MovieChat Forums > Heist (2001) Discussion > Hackman and Pidgeon?!?

Hackman and Pidgeon?!?

posted 17 years ago by diana-64
24 replies | jump to latest

Now I like Hackman a lot. Pidgeon is fine. But as a screen couple ... yuck! He's 35 or so years older than she is. At first I was trying to figure out if she was supposed to be his daughter or granddaughter and then when I realized she was supposed to be his *wife* ... again, YUCK! What is it with male movie stars pairing up with actresses half their age?? For Heist, why not get someone closer to Hackman's age yet still interesting and exciting and a great actress, maybe, oh I don't know, PATTI LuPONE, to play Hackman's wife??

[–] len_watson 17 years ago

Well, for one thing, I don't think that Junior would've been too anxious to bang Patti Lupone. I seem to recall him wondering aloud about that himself, he said something like "You(Hackman) must be hung like Man 'O War" which kinda got the old boy perturbed. But there was a boatload of movies around then with huge age differences between couples: Harrison Ford with Anne Heche in "Seven Days and Six Nights," Sean Connery with Zeta Jones in some burglary movie (hey, she does the much-older-man bit in real life, why not in a film), Clnt Eastwood tapping that nicely-aging-model, I forget her name, in the Secret Service movie, and a few others that escape me right now. Old guys with cash rule in Hollywood (and in music, too, Billy Joel, McCartney, Eric Clapton, at least one of the Stones, etc. etc.) and they obviously think they still got it and like that theme...

[–] Theo87 17 years ago

i don't think the age difference is too much of a problem. i didn't even notice it in the case of harrison ford and anne heche. ok, i must admit i was totally jealous about this old guy connery. catherine zeta-jones was just way too hot!
to see some movies where there's even more of an age difference watch some audrey hepburn films.

[–] cgrady-2 17 years ago

There is a word to describe these relationships: Wrong.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] Monknificent 17 years ago

Yeah, and you never see those relationships in real life...

Throw 'em in prison, I say ! How dare they !

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] Monknificent 17 years ago

Well, of course, I was being sarcastic at the post above yours purely for effect.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] montrossboc-1 11 years ago

That is quite judgmental.

Short Cut, Draw Blood

[–] nastypuppy 17 years ago

well, as far as the "may-december" romance i found it totally believeable. it's the rest of the movie that had me scratching my head! but back to the subject, if u notice whenever hackman asked her to do anything she ALWAYS promptly obeyed. liked she "worshipped' him. i totally bought the love & affection they had.after all they were actually married. i am 35 and ALL of my relationships have been with older men (all well off)and as i age, they get older & older. when i was 19 my oldest was 31. now that i'm in my mid 30's they are about hackman's age (mid 60's to early 70's). i do admire older, smarter & powerful men. they treat me very well.. he referred to her as the "brass ring" and she said; "i'm glad u like me". he relied on her in a lot of ways. she was his "go-getter". these types are relationships are quite common & i am proof. i know i am a trophy & dont mind. it's fun! we are all adults.

[–] martinjames-muzo 13 years ago

Great post nastypuppy. Gene Hackman was probably 70-71 during the making of this, but to me looked well under 60. Plus it's Gene Hackman, a great actor playing a character with charm (despite being a criminal) so it somehow seems plausible, as with Connery and Ford in other movies. I'm 39 and have been going out with a 23-year-old (she asked for my number (not being a show-off, doesn't happen often!)), she thought I was younger i.e. late 20s, so I said I was something in-between, like 34. Eventually, we got closer and I simply had to tell the truth as I should have done from the start... and she didn't mind at all, except for the fact I didn't tell the truth- what an idiot!

"So this is the planet Houston"

[–] spookyrat1 11 years ago

...so it somehow seems plausible...

Course it's plausible! She knew him as a pretty smart cookie and the leader of her gang.

But in the end she did decide to trade him in on a newer model, though I'm not sure what she saw in Jimmy, a loser in my eyes. Joe doesn't appear too concerned, judged by the smile on his face as he drove away.

BTW to the posters on this thread who somehow feel Gene Hackman arranged the pairing with Pidgeon in the movie, it's simply not true. Hackman apparently expressed some reservations about the age gap, but director and writer Mamet, Pidgeon's husband, wanted it that way. I certainly didn't have a problem.

[–] kwestmo (4321) 4 years ago

Hackman has never looked under 60

[–] legnadibrom (5938) 3 years ago

are you kidding, i had many a wet dreams as a sweet young boy over Patti Lupone

[–] claudemercure 17 years ago

Could you BE any more ignorant and narrow-minded? Jeez...

[–] Diabla_In_Disguise 16 years ago

The age difference didn't bother me, it was the actress herself that bothered me. I thought she was horrible.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] tremas-1 15 years ago

Apropos Hackman/Pidgeon, I noticed a continuity error in the scene inside the boat, right after Fran (Pidgeon) shows Joe (Hackman) the sailing charts and he prepares to leave. When she hugs him good-bye, she wraps her right arm around his neck. In the reverse shot,she has her left arm around his neck.
Also, the dialogue drops a hint that Joe is a former lawman turned criminal. Fran says: "You're the law west of the Pecos," and he responds: "Yeah, I used to be the law west of the Pecos. Now I'm cashing out."

[–] erik_mh 15 years ago

What if she is his daughter?

[–] HotRod_SC 13 years ago

maybe ADOPTIVE daughter, like Woody Allen stuff, now THAT would make sense!! lol

now this is acting: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2458172160/tt1528718

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] 13 years ago

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[–] oscarunger 10 years ago

Hackman/pidgeon not a big deal, cooper/Hepburn in love in the afternoon? disturbing

[–] TMC-4 (19630) 4 years ago

https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2020/6/16/control-nathan-rabin-40-103-heist-2001

The role of Fran Moore, Hackman’s much younger wife, a tomboy bombshell femme fatale whose smoldering sexuality and powerhouse charisma clouds the judgment of multiple men is played, of course, by Rebecca Pidgeon, who is best known for starring in all of Mamet’s movies because she’s his wife and a strong living argument against nepotism.

There are three big problems with Pidgeon here. First, she’s all wrong for the role. Put a young Angelina Jolie in the movie and suddenly you’ve got a crowd-pleaser that’ll gross 100 million dollars and not just perform reasonably well for a David Mamet movie. Secondly, Pidgeon just isn’t a very good actress. Third, the role of the irresistibly sexy, badass female lead calls for a movie star and a movie star Pidgeon most assuredly is not.