The Distinguished Gentleman

A Florida con man uses the passing of the long time Congressman from his district who he just happens to share a name with…

• Director:  Jonathan Lynn
• Genre:Comedy / Crime
• Runtime:108 minutes

Cast

Eddie Murphy : Thomas Jefferson Johnson
Lane Smith : Dick Dodge
Sheryl Lee Ralph: Miss Loretta
Joe Don Baker : Olaf Andersen
Victoria Rowell : Celia Kirby

A Florida con man named Thomas Jefferson Johnson uses the passing of the long time Congressman from his district, Jeff Johnson (who died of a heart attack while having sex with his secretary), to get elected to Congress, where the money flows from lobbyists. Shortening his middle name and calling himself “Jeff” Johnson, he receives the 5000+ signatures required to be on the ballot by becoming endorsed by a seniors organization, the Silver Foxes.

Once on the election ballot, he uses the dead Congressman’s old campaign material and runs a low budget campaign that appeals to name recognition, figuring most people do not pay much attention and simply vote for the “name you know.” He wins a slim victory and is off to Washington, a place where the “streets are lined with gold.”

Initially, the lucrative donations and campaign contributions roll in, but as he learns the nature of the con game in Washington D.C., he starts to see how the greed and corruption makes it difficult to address issues such as campaign finance reform, environmental protection and the possibility that electric power companies may have a product that is giving kids in a small town cancer.

In trying to address these issues, Congressman Johnson finds himself double-crossed by Power and Industry chairman Dick Dodge. Johnson decides to fight back the only way he knows how, with a con. Read more

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