On this day March 18 1988 the comedy film Stars and Bars premiered in theaters. Directed by Pat O’Connor the film starred Daniel Day-Lewis Harry Dean Stanton Joan Cusack Keith David and Martha Plimpton in a culture-clash comedy set in the American South.
The film followed an uptight British art expert played by Daniel Day-Lewis who travels to the Southern United States to acquire a rare painting only to find himself tangled in a series of misadventures involving eccentric locals. Despite its strong cast the film struggled at the box office earning only 7.5 million.
80s insight: Stars and Bars was one of the few comedies Daniel Day-Lewis starred in before becoming known for his intense dramatic roles in films like My Left Foot and There Will Be Blood.