The Experts

"Two abducted Americans are going to tell the Russians everything they know. Poor Russia."

1989 1h 34m EN

💀

4.8

SKIP

★4.8TMDB · 53

ActionComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Travis and Wendell are two down-on-their-luck New Yorkers who think they're relocating to a small town in Nebraska to open a nightclub. What they don't know is they've actually been abducted by a KGB operative and flown to the Soviet Union, where they'll unwittingly serve as "experts" on all things cool in America. The town, created expressly for KGB spies-in-training, is meant to serve as a training ground for Soviet agents. What can these two hapless Americans possibly teach the Soviet spies, and will they ever learn they are not actually in Nebraska?

“Two abducted Americans are going to tell the Russians everything they know. Poor Russia.”

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Cast

John Travolta
Travis
Arye Gross
Wendell
Kelly Preston
Bonnie
Deborah Foreman
Jill
James Keach
Yuri
Jan Rubeš
Illyich
Brian Doyle-Murray
Mr. Jones
Charles Martin Smith
Mr. Smith

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Dave Thomas
Writers: Nick Thiel, Eric Alter, Steven Greene
Languages: English
Countries: 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

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 1% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Dave Thomas, shot by Ronnie Taylor. 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 Marvin Hamlisch. 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 Bud Molin 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

John Travolta and Arye Gross and Kelly Preston carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Two abducted Americans are going to tell the Russians everything they know. Poor Russia.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0097314 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Dave Thomas directs. Ronnie Taylor behind the camera. Marvin Hamlisch scores. Bud Molin cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 1% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
237 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Dave Thomas, shot by Ronnie Taylor. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Marvin Hamlisch. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Bud Molin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6John Travolta and Arye Gross and Kelly Preston carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Two abducted Americans are going to tell the Russians everything they know. Poor Russia.".
8IMDB entry: tt0097314 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 53 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.