Film

Tin Men

Name: Tin Men
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Released: 1987
Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Danny DeVito, Barbara Hershey, John Mahoney, Jackie Gayle

Comedy

Tin Men is a 1987 comedy about two aluminum-siding salesmen in 1963 Baltimore whose minor fender-bender escalates into an absurd vendetta. It's a character-driven ensemble piece that finds dark humor in small-time hustling, petty grievance, and the peculiar dignity of working-class men. Warm, funny, and surprisingly touching.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy sharp, talky comedy where the jokes come from two stubborn men who will not back down, and where the laughs sit close to something sadder about ambition and getting older.

Skip it if you want a tidy plot or a fast pace, since this one wanders through its rivalry in long, chatty scenes and rarely stops to explain itself.

What it asks of you: Settle in for a leisurely two hours, with the comedy arriving in bursts between long stretches of bickering and bruised pride, and little urgency in between.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Glengarry Glen Ross1992

Similar anatomy of sales culture and masculine competition. An ensemble cast of volatile men in a high-pressure industry, with dialogue that crackles and characters you half-hate and fully believe.

But Much darker and more vicious than Tin Men. There's almost no warmth here—it's a film about moral collapse, which some find exhausting.

The Sting1973

Two charismatic leads, period setting, con artists outwitting their rivals, and a plot that keeps turning. It shares Tin Men's pleasure in scheme and counter-scheme, though with higher stakes and more glamour.

But Slicker and less interested in character than Tin Men. If you want grit and observation over plot mechanics, this might feel too constructed.

Diner1982

Barry Levinson's ensemble comedy about Baltimore working men in the 1950s, full of digression and affection. Same director, same DNA—younger men in the same city, same warmth toward their small obsessions.

But Even more shapeless than Tin Men, with less plot momentum. It's all character and banter, which some find meandering.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Tin Men

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Killer's Kiss1955

Both films turn a single accident into an escalating obsession that neither protagonist can escape. The accident is the seed, and the real plot is two people unable to stop.

Kubrick's early noir about a boxer and a dancer circling each other after a street accident. Like Tin Men, it finds tragedy and obsession in a small, ordinary collision—two people who can't leave each other alone.

But Entirely serious, shot in stark black-and-white. It's a film about violence and despair, not comedy. Kubrick gives you the same escalation as Tin Men, but the register is pure noir.

Used Cars1980

Robert Zemeckis's comedy about crooked car dealers trying to outmaneuver each other. The same con-artist energy, same working-class setting, same delight in entrepreneurial scheming and male chaos.

But Broader and more slapstick than Tin Men. If you prefer subtlety and character observation, this might feel too broad.

Local Hero1983

Bill Forsyth's gentle comedy about an American oil executive in a small Scottish village. Character-driven, funny, fundamentally kind to everyone in it—a different story but the same warmth.

But Much quieter and more whimsical. Less plot, less vendetta energy. It's a film about connection rather than conflict.

The Producers1968

Mel Brooks's first film about two schematic men in a ridiculous scheme. The same pleasure in two guys in over their heads, scheming and bickering their way through catastrophe.

But Much broader and more theatrical. Brooks's comedy is aggressive in ways Tin Men isn't—the tone is quite different.

Barton Fink1991

A Coen Brothers portrait of a hustler in a corrupt system, surrounded by vivid character actors. It shares Tin Men's interest in male delusion and the gap between self-image and reality.

But Much stranger and darker, with surreal edges. It's about paranoia and moral rot, not the relatively harmless competition of Tin Men.

Trading Places1983

John Landis's comedy about two men whose lives get swapped. The same con-artist structure, the same ensemble cast of vivid minor characters, similar period warmth.

But Broader in tone and more plot-driven. Less interested in character observation, more interested in spectacle and reversals.

A Prophet2009

Both are about men who hustle within a rigged system, using information and relationships as currency. Both see hustling as a survival skill and a kind of dignity. But Audiard's film is Tin Men's dark mirror.

Jacques Audiard's prison film about a young man learning to survive by playing factions against each other. Same structure of hustling, scheming, and survival in a closed system—but brutal and epic in scope.

But Set in a French prison and in French. Violent and morally serious. It's about power and corruption, not the affectionate con-artist comedy of Tin Men. Demands patience with a different language and tone.