Fat Man and Little Boy

"The story of the extraordinary people who changed our world."

1989 2h 7m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 170

DramaHistoryWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Assigned to oversee the development of the atomic bomb, Gen. Leslie Groves is a stern military man determined to have the project go according to plan. He selects J. Robert Oppenheimer as the key scientist on the top-secret operation, but the two men clash fiercely on a number of issues. Despite their frequent conflicts, Groves and Oppenheimer ultimately push ahead with two bomb designs — the bigger "Fat Man" and the more streamlined "Little Boy."

“The story of the extraordinary people who changed our world.”

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Cast

Paul Newman
Gen. Leslie R. Groves
Dwight Schultz
J. Robert Oppenheimer
Bonnie Bedelia
Kitty Oppenheimer
John Cusack
Michael Merriman
Laura Dern
Kathleen Robinson
Ron Frazier
Peter de Silva
John C. McGinley
Richard Schoenfield
Natasha Richardson
Jean Tatlock

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Roland Joffé
Writers: Bruce Robinson, Roland Joffé
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

37 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Roland Joffé, shot by Vilmos Zsigmond. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ennio Morricone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Françoise Bonnot shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Paul Newman and Dwight Schultz and Bonnie Bedelia carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The story of the extraordinary people who changed our world.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0097336 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Roland Joffé directs. Vilmos Zsigmond behind the camera. Ennio Morricone scores. Françoise Bonnot cuts. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

137 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Directed by Roland Joffé, shot by Vilmos Zsigmond. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Ennio Morricone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Françoise Bonnot shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Paul Newman and Dwight Schultz and Bonnie Bedelia carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The story of the extraordinary people who changed our world.".
8IMDB entry: tt0097336 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 8 themes, including "atomic bomb", "new mexico", "world war ii", "atomic bomb test".

The technical file

Cinematography: Vilmos Zsigmond
Original score: Ennio Morricone
Editing: Françoise Bonnot
Makeup / hair: Monty Westmore
Runtime: 127 min · 2h 7m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)

Also by

Roland Joffé

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

NickNaylor2021-06-06
★ 3/10
Worthless imaginary drama that has nothing to do with the real manhatten project. Nothing more to say than save yourself the time and skip this piece of historically incorrect ...

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