Lookin' to Get Out
| Lookin' to Get Out | |
|---|---|
 Promotional movie poster for the film | |
| Directed by | Hal Ashby |
| Produced by |
Andrew Braunsberg Robert Schaffel Edward Teets |
| Written by |
Al Schwartz Jon Voight |
| Starring |
|
| Music by |
Miles Goodman Johnny Mandel |
| Cinematography | Haskell Wexler |
| Edited by | Robert C. Jones |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $17,000,000 (estimate) |
| Box office | $946,461[1] |
Lookin’ to Get Out is a 1982 comedy film directed by Hal Ashby and written by Al Schwartz and Jon Voight, who also stars. Voight's daughter, Angelina Jolie, then seven years old, makes her acting debut by briefly appearing as Voight's character's daughter near the end of the movie. The film also stars Ann-Margret and Burt Young.
Plot
Alex Kovac, playing poker in New York City, drops $10,000 to gamblers Joey and Harry that he can't pay back. Alex persuades pal Jerry Feldman to hop on a plane to Las Vegas with him and try to win 10 grand to pay off the debt.
Finding out that a similarly named Jerry Feldman is a regular there, Jerry is comped $10,000 by the casino, no questions asked. A room and other perks go along with the comp. A waiter named Smitty, an old acquaintance of Alex's, is an expert card-counter, so he is staked to a high-limit blackjack game by the guys.
Patti Warner, a former girlfriend of Alex's, is now the mistress of the casino's boss. Their mutual attraction returns, but trouble follows after a $500,000 victory at the tables, not only from the casino but from Joey and Harry, who have come to Vegas looking to get their money or get even.
Cast
- Jon Voight as Alex Kovac
- Ann-Margret as Patti Warner
- Burt Young as Jerry
- Bert Remsen as Smitty
- Siegfried and Roy as the Magicians
- Angelina Jolie as Tosh
Production
Director Ashby had notorious bouts with the studio and recut the film for himself before it was taken from his hands and recut by the studio. Years later, while speaking at the University of Southern California, Jon Voight discovered that the version of the film which had been shown to the students was not the theatrical version but instead Ashby's original cut (which was considered lost). This was brought to the attention of Warner Home Video who released the Ashby Director Cut on DVD on June 30, 2009.