5 Men and a Limo
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| 5 Men and a Limo | |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Aspect Ratio Films |
| Starring | Clinton Hendricks Don LaFontaine John Leader Nick Tate Mark Elliot Al Chalk Hal Douglas (cameo voiceover) |
| Distributed by | Aspect Ratio Films |
| Release date(s) | 1997 |
| Running time | 4 min., 21 sec. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
5 Men and a Limo (1997) is a short film (4.35 minutes) produced by Aspect Ratio Films as an introduction sketch for the 26th Annual Hollywood Reporter Key Art Awards. The film's plot is relatively simple: In a country where five men provide voiceovers for virtually every movie trailer there is, those five men share a limousine ride[1]. The limo belongs to voiceover artist Don LaFontaine, most famous for his voiceovers which take the format of "In a world where (some negative condition), one (usually person) will (do something positive)". The four voiceover artists who join him are:
- John Leader, former DJ turned quiet and upbeat voiceover actor whose voice has narrated trailers for such films as the Back to the Future films, Notting Hill and L.A. Story, with trademark phrases like "an inspirational (person) who rises above (negative situation) to inspire (positive outcome)[2];
- Nick Tate, Australian actor turned voiceover artist whose sonorous tones have narrated trailers for such films as Apollo 13, Jurassic Park, and Independence Day[3];
- Mark Elliot, white-haired former announcer for FOX whose cheerful, upbeat voice narrates virtually all Disney animated movie trailers and DVD commercials as well as commercials for South Park, HP printers, and Taco Bell[4];
- Al Chalk, African-American voiceover artist and former announcer for In Living Color whose work is best known for narrating "smooth jazz" or "soulful love songs" infomercials when not narrating trailers for Windtalkers, Serving Sara, and the Scary Movie series[5].
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The film opens with a red band (that is, a disclaimer card similar to the ones on the front of a movie trailer deemed "Suitable for Mature Audiences Only") that reads as follows:
The following trailer is suitable for MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY which excludes anyone who might be in attendance this evening. View at your own risk.
The James Bond Theme rolls during jump-cuts showing different closeup pictures of a white Lincoln Town Car limousine with the letters "D.L.F." in gold script on the top of one of the doors. The driver, Clinton Hendricks (who in real life is LaFontaine's personal sound engineer, in addition to being his driver)[6], lets Don LaFontaine into the back of the limo, then climbs into the front seat to drive off. As he does, LaFontaine spoofs his own voiceover style to explain where they're going:
In a world where the success of an industry depends on the creativity of a few...greatness must be recognized.
The music then changes to the theme from Back to the Future as LaFontaine informs Hendricks that they are not ready to go directly to the ceremony; they first must assemble their team: Five of the top voiceover artists in the U.S., all in one car...LaFontaine's.
Their first stop is to pick up John Leader (music changes again), who introduces himself in a parody of his own style:
A simple man in a complicated world. But tonight, for one heart-stopping moment, quite possibly...a hero.
The limo speeds off toward its next destination, which is a lush tropical-looking garden. Australian Nick Tate slashes his way out of it wearing an Outback version of a cowboy hat, then holds up his machete and does a perfect impression of Paul Hogan from the scene in Crocodile Dundee where Mick scares away a mugger by showing him a hunting knife and saying, "Now that's a knife." Hendricks lets him into the limo, where the other voiceover artists introduce him to unaware viewers:
(LaFontaine) Nick Tate.
(Tate) A voice...65 million years in the making.
(LaFontaine) Ominous.
(Leader) Mysterious.
(Tate) Hung like a horse.
(LaFontaine and Leader exchange eyebrow-raised looks.)
(LaFontaine) Rated "R".
(Leader) Under 17 not admitted without parent.
When Hendricks asks if they are prepared to move on to the ceremony, Tate gets his own chance to mock his style, over the theme for "A Few Good Men":
Prepared? (removes glasses dramatically) Nothing could ever prepare you for what awaits you at...the ceremony.
As the music changes to a piano jazzy tune (from the Groundhog Day), the limo arrives to pick up its next passenger: Mark Elliot, who introduces himself to Hendricks as "the cherished voice of the most beloved animated classics of our time." Notably, Elliot is seriously underdressed for the occasion--instead of wearing a black tuxedo, he wears a blue shirt and striped tie with a cream pullover long-sleeved sweater and casual slacks. On the way to the ceremony, he crowds into the seat between LaFontaine and Leader and begins to recite the names of Disney animated characters from films for which he has done voiceover work, in a mockery of his own "featuring..." cliché. The other three notably ignore him with various stages of annoyment, boredom, and nausea crossing their expressions.
Hendricks asks if there's anyone else to pick up. LaFontaine replies, "Only one man..." in his dramatic style. Just then, the backseat phone rings and "New York, New York" starts playing in the background as LaFontaine answers it. The caller is Hal Douglas, whose voicework style is often mistaken for LaFontaine and vice versa:
(Douglas) Hello, Don--this is Hal Douglas.
(LaFontaine) Who?
(Douglas) You know--Hal.
(LaFontaine) (pointedly covers the mouthpiece of the phone and addresses Hendricks) Al Chalk.
An excerpt from Yello's "Oh Yeah" plays as Al Chalk comes down his front sidewalk to get into the limo, reciting his own mockery:
Action. Adventure. And romance. I make it all look so easy.
Hendricks asks once more if they're ready to go to the Awards. LaFontaine says "Not yet", and then as the dramatic music swells, each announcer gives their own famous renditions of the word "Now".
Each man gives a short monologue about how exciting the award ceremony will be in their own movie trailer voices, with each incorporating excerpts from false reviews that flash across the screen below them, just like a TV advertisement--all except Mark Elliot, who gives his usual "Featuring all your favorite..." patter, only this time substituting vendors whose contributions will be honored at the ceremony instead of Disney characters.
The limo pulls up to the curb (accompanied by the Mission: Impossible theme) and the other four rush to get out to avoid hearing any more of Elliot's "featuring" speech. Then, the five men stand together in front of the DGA building in Hollywood, looking like a Michael Bay montage of the heroes standing together for one last time:
(LaFontaine) Let's go.
(Elliot) O.K.!
Elliot rushes ahead, skipping for joy, as the other four shake their heads at him and follow him into the building, whereupon the Mission: Impossible theme reaches its ending climax as a circular James Bond-style wipe takes the movie to black.
The ending credits feature Hendricks cleaning out the backseats of the limo, which are covered in money.
[edit] Reception
The film's original purpose was to serve as an introductory sketch for the 1997 Hollywood Reporter Key Art Awards broadcast. According to John Leader, the sketch played to a packed house at the awards ceremony and was so well received that the next day, bootlegged copies began circulating around the internet[7]; to date, one copy of the film has over 200,000 views on YouTube alone. In addition, the five voiceover artists, many of whom had few on-camera credits to their names prior to 5 Men and a Limo, had become instantly recognizable; LaFontaine went on to do on-screen appearances in commercials for GEICO as "that announcer guy from the movies", while Leader has done on-screen commercials for Burger King and Kudos granola bars[8].
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ IMDB entry for 5 Men and a Limo; retrieved July 3, 2007.
- ^ Montage of John Leader trailers; retrieved July 3, 2007
- ^ Nick Tate Home Page; retrieved July 3, 2007
- ^ Excerpts from Mark Elliot's TV commercials; retrieved July 9, 2007.
- ^ Excerpts from Al Chalk's movie trailer voiceovers; retrieved July 9, 2007.
- ^ Archive.org copy of "The Man With The Golden Voice", Fade In magazine; published February 2003; retrieved July 3, 2007.
- ^ Biography of John Leader; retrieved July 8, 2007.
- ^ Excerpts from John Leader's commercial voiceovers; retrieved July 8, 2007.
