Hostage for a Day
| Hostage for a Day | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | John Candy |
| Produced by | Adam Haight |
| Written by |
Kari Hildebrand Robert David Crane Peter Torokvei |
| Starring | John Candy |
| Music by | Ian Thomas |
| Cinematography | David Herrington |
| Edited by | Jeff Warren |
| Distributed by | Frostbacks |
Release dates | April 25, 1994 (USA) |
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Hostage for a Day is a 1994 comedic film starring and directed by Canadian comedian and actor John Candy. Though the film is billed as "starring" Candy, it in fact only features him as a minor character, as a Russian hostage taker.
The film centers around a Warren Kooey (played by George Wendt), a copy-shop worker who, at the age of 41, begins having a mid-life crisis. His plans are to take a trip to the state of Alaska, but his plans are derailed after his wife drains his entire bank account (approximately $40,000) to pay for a remodeling job by famous homebuilder and blond, long-haired Italian heartthrob "Hondo." In order to recuperate his money Kooey decides to pose as being held hostage by an imaginary Russian terrorist, and calls the SWAT team on himself in an effort to extort $50,000 (to Kooey's disappointment, the incompetent SWAT team has suffered major budget cuts). Things take a turn for the worse when a real Russian terrorist (Candy) takes Kooey hostage.
Cast
- George Wendt as Warren Kooey
- John Vernon as V.D. Regan
- Robin Duke as Elizabeth Kooey
- Peter Torokvei as Ronny
- Kathleen Laskey as Jackie
- Don Lake as Lt. Sneed
- Currie Graham as Hondo
- John Hemphill
- Christopher Templeton as Diane St. Clair
- Walter Alza as Ramon
- Rick Bennett as Caretaker
- Vic Cummings as TV Anchor Paul
- Monika Deol as Monica Etheridge
- Kathy Greenwood as a SWAT team member
- Jack Duffy as a SWAT team member
- Peter Ferri as Derelict Madman
- John Candy as Yuri Petrovich