Pushing Tin
Romantic comedy film
Pushing Tin is a 1999 comedy drama film directed by Mike Newell. It centers on a cocky air traffic controller (Cusack) who quarrels over proving "who's more of a man" with fellow employee Bell (Thornton). It is filmed partially on location in and around Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Canadian location work is, perhaps, never more obvious than when Cusack's character is seen driving past a VIA Rail station, an impossibility in the US.
Spoiler
---- Plot Summary
Nick "The Zone" Falzone and his fellow
controllers at New York TRACON pride themselves on their ability to handle the
intense pressure and stress of being an air traffic controller for one of the
busiest airspaces in the country, even boasting of the 50% drop-out rate for new
additions to the staff that are unable to "hack it" and quit. The controllers
and their families enjoy a very close bond and have formed a tight knit community
of sorts, although it is presented that most male controllers have gone through
multiple marriages and do not have what is seen as a normal family life.
Russell Bell, a new transfer from the west, arrives and is introduced to the group, along with his rather mysterious, younger wife Mary. On his first day at the controls, and having been warned of the failure rate of new transfers, Bell initially seems to be on the way to a quick exit: despite warnings from Falzone, he has two planes headed directly towards each other with a third plane passing between. But, with steady nerves and unwavering determination, Bell handles the air traffic smoothly, earning the praise of a pilot and the respect of his new colleagues. Falzone feels challenged by the new controller's ability to out-perform him at seemingly every task and warns his supervisor that Bell is a loose cannon. The supervisor shrugs off the warning, saying simply that Bell "pushes tin" and gets the planes where they need to be on time.
At the supermarket, Falzone encounters Russell's wife Mary, who is sobbing in an aisle. Consoling her, Nick asks her to accompany him to dinner on the pretext that they should not eat alone, as Russell has left Mary for the night without explanation. After dinner, and a number of drinks, Nick ends up back at the Bell's house, where he and Mary commit adultery.
Meanwhile, Nick's relationship with his wife, Connie, is struggling. She seems intrigued by Russell, and begins to study French after borrowing a tape from him. Connie also seems suspicious of Nick's faithfulness. As his personal life begins to descend into turmoil, Nick's performance at works suffers, and the once cocky, boastful controller no longer admired by his coworkers is sent home after nearly causing multiple airliners to crash.
It is only after befriending Russell that Nick is able to pull his personal life together and return to his previous, steady demeanor at the controls.
Cast
John Cusack Nick Falzone
Billy
Bob Thornton Russell Bell
Cate Blanchett Connie Falzone
Angelina Jolie
Mary Bell
Jake Weber Barry Plotkin
Kurt Fuller Ed Clabes
Vicki Lewis
Tina Leary
Matt Ross Ron Hewitt
Jerry Grayson Leo Morton
Michael Willis
Pat Feeney
Philip Akin Paul
Mike O'Malley Pete
Neil Crone Tom
Matt
Gordon Ken
Joe Pingue Mark
Shaun Majumder New Controller
Dwight McFee
Veteran Controller
Robert N. Smith Bob (as Rob Smith)
Catherine Lloyd
Burns Tanya Hewitt
Star Jasper Julie Clabes
Molly Price Crystal Plotkin
Sarah Knowlton Beverly
Kiersten Warren Karen
Andy Dan Diner Cook (as
Andrew Dan)
Tennyson Loeh Diner Waitress
Michael Hyatt Trudy
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