Paul Newman Is the Standout in This Other Oppenheimer Movie

The Big Picture

• Oppenheimer is a recent blockbuster biopic directed by Christopher Nolan that explores the Manhattan Project and the relationship between Oppenheimer and Groves.
• In comparison, the 1989 film Fat Man and Little Boy focuses on the day-to-day operations of the secretive mission in Los Alamos during the Manhattan Project.
• Fat Man and Little Boy features a strong performance by Paul Newman and addresses the personal and catastrophic consequences of the atomic bomb, but some question the casting choice of Dwight Schultz as Oppenheimer.

This past summer's blockbuster biopic Oppenheimer was a triumph for director Christopher Nolan. His retelling of how the first atomic bomb came to be is filled with mind-blowing cinematography and terrifically acted scenes from a great ensemble cast including Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Jack Quaid, and Matt Damon. The photography has elements of our favorite Nolan films like The Dark Knight trilogy, Interstellar, Inception, and Memento. One thing it was not, however, is the first film to explore the Manhattan Project and the relationship between J. Robert Oppenheimer and General Leslie Groves.

In 1989, Paul Newman starred in director Roland Joffé's film, Fat Man and Little Boy. Unlike Oppenheimer, it focuses primarily on the day-to-day operations of the secretive mission commissioned by the United States government in Los Alamos, New Mexico in 1942. The cast was a who's who of late '80s actors including John Cusack and Laura Dern, as well as Bonnie Bedelia as Kitty Oppenheimer, who was coming off of the seminal action thriller Die Hard the year prior. The role of Oppenheimer was given to Dwight Schultz, and it was a curious casting call, to say the least, but more about that below.

Fat Man and Little Boy

This film reenacts the Manhattan Project, the secret WWII project, and the first atomic bombs designed, built, and tested in Los Alamos.

What Is 'Fat Man and Little Boy' About?

In 2023's Oppenheimer, Nolan delves not only into the Manhattan Project but also into the politics that went into the decision to make the bombs and when to deploy them. Fat Man and Little Boy is entirely about what happened in Los Alamos from 1942-1944 and the scientists who were involved in creating the most deadly weapon ever made. There are small, perfunctory scenes addressing the bigger picture, but most of the movie details the scientific machinations of developing a weapon that would end the war swiftly and without question.

Joffé's pacing is serviceable and Newman's undeniable presence anchors an occasionally uneven delivery. The supporting cast isn't spectacular, but Cusack and Dern stand out as a couple whose romance is cut short when he is accidentally exposed to a lethal amount of radiation during a trial of the bomb. And it's not the good kind of Marvel Cinematic Universe exposure that turns you into a superhero. It provides the most personal and poignant moments of the film as Dern's character Nurse Kathleen Robinson is helpless as Michael Merriman (Cusack) dies from the inside out from radiation poisoning. To be clear, there is nothing to feel good about in this movie in both the personal repercussions and the cataclysmic events that would follow in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The Curious Case of Dwight Schultz as J. Robert Oppenheimer

Paul Newman as a no-nonsense, hard-ass Army Corps of Engineers soldier? Yes, we believe that. Newman delivers the goods just like he always has. When it comes to Dwight Schultz as Oppenheimer in what is, at the very least, the equal to Newman's General Leslie Groves, we're a little puzzled by the decision. Schultz had become fairly well known for his role in the television series The A-Team from 1983-1987. Most people remember that show — if they remember it at all — as a George Peppard vehicle that also starred the '80s phenomenon that was Mr. T. Schultz played H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdoch, a screwball pilot who does his best to provide some comic relief in the show. He didn't have any credible film roles at that point and had specialized in playing a goofball until casting agent Nancy Foy made the call to tab Schultz in the role of one of the most important and serious men in American history in Fat Man and Little Boy.

'Oppenheimer' Review: Christopher Nolan Delivers His Most Colossal and Mature Film Yet

Cillian Murphy is remarkable in a film that feels like what Nolan's entire career has been building towards.

This is not intended to be a hit piece on Schultz or Foy, but we simply can't understand why a revolutionary man like Oppenheimer who was such a game changer in the history of mankind would be bestowed on an actor with little to no dramatic experience or qualifications. But in the scenes that he shares with a legend like Newman, you can feel how far out of his depth the relatively green actor is. It feels like Schultz is being pushed out of frame by the sheer scope and size of Newman's overwhelming screen presence

How 'Oppenheimer' Improved Upon 'Fat Man and Little Boy'

We're not going to take shots at the team that delivered the 1989 version of what Christopher Nolan improved upon bringing the story of the Manhattan Project to the screen, but his track record with big-budget epic films like Interstellar and Inception is proven. When you consider the prowess of almost every single one of his films, we are not at all shocked that Oppenheimer is a significant improvement over Fat Man and Little Boy. With A-list players like Murphy, Pugh, Downey Jr. Damon, and Blunt on board to star, it was always likely that the overall quality of the script would be delivered with great aplomb. With 34 years between the two films, the advancements in CGI and filming techniques alone promised to make for a more visceral experience for audiences, and with Nolan behind the camera, all these elements came to fruition. Oppenheimer has already garnered a slew of Golden Globe nominations, including Best Motion Picture, Murphy for Best Actor, and Nolan for both his direction and screenplay.

Also, if you've yet to see Oppenheimer, try to take in the movie in IMAX, and prepare to have your senses rocked. Nolan knows how to use the format to its fullest saying, “IMAX film brings images to life. From resolution and color to sharpness and overall quality, there is nothing compared to using IMAX film cameras. The IMAX film format is the Gold Standard of motion picture photography.” The catch is that it has been eight months since the film's release. Thankfully, Oppenheimer is returning to IMAX theaters in January 2024, so a second wave of people will be able to take in what is a great film in the IMAX format. Star Cillian Murphy agrees, telling Empire that he believes the film is, "a truly essential cinematic experience." So, if you've put off seeing one of the biggest blockbusters of the past several years, kick-off 2024 with a masterful theatrical gem the way it was meant to be seen.

Fat Man and Little Boy is available to rent on Apple TV+ in the U.S.

Watch on Apple TV+

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