The 4th Tenor (2002)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Harry Basil

Writers (WGA):

Rodney Dangerfield (written by) &
Harry Basil (written by)

Release Date:

3 December 2004 (Finland)

Genre:

Comedy | Music | Romance

Tagline:

A comedy with high notes.

Plot:

A restaurant owner falls in love with an opera singer and, desperate to impress her, travels to Italy to learn how to sing.

Plot Keywords:

Opera | Restaurant | Italian Restaurant | Italy | Italian American

Cast

Rodney Dangerfield	...	Lupo
Anita De Simone	...	Rosa
Annabelle Gurwitch	...	Gina
Charles Fleischer	...	Alphonse
Robert Davi	...	Ierra
Hamilton Camp	...	Papa
Elsa Raven	...	Mama
Jacob Urrutia	...	Mario
Richard Libertini	...	Vincenzo
Dom Irrera	...	Petey (as Dominick Irrera)
Patrick Cupo	...	Nunzio
Anney Giobbe	...	Francesca
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Marcello
Pierrino Mascarino	...	Roberto
Marty Belafsky	...	Johnny

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexual humor.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-3 | USA:PG-13

Company:

WW & S Productions Inc.

Trivia:

The opera song the mediocre female singer sings who ends up dating "Lupo" (Dangerfield) to further her career (since he owns a famous restaurant), is the same tune written for Citizen Kane (1941) in which the main character, buys his "trophy" girl an opera house.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the bartender is talking to the server about how much Rodney is in love, his white shirt collar tucks itself under his black vest between shots.

Quotes:

Rosa: I've never heard of wanting to kill somebody because they sang.
Lupo: Well you never heard me sing.

Funny and entertaining.

If it is true that Rodney Dangerfield "don't get no respect," then it is not for the want of trying. This latest outing into features by the 80-year-old comedian, who had a star unveiled recently on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, keeps the sight gags coming fast although a little restrained.

Rodney is Lupo, the owner of an Italian restaurant who employs singing waiters and waitresses. He is in love with one waitress whose operatic areas pack them in every night but she doesn't return the favor,

understandable as Lupo's singing voice could stop a clock. In a move to impress her, he flies to Italy for the best singing coaches.He has an open checkbook so he is quickly aided and abetted by a couple of con artists who see a crock of gold at the end of this particular rainbow.

If anything, this movie is lighter on extraneous humor and heavier on plot which, in my opinion, is an improvement over his earlier excursions. Dangerfield has good rapport with the assembled cast headed by Robert Davi as the chief antagonist. Once Lupo is in Italy, "The 4th Tenor" takes on a sort of fairy tale quality which increases the entertainment quotient and is sure to please more than the usual Rodney Dangerfield fans.