Postality

Author(s): D.W. Dillon
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

“Postality"

Directed by Stanley Donen
Written by Woody Allen
Music by Rolfe Kent and Flavor Flav
Produced by Woody Allen and Mel Brooks

Genre: Musical/Comedy

Principal Cast:

Woody Allen - Paul Finkel (Postal Courier)
Lily Tomlin - Karen Freidle (Post Office Manager)
Anjelica Huston - Janet Finkel (Postal Cashier)
Larry David - U.S. Postmaster Gen. Dave Potter
John Cleese - U.K. Postmaster Gen. Montgomery Chamberlain
Ricky Gervais - Richard Fick (U.K. Postmaster's Assistant)
Will Ferrell - Sgt. Fred Stansley
Henry Rollins - Officer Mellish (Prison Guard)
with
Warren Beatty as Warden Jack Pendleton
and
Diane Keaton as TV Journalist Ann Renata
and featuring
Public Enemy and The Rollins Band as Sing-Sing inmates

Tagline: “In snow, and rain, heat and gloom of night keeps this courier from the swift killings of his appointed rounds”

Synopsis: Ever wish you could take back that one major regret or incident that has loomed over you for years? Inmate #24007, aka Paul Douglas Finkel (Woody Allen), ex-United States postal courier is not one of them. All his life was spent at the beck and call of everyone around him. An over-dramatic wife (Anjelica Huston) with a pension for exaggerating the truth. A manipulative sexually-charged boss (Lily Tomlin) who took his fear of delivering mail in thunderstorms to blackmail his job into satisfying her sexual urges. His Postmaster General (Larry David) who could never remember his name and treated him like he was in an army boot camp. And the local police, led by Sgt. Fred Stansley (Will Ferrell) who would constantly harass poor Paul Finkel during his mail route with child-like immaturity. One can only take so much abuse. In a tell-all TV interview with television journalist Ann Renata (Diane Keaton), inside Sing-Sing Maximum Security Prison, Paul Finkel reveals what drove him into certain madness. How he turned his life upside down, for the best by beating everyone at their own game until finding himself ungraciously kidnapping the visiting British Post Master General (John Cleese) and seriously injuring his assistant (Ricky Gervais) by squirting him with salsa in the eyes with a fake water-gun. Going to extremes brought him into prison where he found himself, once again admist the un-human kind who sought to take advantage of Paul Finkel. Confessing to the doting Ann Renata all the corruption led by hard-nosed Warden Jack Pendelton (Warren Beatty) and the abuse that goes on at the hands of fellow inmates (Rollins Band & Public Enemy). As a prison riot ensues around them, love blossoms. For Paul Douglas Finkel, chaos is nothing short of beauty.

Lyrics:

"Going Postal Tonight"
(words by D.W. Dillon, Henry Rollins)
(music by Flavor Flav)

I can't think straight
I deliver the mail and it's always late
I wear short shorts
With no behind, no way to contort

And the mail never stops
No down-time for my tears to drop
As the heat gets to me
If I don't sleep, I'll be on the brink

And go postal tonight!
I'll run over your mailbox
and sleep with your wife
I'm going postal tonight!
I can't shoot a rifle
But I can loose it right
Going postal...today
Going postal...today
It ain't for me, babe...

What the press would say:

Coming out of retirement, legendary choreographer and film director Stanley Donen (Singin' In The Rain) takes the reigns of filmmaker after a 22 year hiatus with Woody Allen's "Postality". With the sudden boom in developing Oscar-worthy musicals, Stanley Donen shows everyone how it's really done with the darkest musical ever brought to screen or soundtrack. Even paying homage to his famous dance sequences in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Donen recreates a prison-themed version with the most unlikely of characters that is sure to bring hilarity with every shot. Woody Allen gladly takes a backseat to concentrate on the lead writing, acting, singing and dancing duties. Allen delivers his first real all-around performance, developing a character far unlike any of his previous neurotic leads. With Allen regulars like Diane Keaton and Anjelica Huston, who's very names could easily garner Oscar-nominations, are given a chance to show off talents never before attempted. Accompained by the legendary actor Warren Beatty, who gives a
short but memorable performance as the tough as nails, full or rage Warden. Imagine an angry Bugsy Siegel with the happy feet of Gene Kelly. Lily Tomlin rounds out the supporting cast with her comedic genius in hand as her steller performance should award her long-awaited Oscar. Dazzling dance numbers, fine-tuned music and lyrics and suprising performances from legendary actors and musicians make for most ludicrous, spectacular musical ever put to screen.

Best Picture - Woody Allen, Mel Brooks
Best Director - Stanley Donen
Best Actor - Woody Allen
Best Actress - Diane Keaton
Best Supporting Actor - Warren Beatty
Best Supporting Actress - Anjelica Huston
Best Supporting Actress - Lily Tomlin
Best Original Screenplay - Woody Allen
Best Cinematography - Gordon Willis (Annie Hall, The Godfather)
Best Score - Rolfe Kent (Sideways) and Flavor Flav (Public Enemy)
Best Song - "Going Postal Tonight" by The Rollins Band feat. Public
Enemy
Best Editing - Steven Weisberg (The Producers)
Best Sound - Gary Alper (Hollywood Ending)
Best Sound Editing - Robert Hein (Hollywood Ending)
Best Art Direction - Tom Warren (Sweet & Lowdown, The Devil Wears
Prada)