Touchstone and Beyond: A History of Disney’s “The Distinguished Gentlemen”

In the spirit of politics and with the election only a few months away ‘To Touchstone and Beyond’ looks at the 1992 political comedy from Hollywood Pictures The Distinguished Gentlemen.

Watch as Eddie Murphy cons his way into government, and cringe at how his character becomes a “Distinguished Gentlemen” amongst a sea of crooks in Washington D.C.

The Movie

Thomas Johnson, played by Eddie Murphy, is a con artist who learns that if he wants to make the ultimate score, he needs to get elected to Congress and rake in the money from lobbyists and political action committees. When local Congressman Jeff Johnson, played by James Garner, dies, Thomas goes by his middle name and fools the voters into choosing him to fill the empty seat in government.

Thomas wins the election and heads to Washington with his fellow con artists Miss Loretta, Armando, and Van Dyke, played by Sheryl Lee Ralph, Victor Rivers, and Sonny Jim Gaines. They are met at the airport by Arthur, played by Grant Shaud. Arthur wants his old job that he had with former Congressman Johnson and Arthur is hired on the spot.

Thomas and his crew begin to settle into the political world of Washington D.C. They attend fundraisers and meet with lobbyists and other politicians. Thomas meets one of the most powerful and senior members of Congress, Dick Dodge, played by Lane Smith. After gaining a seat on Dodge’s committee it looks like Thomas’ plan to rake in the money is succeeding. The kickbacks and enticements are more than Thomas could have dreamed. It all changes however, when he meets a child from his district who is recovering from cancer.

Thomas quickly learns that there are multiple child cancer victims in his district and the commonality that they all have is that they attend schools that are located under power lines. Spurred by his burgeoning relationship with non-profit lobbyist Celia Kirby, played by Victoria Rowell, and inspired by fellow Congressman Elijah Hawkins, played by Charles S. Dutton, Thomas begins to take more interest in the issues that affect his area, and care less about the gravy train of financial inducements that are heaped on Congressmen.

The film concludes with a confrontation on the committee floor between Thomas and Dick Dodge that may have been inspired by the Frank Capra/Jimmy Stewart classic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington but plays out in pure Eddie Murphy comedic form.

The Best Moments on Screen

Eddie Murphy is hilarious. He plays the con artist version of Thomas with humor and joy, but when he wins the election, the viewers get to see how Eddie’s antics as the con artist disappear as he is surrounded by other politicians and lobbyists who are better crooks. What makes Eddie’s performance so funny in The Distinguished Gentlemen is that he gets to do all his trademark voices, and even gets to play some creative characters as he works his cons, but Eddie doesn’t go overboard with his antics like he did in Norbit.

Sheryl Lee Ralph, Chi McBride, and Victor Rivers are excellent as Thomas’ team. They not only play their parts well, but when they do make it to Washington, they are perfect at adapting to the environment. Seeing Armando reading a copy of the constitution subtly tells the audience that the group does their homework. They don’t get much screen time, but they make up for the lack of screen time with hilarity. Sonny Jim Gaines is memorable as Van Dyke, because while he may be the oldest member of the group, he surprises the audience with his wisdom and unexpected humor. His scene with Della Reese in the elevator is memorable and had it been given to another actor with less gravitas, it would have been creepy.

Lane Smith is perfect as Dick Dodge. He has the swagger of a long-time politician, and his good-natured attempt at bringing Thomas under his wing seems decent on the surface but hides the malevolence that fills Dick Dodge’s soul. A lesser actor wouldn’t have been able to play the foil to Murphy like Lane Smith did. He is bright and funny, and a little scary.

The Worst Moments on Screen

The worst moments on screen are the fact that much of what we see played out in Washington isn’t far from the truth. Sure, the film and the actions are played for laughs, but the ability of a special interest group to derail committee hearings that are necessary for public health for the sake of a company’s bottom line is terrifying. Based on the countless indictments of politicians for bribery and influence by outside groups over the last two decades since the movie premiered, The Distinguished Gentlemen may be funny, but comes a little too close to reality.

Film Facts

See It/Skip It?

See It! Owen Gleiberman in Entertainment Weekly complained at the release of the movie that The Distinguished Gentlemen was a, “sterile, joyless comedy, …featuring a farce plot so laborious it suggests John Landis on a bad day.” After watching this movie again, I feel like Gleiberman has missed the point of the movie. The fact that a con artist who breaks the law can fit in so well amongst the elected officials in the nation’s capital who make the laws is the ultimate joke. How could the system of government be so flawed that there are countless ways to bribe a government official legally? This is what we see in The Distinguished Gentlemen. It took a con artist being elected to public office to do the right thing. Eddie Murphy makes you laugh as you watch him be awed by the life that government officials live, and though it may have been a box office failure in 1992, and currently sits at the rotten part of the Rotten Tomatoes list, The Distinguished Gentlemen was trying to tell us something about government that was ignored. Played for laughs, but the biggest joke of all in the whole film is that it probably doesn’t stray too far from the reality of life in Washington.

Next week on ‘To Touchstone and Beyond’ gets ready for back to school by looking at the classic Robin Williams film, Dead Poets Society.

Director: Jonathan Lyn

Production Company: Hollywood Pictures

Principal Cast:

Release Date: December 4, 1992

Budget: $50 million

Box Office Gross Domestic = $46,666,502