin. When his henchmen are confused by seeing both Rex and Nash, Rex kills them for being "incompetent jackasses." He and Nash start fighting while the others are uncertain who is who. Nash shoots Bruno which leads Rex's men (who assumes Nash wouldn't damage his own robot) to shoot Rex. Nash orders Crater's men to leave and reveals his identity to Dina reminding her of her employment. Bruno is all right since he was wearing a bulletproof shirt. Crater was also wearing a bulletproof shirt and attempts to garotte Nash, but is thrown through a window onto a card table below, in the casino.
The movie ends with the heroes celebrating in the rebuilt Club Pluto.
Production began in April 2000, and wrapped up in September 2000. At one point, Jennifer Lopez
was cast for the role of Dina in this film, but eventually turned it down. Rosario Dawson
was cast in her place.
ranked the film 79th in the 100 worst with a rating of 6% on the Tomatometer and was unsuccessful
financially. Its budget was estimated at (U.S.) $100 million, with marketing costs of $20 million and domestic box office
(of which the studio typically receives about half) $4,420,080 and $2,683,893 (overseas). It had a total worldwide gross of $7,103,973.
The majority of critics lambasted the movie for its acting, dialogue, lack of humor, and very poor and crude special effects, even more so for a film with a $100 million budget. Pluto Nash was nominated for five Golden Raspberry Awards
in 2003, including Worst Picture, and was later nominated for Worst Comedy of Our First 25 Years at the 25th Golden Raspberry Awards.
Eddie Murphy
poked fun at himself in an interview with Barbara Walters
about this movie by saying: "I know two or three people that liked this movie."
The film performed better on DVD
, with US DVD rental gross of $24,983,000.
The Adult Swim series Robot Chicken
also parodied Pluto Nashs failure by showing different people at the studio committing suicide and killing each other three days after the film's release. The United States Congress then declares August 16 (the film's release date) as Pluto Nash Day to memorialize the "tragedy". However, Robot Chicken incorrectly identifies 20th Century Fox
as the studio that released the film (this may be because Warner Bros. is a sister company to Adult Swim).
2002 in film
The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...
science fiction
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Ron Underwood
Ron Underwood
Ronald Brian "Ron" Underwood is an American film director.-Early Life:-Early career :-Mainstream breakthrough :-Filmography:...
and starring Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
as the owner of a lunar nightclub investigating who was behind the arson that destroyed his club. The film is considered to be one of the worst box office flops of all time, grossing only around $7.1 million on its reported $100 million budget.
Plot
In the year 2080 on the lunar colony Little America, retired smuggler Pluto Nash (Eddie MurphyEddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
) visits his friend, club owner Anthony Frankowski (Jay Mohr
Jay Mohr
Jay Mohr is an American actor and stand up comedian. He is known for his role as Professor Rick Payne in the TV series Ghost Whisperer, the title role in the CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried, which ran from 2008 to 2010, and the back-stabbing sports agent Bob Sugar in Jerry Maguire.-Early life:Mohr was...
). Nash advises Frankowski to change his name and singing style, so Frankowski rebrands himself Tony Francis. A few minutes later, Nash discovers Frankowski's creditors, Gino (Burt Young
Burt Young
Burt Young is an American actor, painter and author. He is best known for his Academy Award-nominated role as Sylvester Stallone's brother-in-law and friend Paulie in the Rocky film series.-Personal life:...
) and Larry (Lillo Brancato), trying to kill Frankowski by forcing him to drink battery acid. Nash suggests he'll buy the club himself, since being a nightclub owner has been a longtime dream.
Seven years later, "Club Pluto" is a successful business. It is run by Nash, a Hispanic assistant, and the obsolete android Bruno (Randy Quaid
Randy Quaid
Randall Rudy "Randy" Quaid is an American actor perhaps best known for his role as Cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon's Vacation movies, as well as his numerous supporting roles in films, including his Oscar nominated performance in The Last Detail, Independence Day, Kingpin and Brokeback Mountain...
). Meanwhile, Frankowski, as Tony Francis, has become an interplanetary star despite his inability to sing. Nash is approached by Dina Lake (Rosario Dawson
Rosario Dawson
Rosario Isabel Dawson is an American actress, singer, and writer. She has appeared in films such as Kids, Men in Black II, 25th Hour, Sin City, Clerks II, Rent, Death Proof, The Rundown, Eagle Eye, Alexander, Seven Pounds, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Unstoppable.-Early...
), a young woman who is stranded on the Moon and wants to make some money so she can return to Earth. Because her father "Nicky Sticks" was a friend of Nash's she seeks his help and offers her singing skills. Nash instead gives her a job waiting on tables and lets her sleep there. Nash is also visited by messengers of the mysterious entrepreneur Rex Crater, who wants to buy Club Pluto. Nash refuses, and Crater's minions bomb the club. Nash, Dina and Bruno escape and begin to investigate the unknown Rex Crater. Nash learns from Rowland (Peter Boyle
Peter Boyle
Peter Lawrence Boyle, Jr. was an American actor, best known for his role as Frank Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, and as a comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof Young Frankenstein ....
) a retired policeman, that Rex Crater never leaves his penthouse in Moon Beach City. He had also worked with the late Runa Pendankin, a geneticist who specialized in cloning. She created an entire basketball team using Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
's DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
, called the Air Jordans, before human cloning was declared illegal when she moved to the moon.
Nash and Dina visit Dr. Pendankin's apprentice, Mona Zimmer (Illeana Douglas
Illeana Douglas
Illeana Douglas is an American actress, director, screenwriter, and producer.-Background:Douglas is a granddaughter of the actor Melvyn Douglas and his first wife, artist Rosalind Hightower, and has said that her grandfather's performance in Being There, in particular, was influential on her own...
), who operates a cosmetic surgery station. They pose as a married couple attempting to revitalize their relationship by having bodywork done. After trying several examples of Zimmer's modifications they pretend to be the police when Zimmer accepts a bribe to do the work without a permit. Nash tells Zimmer that they want to know about Dr. Pendankin's last days. Zimmer, intimidated by Nash, states that Dr. Pendankin was working with an Earth criminal with the initials WZW on his briefcase. Nash and Dina return to their hotel. There they are attacked by Crater's assassins, who tracked them there. After hijacking a limo with a holographic chauffeur named James (John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
) Nash takes Dina and Bruno to an abandoned mine, his smuggler hideout. There, Nash searches the internet for any Earth criminal with the initials "WZW". When he finds nothing, Dina suggests that the initials were actually MZM, since Zimmer might have seen them upside down. Nash searches for MZM and discovers Michael Zoroaster Marucci. Nash suspects that Marucci and Crater are the same person. His mother contacts him to tell him Rowland has been murdered and that he needs to run. Shortly afterward the hideout is attacked by Crater's agents. They're chased but the heroes escape using Nash's rille-hopping technique to jump a canyon. Their car is damaged and soon after they leave the area it explodes, causing them to be presumed dead.
They are eventually rescued and taken to Moon Beach by Felix Laranga (Luis Guzmán
Luis Guzmán
Luis Guzmán is an actor from Puerto Rico. He is known for his character work. For much of his career, he has played roles largely as sidekicks, thugs, or policemen....
) a smuggler who idolizes Pluto Nash. They infiltrate Crater's casino, but Bruno ends up fighting with a robot slot machine whose lever he mistakenly breaks off. When Bruno is taken away by security Nash sends Dina to bail Bruno out. Nash meets with Tony Francis and asks him how to get to Crater's penthouse. He tells Nash that the only way up is to jump onto Crater's private elevator. Nash and Francis are then tasered by Rex's men. Meanwhile, Dina approaches the robot security station. Bruno manages to knock the guard out. They are then captured by Crater's agents. Once he wakes up Nash accuses Rex Crater of being Michael Marucci (Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
). Rex reveals himself to actually be a clone of Nash. He was created by Dr. Pendankin from Nash's removed appendix. He acts as public face of Michael Marucci's illegal activities. Crater then admits he killed both Marucci and Pendankin. When his henchmen are confused by seeing both Rex and Nash, Rex kills them for being "incompetent jackasses." He and Nash start fighting while the others are uncertain who is who. Nash shoots Bruno which leads Rex's men (who assumes Nash wouldn't damage his own robot) to shoot Rex. Nash orders Crater's men to leave and reveals his identity to Dina reminding her of her employment. Bruno is all right since he was wearing a bulletproof shirt. Crater was also wearing a bulletproof shirt and attempts to garotte Nash, but is thrown through a window onto a card table below, in the casino.
The movie ends with the heroes celebrating in the rebuilt Club Pluto.
Cast
- Eddie MurphyEddie MurphyEdward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
as Pluto Nash/Rex Crater - Randy QuaidRandy QuaidRandall Rudy "Randy" Quaid is an American actor perhaps best known for his role as Cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon's Vacation movies, as well as his numerous supporting roles in films, including his Oscar nominated performance in The Last Detail, Independence Day, Kingpin and Brokeback Mountain...
as Bruno - Rosario DawsonRosario DawsonRosario Isabel Dawson is an American actress, singer, and writer. She has appeared in films such as Kids, Men in Black II, 25th Hour, Sin City, Clerks II, Rent, Death Proof, The Rundown, Eagle Eye, Alexander, Seven Pounds, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Unstoppable.-Early...
as Dina Lake - Joe PantolianoJoe PantolianoJoseph Peter "Joe" Pantoliano is an American film and television actor. He played the character of Ralph Cifaretto on The Sopranos, Bob Keane in La Bamba, Cypher in The Matrix, Teddy in Memento, Francis Fratelli in The Goonies, Guido "the Killer Pimp" in Risky Business, and Jennifer Tilly's...
as Mogan - Jay MohrJay MohrJay Mohr is an American actor and stand up comedian. He is known for his role as Professor Rick Payne in the TV series Ghost Whisperer, the title role in the CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried, which ran from 2008 to 2010, and the back-stabbing sports agent Bob Sugar in Jerry Maguire.-Early life:Mohr was...
as Tony Francis - Luis GuzmánLuis GuzmánLuis Guzmán is an actor from Puerto Rico. He is known for his character work. For much of his career, he has played roles largely as sidekicks, thugs, or policemen....
as Felix Laranga - James RebhornJames RebhornJames Robert Rebhorn is an American character actor who has appeared in over 100 television shows, feature films and plays.-Personal life:...
as Belcher - Peter BoylePeter BoylePeter Lawrence Boyle, Jr. was an American actor, best known for his role as Frank Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, and as a comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof Young Frankenstein ....
as Rowland - Pam GrierPam GrierPamela Suzette "Pam" Grier is an American actress. She became famous in the early 1970s, after starring in a string of moderately successful women in prison and blaxploitation films such as 1974's Foxy Brown. Her career was revitalized in 1997 after her appearance in Quentin Tarantino's film...
as Flura Nash - John CleeseJohn CleeseJohn Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
as James - Burt YoungBurt YoungBurt Young is an American actor, painter and author. He is best known for his Academy Award-nominated role as Sylvester Stallone's brother-in-law and friend Paulie in the Rocky film series.-Personal life:...
as Gino - Miguel A. Núñez, Jr. as Miguel
- Illeana DouglasIlleana DouglasIlleana Douglas is an American actress, director, screenwriter, and producer.-Background:Douglas is a granddaughter of the actor Melvyn Douglas and his first wife, artist Rosalind Hightower, and has said that her grandfather's performance in Being There, in particular, was influential on her own...
as Dr. Mona Zimmer - Richard Raybourne as Bartender Phil
- Alec BaldwinAlec BaldwinAlexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
(uncredited) as Michael Zoroaster Marucci (MZM)
Production history
The film originated in the mid-1980s. The script went through numerous revisions and, upon completion of filming, sat on the shelf for two years, finally being released in August 2002.Production began in April 2000, and wrapped up in September 2000. At one point, Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
was cast for the role of Dina in this film, but eventually turned it down. Rosario Dawson
Rosario Dawson
Rosario Isabel Dawson is an American actress, singer, and writer. She has appeared in films such as Kids, Men in Black II, 25th Hour, Sin City, Clerks II, Rent, Death Proof, The Rundown, Eagle Eye, Alexander, Seven Pounds, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Unstoppable.-Early...
was cast in her place.
Reception
Reviews were extremely negative. Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
ranked the film 79th in the 100 worst with a rating of 6% on the Tomatometer and was unsuccessful
Box office bomb
The phrase box office bomb refers to a film for which the production and marketing costs greatly exceeded the revenue regained by the movie studio. This should not be confused with Hollywood accounting when official figures show large losses, yet the movie is a financial success.A film's financial...
financially. Its budget was estimated at (U.S.) $100 million, with marketing costs of $20 million and domestic box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
(of which the studio typically receives about half) $4,420,080 and $2,683,893 (overseas). It had a total worldwide gross of $7,103,973.
The majority of critics lambasted the movie for its acting, dialogue, lack of humor, and very poor and crude special effects, even more so for a film with a $100 million budget. Pluto Nash was nominated for five Golden Raspberry Awards
Golden Raspberry Awards
A Golden Raspberry Award, or Razzie for short, is an award presented in recognition of the worst in movies. Founded by American copywriter and publicist John J.B. Wilson in 1981, the annual Razzie Awards ceremony in Los Angeles precedes the corresponding Academy Awards ceremony by one day...
in 2003, including Worst Picture, and was later nominated for Worst Comedy of Our First 25 Years at the 25th Golden Raspberry Awards.
Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
poked fun at himself in an interview with Barbara Walters
Barbara Walters
Barbara Jill Walters is an American broadcast journalist, author, and television personality. She has hosted morning television shows , the television newsmagazine , former co-anchor of the ABC Evening News, and current contributor to ABC News.Walters was first known as a popular TV morning news...
about this movie by saying: "I know two or three people that liked this movie."
The film performed better on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, with US DVD rental gross of $24,983,000.
The Adult Swim series Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
also parodied Pluto Nashs failure by showing different people at the studio committing suicide and killing each other three days after the film's release. The United States Congress then declares August 16 (the film's release date) as Pluto Nash Day to memorialize the "tragedy". However, Robot Chicken incorrectly identifies 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
as the studio that released the film (this may be because Warner Bros. is a sister company to Adult Swim).