I recall this as being one of the most accurate, yet humorous teen age party comedy films I’ve seen. The film is loaded with fun times, and stellar dialogue fitting to the 1970’s. It may well be one of the all time top 10 party movies to see. I think people will either love this or hate it. If you don’t watch it expecting it to be thought provoking moving material, then you will enjoy it even more. It simply is what it is, there is no in-between. A few remember able lines were in this like “Man these are our chicks”. James Melkonian directed this himself, and helped write the screenplay with Rich Wilkes. James has done other films such as The Jerky Boys (1995).
The two leads in this which are played by Michael Kopelow as Joe and Bradford Tatum as Hubbs certainly made these roles their own. They added a certain quality to this film – which was needed. There is another standout character in this film named Tack who is played by Clifton Collins Jr. He is the epitome of the typical teen trying to impress everyone and be the center of attention.
You may be surprised to see China Kantner playing a character named Jill. She is the real life daughter of Jefferson Airplane/Starship group members Grace Slick and Paul Kantner. She fit perfectly in this role bringing a witty yet sarcastic type character to the story. Her sultry friend Lanie was played by Renee Allman who gets all the attention from the guys.
More of the cast includes: David Groh as the Dad, Michael Wiseman as Crump’s Brother, Kevin Kilner plays Officer Dean, Taylor Negron plays Himself, Richard Chaim plays Norm Hankey, Josh Berman plays Perk, Art Chudabala plays Mike Dick, David R. Parker plays Mike New York, Daniel Collins plays Crump, and Ernest M. Garcia plays the Neighbor.
There is no complicated story as the characters only thoughts are to get drunk, get stoned and get as much sex as they can. But what happens to them along the way are a series of events that fuels this comedy. You may never look at a regular beer again and get a tall instead. The film did lack some realistic things such as authentic cars, clothes and some phrases which are used. However, it still keeps things simple and basic enough to get the point across.
I think if you enjoyed films such as Wayne’s World (1992) or Dazed and Confused (1993) you will certainly find this pretty amusing. It captures an earlier period of time from an outrageous perspective.
At the very end of the film, stick around to see Blue Oyster Cult band member’s Eric Bloom and Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser outside of a store selling bootleg t-shirt’s in the closing credits. I recommend this party film, it was pretty entertaining.
Ok, this one is a bit on the cheesy side of things, but the film has a heart. It was an 80’s film so; we all remember how things were back then. I think however this was an interesting story, with a basic premise of a boy able to fly hence the title. It seemed to gather a cult like audience over time, and many people thought it was enjoyable including me. I have enjoyed the work of director/writer Nick Castle in some of his other films including The Last Starfighter (1984). He seems to be able to capture the human spirit in some way in all of his films and brings the characters to life. In this film he doesn’t fall short.
The film makes use of some narration during some sequences as you watch the story unfold. The story starts with the Michaelson family moving to a new area, in this neighborhood their lives change. Lucy Deakins stars as a young teenage girl named Milly Michaelson, she discovers her neighbor Eric Gibb played by Jay Underwood has a unique gift. She seems to get closer to him as the film progresses. Eric is an introverted silent type of a guy and a bit of a loner.
I wanted to mention that both Jay Underwood and Lucy Deakins both worked with the late great John Candy. Which I thought was interesting, Jay Underwood was the character “Bug” in Uncle Buck (1989) and Lucy Deakins was the character “Cammie” in The Great Outdoors (1988). I thought Lucy’s film career was cut way too short; she had potential to sustain a much longer career. In case you wondered what happened to her, she is now married and working as an attorney in New York City.
Bonnie Bedelia plays Milly’s recently widowed mother named Charlene Michaelson, her younger brother you might also recognize Louis Michaelson played by a very young Fred Savage. Colleen Dewhurst is Mrs. Sherman, the late Fred Gwynne is Uncle Hugo Gibb, Mindy Cohn is Geneva, Janet MacLachlan is Mrs. D’Gregario, Jennifer Michas is Mona, Michelle Bardeaux is Erin, Aura Pithart is Colette, Cameron Bancroft is Joe, Chris Arnold is Sonny, Sean Kelso is the Bad Boy and keep your eyes open for Jason Priestley as Gary.
I think this film still holds up even today, it is some enjoyable you can watch with your family and friends. It is tough to find good character driven stories nowadays. This one is a bit of an old gem.
“Between a silent boy and a beautiful girl lies an amazing secret”
Some movies you remember for their creativity, and this one was this type of a movie. Imagine a world without power? We are all so dependent on having it, that when we lose it, all hell can break loose. The tagline for this one was: “When Nothing Works, Anything Goes” I thought this one was good enough to rent or find for cheap to buy. It makes you think about how things can change dramatically for your family and friends, in an over the top situation directed by David Koepp. This was written by James Burke and David Koepp also co-wrote the screenplay.
The cast includes an underrated array of characters played by Kyle MacLachlan as Matthew, Elisabeth Shue as Annie Kay and Dermot Mulroney as Joe. They are all close friends and decide to stick together to overcome the extreme environment which they now have to deal with. They have no choice in the matter and their lives are in constant threat. Each day for them is another victory in this strangely entertaining tale.
I think some critics didn’t like this film, and thought there was something missing. Perhaps it was the choice of actors and the director’s vision. Who knows? I still think it was worthy of a watch regardless of what others thought. More often than not the so-called critics compare any older release to something fresh out in the theatres. The choices for watchable movies seem to dwindle each year. I’ve been disappointed recently in some of the upcoming releases.
There are more first name only appearances in this feature which include: Rick Worthy as Johnny, Richard T. Jones as Raymond, Bill Smitrovich, Steph, Michael Rooker as Gary, Tori Kristiansen as Sarah, and Tyra Kristiansen as Sarah. (Yes the younger girl Sarah was played by a set of twins on set) This was the girl’s only appearance known on screen.
Overall, I think you will find this one to be entertaining enough to check out. The actors seemed to make the most out of what they had to work with. It would be considered a B list or even C list movie to some. But, I thought it was worthwhile for sure. Check this one out if you want to see something with a different kind of premise.
