How we look at people can change from moment to moment. One second a person could be a philandering villain; the next, he could be a hero. God looks at us differently, seeing not just who we are at one time, but at all times. He knows what we are capable of, good and bad, and the judgment He renders unto us for eternity will be based on where the scales tip on either side of that moral dividing line. In Cadillac Man (1990), we see the full spectrum of a person’s character, in this case the main one, car salesman Joey O’Brien (Robin Williams). Even those around him change their minds as to whether they like him based on the slightest action or word on his part. What is better is for us to take the long view, much like God.

In Joey’s view, this Cadillac Man’s favorite activity is selling cars. When a funeral procession is delayed because its hearse breaks down, Joey happens upon the scene and immediately sees a potential customer, even handing his business card to the widow. It tells us just about everything we need to know about him. Joey works at Turgeon Auto in Queens and loves his profession, but the rest of his life is considerably less successful. His ex-wife, Tina (Pamela Reed), wants the money he owes her; their daughter, Lisa (Tristine Skyler), has gone missing; and Joey is simultaneously juggling relationships with Lila (Lori Petty) and the married Joy Munchack (Fran Drescher). As if adultery were not already giving this Catholic enough material, Joey also owes $20,000 to mobster Tony Dipino (Paul Herman), who is becoming impatient about being repaid. His employment is in danger, too. Turgeon Auto is preparing to move, and owner Big Jack Turgeon (Bill Nelson) tells the sales staff that not everyone will be coming along. Joey is given two days to sell twelve cars if he wants to keep his job. He therefore spends much of his time trying to bring anyone he knows into the dealership for its big sale, all while attempting to keep the various pieces of his personal life from colliding. On the final day, the showroom is crowded with customers, and Joey is simultaneously working several potential deals when Larry Kosciuski (Tim Robbins) arrives on a motorcycle. Larry’s wife, Donna (Annabella Sciorra), works at the dealership, and he is convinced that she is having an affair with someone at her place of employment. His suspicions become considerably more serious when he crashes his motorcycle through the showroom window carrying an automatic rifle and claiming to have explosives strapped to the bike. Larry takes everyone hostage and demands to know who has been sleeping with Donna. When she angrily says she has slept with everybody, Larry fires wildly and grazes her head. Hoping to prevent anyone from being killed, Joey steps forward and claims that he is Donna’s lover. This is one affair of which Joey is actually innocent, but Donna eventually realizes what he is doing and goes along with the lie. The police surround Turgeon Auto, leaving Joey to become the unofficial negotiator between Larry and Captain Mason (Richard Panebianco). Joey persuades Larry to begin releasing hostages, first allowing many of the women to leave. Joy refuses because she declares that she loves Joey, which is awkward because her husband, Harry (Zack Norman), is there with her. Larry, meanwhile, begins explaining himself to Joey. He has been unemployed for a year, Donna took the job to support them, and his jealousy has convinced him that she has been unfaithful. Joey gradually recognizes that Larry is less a hardened criminal than a desperate man who has completely lost control. Things outside are not much calmer. Lila arrives and sneaks into the dealership to announce that she is Joey’s girlfriend, only to hear him claiming to be sleeping with Donna. She responds by kneeing him before leaving. Tina also arrives and telephones the showroom, pleading for Joey’s release because their daughter is still missing. Even Joey’s mother (Mimi Cecchini) gets involved, although her conversation with Larry does little to simplify matters. Tony arrives as well because his son, Frankie Dipino (Anthony Powers), is among the hostages. Inside, Joey keeps talking Larry down whenever his temper threatens to erupt. He convinces him to release more people until only Joey, Donna, and Harry remain. Donna then refuses to abandon her husband and professes her love for him, forcing Larry practically to throw her out for her own safety. Joey next convinces Harry to promise to pay for Larry’s lawyer, after which Harry is released. That leaves Joey alone with the gunman. By now, the two men have developed an unlikely bond, and Joey proposes a way out. Larry should surrender and plead insanity, arguing that love temporarily drove him crazy. Joey promises to stand by him throughout what follows. Larry finally agrees, revealing that the explosives are fake and removing the ammunition from his rifle. He nevertheless wants to walk outside pointing the unloaded weapon at Joey so that he will not look weak. This turns out to be a terrible idea. Despite Joey’s efforts to control the situation, a police officer shoots Larry as they emerge. Joey immediately covers him with his own body and stays beside him until the paramedics take him away, reminding Larry to stick with the insanity defense. The hostage crisis unexpectedly solves nearly all of Joey’s problems. His actions make him a hero, and Big Jack announces that the sales staff will keep their jobs. Tony, grateful that Joey helped save Frankie, forgives the $20,000 debt. Joy and Lila have discovered enough about Joey’s romantic life to remove themselves from it, which might be the closest thing here to Divine intervention. Most importantly, Lisa finally returns, allowing Joey and Tina to embrace their daughter together. The ordeal has also reminded Tina that there is something worthwhile beneath Joey’s dishonesty and womanizing, and she agrees to have dinner with him to discuss the possibility of reconciling.

Maybe the best part of Cadillac Man is the possibility of Joey and Tina reconciling. I wanted to say him saving Larry’s life, although his idea about walking out in front of a squad of armed men is a terrible one. At the same time, throughout all the philandering and sly talking we witness with Joey, there are a few moments where one can genuinely appreciate him as a person. The one that appealed to me most is when Larry is about to commit suicide. To prevent this, Joey asks Larry if the gunman is Catholic. The answer is yes, and Joey reminds the young man that killing oneself is a sin. Granted, there is little else that is specifically Catholic about Joey’s behavior, but anything that prevents such a tragic death deserves at least some credit. And the fact that Joey uses theology to do so makes it that much sweeter. With these things in mind, the question is asked at one point by his mother as to why he is so unhappy. He does not understand it because, on the surface, he has everything he could want. Clearly, he subscribes to the notion that he who has the best car and the most women is successful. Despite all his material gain, he is as wounded as the rest of us, and it starts with being divorced from Tina. Again, I doubt Joey is Catholic, but the fact that he had been married and has a child means that he took on obligations that he swore to uphold. We witness him being snowed under by a cascade of lesser responsibilities, but eventually he realizes the most important one: his family. He may not act like a Christian all the time, but he does a few things to which any follower of Jesus can relate.

Still, I wish I could relate that Cadillac Man is a better movie. There is a needless nude scene in it, and, my gosh, the yelling. So much yelling. It is not the worst film I have seen, but the good here does not outweigh the bad.