The Adventures of Pluto Nash
| Company type | Film |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motion picture |
| Founded | August 16, 2002 |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Science fiction action comedy film |
The Adventures of Pluto Nash is a 2002 American science fiction action comedy film directed by Ron Underwood, featuring Eddie Murphy in dual roles, with supporting performances from Randy Quaid, Rosario Dawson, and others. Debuting on August 16, 2002, the movie was met with negative reviews and underperformed at the box office, earning just $7.1 million against a $100 million production budget, ranking it among the most significant financial flops in cinematic history.
Plot
Taking place in the year 2080 on the lunar settlement known as Little America, the story follows Pluto Nash, a former convict turned entrepreneur who acquires a nightclub to achieve a personal ambition and safeguard his friend Anthony Frankowski from criminal elements. With assistance from his companion Miguel and an android named Bruno, he transforms the venue into a thriving hotspot.
By 2087, Dina Lake, an aspiring singer stranded on the Moon and desperate for money to return to Earth, is employed by Pluto as a waitress. When Rex Crater’s enforcers attempt to purchase the club and face rejection, they retaliate by bombing it. Pluto, Dina, and Bruno manage to flee the destruction.
Pluto’s acquaintance Rowland discovers Crater’s involvement in human cloning. As Pluto and Dina delve deeper into this secretive world, they endure several assaults but avoid capture thanks to Felix Laranga, a local smuggler. Together, they infiltrate Crater’s casino and hotel complex at Moon Beach.
In a confrontation with Crater, Pluto learns that Crater is actually his clone who runs an extensive criminal empire. After a violent altercation that ends with Crater’s demise, Pluto regains control of the restored Club Pluto, where Dina performs at the celebratory reopening event.
Cast
- Eddie Murphy portrays Pluto Nash, an accomplished businessman and former smuggler with a criminal past who trades in animals, apparel, and narcotics.
- Murphy also embodies Rex Crater, a clone of Pluto engineered by Marucci and Dr. Runa Pendankin using DNA extracted from Pluto's appendix during his imprisonment.
- Randy Quaid plays Bruno, a 63 Deluxe android model serving as Pluto's longtime friend and smuggling associate.
- Rosario Dawson appears as Dina Lake, a stranded hopeful singer seeking employment under Pluto’s guidance to fund her return to Earth.
- Joe Pantoliano acts as Mogan, one of Rex Crater’s henchmen.
- Jay Mohr portrays Anthony Frankowski / Tony Francis, formerly a Polish singer who owned a struggling polka club until Pluto acquired it; now relocated to Moon Beach.
- Luis Guzmán plays Felix Laranga, a Puerto Rican smuggler and admirer of Pluto Nash involved in trading exotic animals and illicit casino chips.
- James Rebhorn appears as Belcher, Rex Crater’s personal aide and ex-employee of Marucci.
- Peter Boyle takes on Rowland, a retired detective with FBI ties and an old acquaintance of Pluto and Flura.
- Burt Young plays Gino, a mobster responsible for nearly killing Tony Francis.
- Miguel A. Nunez Jr. portrays Miguel, the assistant to Pluto.
- Pam Grier appears as Flura Nash, Pluto’s mother.
- John Cleese plays James, the holographic chauffeur of the limousine that Pluto commandeers.
- Lillo Brancato acts as Larry, a mobster working under his uncle Gino.
- Victor Varnado portrays Kelp, one of Rex Crater’s henchmen.
- Alissa Kramer and Heidi Kramer play Gina and Filomina Francis, clones of Tony’s wives.
- Illeana Douglas appears as Dr. Mona Zimmer, operator of a cosmetic surgery facility and apprentice to Dr. Pendankin.
- Stu "Large" Riley plays Club Pluto’s bouncer loyal to Pluto.
- Serge Houde appears as an FBI agent.
- Terry Haig plays the security guard responsible for arresting Bruno after he damages a robotic slot machine.
- Cornelia Sharpe portrays a fan of Tony Francis.
- Mark Camacho acts as the robot holding cell clerk guarding Bruno during repairs.
- Alec Baldwin appears uncredited as Michael "Mike" Zoroaster Marucci, the mob boss who engineered Rex Crater to serve as his public persona.
Development
Neil Cuthbert's screenplay had been under development with producer Martin Bregman since at least 1983, initially titled simply Pluto Nash. Throughout its development, directors such as Rick Rosenthal and Peter Faiman were attached at various points. There were rumors that several prominent actors, including Harrison Ford, considered starring in the project. Eddie Murphy became involved when the film was being developed at Castle Rock Entertainment, which had previously collaborated with director Ron Underwood on City Slickers. Underwood agreed to direct following the release of Mighty Joe Young. Multiple writers worked on script revisions over several months; however, Murphy repeatedly rejected these drafts, desiring a more straightforward script akin to those associated with Stallone or Ford, while promising to add comedic elements himself. Although Underwood delivered a script meeting these expectations, he still identified issues and brought on another writer during production.
Production
During filming, Underwood expressed dissatisfaction, feeling the movie lacked the "wit and fun" he envisioned. He commended both cast and crew and enjoyed collaborating with Murphy but noted that Murphy "wasn't feeling that funny." The production extended over four years. A negative critique of an effects-free cut published in January 2001 caused concern at Castle Rock Entertainment, leading to two weeks of reshoots in Los Angeles. These additional shoots increased the budget to $100 million and postponed the originally planned April 2001 release.
Critical response
The Adventures of Pluto Nash was overwhelmingly criticized by reviewers. On Rotten Tomatoes, it ranked 79th among the 100 worst films of the 2000s, holding a 6% approval rating from 89 reviews. The general consensus described it as "neither adventurous nor funny," with Murphy delivering a lackluster performance in what became a notorious box office failure. On Metacritic, it scored 12 out of 100 based on 12 critiques, signaling "overwhelming dislike." Joe Leydon offered one of the few positive perspectives, labeling it a "prodigious popcorn flick" that was undeservedly maligned. Audience feedback collected by CinemaScore assigned the film a "C−" grade.
Pluto Nash earned five nominations at the 2003 Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Actor (Murphy), Worst Director, Worst Screenplay, and Worst Screen Couple (Murphy alongside his clone), though it did not win any awards. Additionally, it was nominated for Worst Comedy of Our First 25 Years at the 25th Golden Raspberry Awards in 2005 but lost to Gigli.
Reflecting on the film later, Murphy joked about its reception, stating, "I know the two or three people that liked this movie." Actor Joe Pantoliano remarked that it was clear early on the project would fail, attributing this to the material and style rather than director Underwood, whom he regarded as talented. Underwood himself expressed regret over the absence of a strong narrative foundation and conceded that he believed "the film was not very good."
Box office
The Adventures of Pluto Nash experienced a major financial failure, having been produced with a budget of $100 million but earning merely $4.42 million domestically and an additional $2.68 million internationally, resulting in a total global revenue of $7.1 million. In 2014, it was listed by the Los Angeles Times as one of the costliest box office failures in history.
Home media
Warner Home Video distributed the movie on DVD and VHS formats on November 19, 2002.