Belinda Balaski

Matinee -- John Goodman is at his hilarious best as movie promoter Lawrence Woolsey, who brings his unique showmanship to Key West, Florida, in 1962... just as the Cuban Missile Crisis takes place.

Shot under the big top and on tour with the Clyde Beatty-Cole Brothers Circus, CANNONBALL gives viewers a rare opportunity to experience first-hand a touring circus.

Step back into a time of outrageous movie-theater gimmicks and larger-than-life B-screen stars in this charming homage to the great sci-fi and horror flicks of the 1950s and 1960s. John Goodman is at his uproarious best as the William Castle-inspired movie promoter Lawrence Woolsey, who brings his unique brand of flashy showmanship to the unsuspecting residents of Key West, Florida. It's 1962, and fifteen-year-old fan Gene Loomis (Simon Fenton), can't wait for the arrival of Woolsey, who is in town to promote his latest offering of atomic power gone berserk, MANT!. But the absurd vision of Woolsey's tale takes on a sudden urgency as the Cuban Missile Crisis places the real threat of atomic horror just 90 miles off the coast. With the help of Gene and Woolsey's leading lady, Ruth (Cathy Moriarty), the master showman gives Key West a premiere they'll never forget. Anything can happen in the movies, and everything does in this hilarious tribute to a more innocent (and outrageous) time in American cinema.

John Goodman is at his hilarious best as movie promoter Lawrence Woolsey, who brings his unique showmanship to Key West, Florida, in 1962...just as the Cuban Missile Crisis takes place.