After having watched this, I think it was one of the most strangely entertaining films I’ve ever seen. It was written and directed by actor/comedian Bobcat Goldthwait who really seemed to capture something with this film. He has certainly come a long ways since flops such as Shakes the Clown (1991). In my opinion, one of the worst films I’ve ever seen. I also remember him acting in indie films like One Crazy Summer (1986) which is a goofy cult-like comedy. One more mention about Bobscratch Goldfarb (Bobcat Goldthwait) one of his nicknames, you might also remember him from the Police Academy movies as Zed.
This story is basically about a man named Lance Clayton played by Robin Williams who is a writer, and dreams to be main-stream published one day. He is divorced and has a very unusual son obsessed with pornography among other things and is a real jerk. Lance works as a high school teacher teaching a poetry class. His son Kyle played by Daryl Sabara is embarrassed about his father working at his school and has but only one friend named Andrew played by Evan Martin. Alexie Gilmore plays Claire one of the teachers at the school who is close to Lance in a romantic relationship. Henry Simmons plays Lance’s rival named Mike Lane.
More of the cast includes Morgan Murphy as Murphy, Naomi Glick as Ginger, Dan Spencer as Dan Spencer, Geoff Pierson as Principal Anderson, Zach Sanchez is Peter, Ellie Jameson is Jennifer, Michael Thomas Moore as Chris, Alles Mist as Metal Kid, Jermaine Williams as Jason, and Lorraine Nicholson as Heather.
I believe this film would be considered a dark comedy; Robin Williams is simply wonderful as Lance and is very believable. His son Kyle played by Daryl Sabara also does a nice job and is equally convincing. The movie is about relationships and life and how we treat one another. It also shows how phony people can be in certain situations as well as some stereotypes about people. I will recommend this as a must see film.
Here is a blast from the past type film. It is pretty old now, but still enjoyable to see. I’m sure many people never watched or have even heard of this one. I watched it quite a few times years ago. I do believe it is one of the better quirky comedies from the 1980’s. The characters in this are all pretty original and played by a talent cast who fit each of the roles. It was directed by Savage Steve Holland. He has directed a few other films including Better Off Dead… (1985) and How I Got Into College (1989). Savage Steve Holland also wrote the screenplay for this as well. His other credits include a number of television series.
There is some creative use of animation that is used throughout the film which fittingly seems to add something overall. I think you will appreciate it to some degree. I’ve never seen a film quite like this one, it has its own kind of thing happening. The story setting is in Nantucket, Massachusetts which provides a good backdrop to everything that happens.
John Cusack stars in this tale as Hoops McCann, he had previously worked with Savage Steve Holland in Better Off Dead… (1985). It was kind of a cult hit as well. He is surrounded by an unusual group of characters which include his good friend George Calamari played by Joel Murray. Yes, he is one of Bill Murray’s brothers. If he looks familiar to you, it might be the number of appearances he has made in television series such as “Dharma & Greg” playing the character Pete Cavanaugh.
Curtis Armstrong appears in this as Ack Ack Raymond, he is best known as Dudley ‘Booger’ Dawson from the Revenge of the Nerds (1984) franchise films. Jennifer Yahoodik appears in this as Andrea (she is the little girl) it was her only ever known appearance. Demi Moore plays the struggling artist named Cassandra who becomes the love interest of Cusack’s character Hoops. Bobcat Goldthwait delivers a remember able performance as Egg Stork, his brother Clay Stork is played by Tom Villard. There are more appearances in this such as Linda Warren playing Mrs. McCann, Rachel C. Telegen as Brunhelda, John Matuszak as Stain, Matt Mulhern as Teddy Beckersted, Kimberly Foster as Cookie Cambell, Jeremy Piven as Ty, Billie Bird as Grandma, Bruce Wagner as Uncle Frank, Joe Flaherty as General Raymond, Mark Metcalf as Aguilla Beckersted, the late William Hickey appears as Old Man Beckersted, Taylor Negron as Taylor, Rich Hall as Wilbur and Rich Little makes a brief appearance as a Disc Jockey.
The storyline is fairly simple, but it still brings a number of funny scenes which will put a smile on your face. I think most people will find this unique comedy entertaining to watch at least once.
This is one of Bill Murray’s better performances as Frank Cross who is a modern day version of Scrooge based upon the 1843 Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol. The catch phrase “Bah, humbug!” applies to this story as well. In this movie he is an executive in charge of a television station located in the USA. His childhood wasn’t the most ideal, which lead him to a flawed perspective on money, people and relationships. In comparison to the novel, he is visited by three ghosts one being from the present, one from the past and one from the future this will challenge his thoughts about his life and others. It is a classic tale told in a bit different way.
I think director Richard Donner did justice to this story, and the writing by Mitch Glazer and Michael O’Donoghue was well done. You will see Karen Allen in this best known as Marion from Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). In this she plays Claire Phillips who is also a love interest to Frank Cross. Alfre Woodard is Grace Cooley, Nicholas Phillips is Calvin Cooley and the late Mabel King is Gramma Cooley. Michael Pollard plays Herman, John Murray is James Cross and John Forsythe appears in this as Lew Hayward. Robert Goulet and Lee Majors both appear as themselves, John Glover is in this, and I’ve seen him in person as well on a movie set he plays Brice Cummings. Bobcat Goldthwait is Eliot Loudermilk, David Johansen is the Ghost of Christmas Past, Carol Kane is the Ghost of Christmas Present, Pat McCormick is the Ghost of Christmas Past. Also keep an eye open for Mary Lou Retton making an appearance, Robert Mitchum plays Preston Rhinelander and Buddy Hackett playing the television Scrooge. I thought this was an interesting way to tell this old story and the cast and crew did a fine job bringing it to life.
