Tagged: John Hughes
Pretty in Pink (1986)
“It only matters what’s on the inside that counts”, is total bullshit. It’s all about the Benjamin’s, baby!
Andie Walsh (Molly Ringwald) is one of those teenagers that doesn’t seem to fit in because she isn’t rich, she isn’t in with “the crowd”, and just goes about her day all by her lonesome. She has one friend named Duckie (Jon Cryer), but he wants more than she can give him. What Andie is more concerned with is finding her love and also, a date to the prom. Rich, prepped-up tool Blane (Andrew McCarthy), may just be the solution to that. However, he’s rich and fits in with “the crowd”, whereas she doesn’t. Adolescent problems ensue.
No matter what you may have to say about the 80′s, whether it’d be positive or negative, there is no denying that John Hughes makes that decade, what it is known as today: angst-ridden, cool, well-dressed, and very, very hip, in it’s own 80′s way. Watching any of his films and just listening to the dialogue, is what made the guy so damn special in the first-place and listening to them still, all of these years later, makes you wonder; what would he have done to this generation, had he been around? Questions, questions, questions! But what we do know is that the guy was great at writing movies, and this one shows no different.
I’m not going to lie, this definitely isn’t my favorite John Hughes movie, but it still has everything I love from them all: nice dialogue. Everything in this movie may be dated, cheesy, and outrageous, but Hughes’ dialogue still keeps it grounded in some form of reality where we feel like we know exactly what these kids are talking about and going through. Sure, the times have changed what with cellphones, Twitter, Facebook, and the Harlem Shake and all, but every teen still feels the same emotions that these ones were back in the day, and it’s great to see that personified in a way that’s not mean or nice, it’s just realistic.
You can usually tell who the outcasts are by the glasses they were…
Maybe I’m giving a bit too much credit to this movie, but for the longest-time, everything that Hughes was throwing at me, I was falling right for. Not all of it works and you can totally tell that some lines probably sounded better in Hughes’ head then they may have come out in the actual movie itself, but it’s always compelling and rather entertaining to watch a bunch of teenagers just talk about the things that matter: money, love, boys, girls, clothes, and prom. Most movies that deal with social-classes and how high-school can be so darn destructive about them, sort of blow-pass the real meaning of what they are all about in that setting, but not this movie. Hughes shows how vindictive people can be, especially ones from high-school and how it doesn’t matter if you have a good heart, love animals, and enjoy picking up trash in public parks on the weekends, if you’re still apart of the geek squad, you’re most likely going to get yo ass kicked by some preppies or jocks. Either way, you’re not like and that’s the honesty I was talking about with this movie. It shows you that Hughes knows what he wants to present and knows exactly what he wants to say. Doesn’t always hit, but when it does, you feel it in more ways than one.
That’s also why it’s so disappointing to see the turn that this movie takes, out of nowhere, into total and complete unbelievableland. Everything before the last 15 minutes was, as you can probably tell by the first-half of this review, very good and kept me entertained, as well surprised by the depth that Hughes was able to enter without seeming too serious. Then, he loses all control and allows this movie to just seem utterly obvious and stupid. Without giving anything away to the peeps out there who haven’t seen this 80′s prized-treasure, a bunch of people that dick eachother over throughout the vast majority of the flick, start to all of a sudden forgive one another and even worse: start using that “L word”. No, not the show, but you know what I mean.
In most movies, that “L word” feels realistic and well-used, but in this movie, not a single-bit. It just seems like Hughes had this script all written-out, the ending and everything, and then Hollywood or whoever decided to put their filthy, stinking noses into it and ruin what could have been a way smarter, way more likeable, way more believable flick. Instead, they ended it with the typical, high-school fluff that most of these flicks go for and it’s as disappointing as it is stupid. Whoever’s to blame for this, I curse you! Okay, time to mellow out now.
A lot of people get on Molly Ringwald’s case as an actress because she showed-up in all of Hughes’ premiere, high-school flicks but you gotta give some credit to the girl; she’s actually very good. She’s played the stuck-up prude, she’s played the loner, and now she’s played the poor, outcast and all sides of her have shown very well. Her performance here as Andie is great because you really feel for with everything she’s going through, not just as a teenager, but as a person that wants love and wants acceptance, but just can’t find it. I like how sassy Ringwald could be, but also how understandable she could be of the things around her and the type of environment she was surrounded-by. She seems a lot smarter than most people would give her credit for, and for that, I have to give her major kudos because it’s not very often you see a smart, teenaged-girl in a movie about high-school and falling in love. That John Hughes. He always knew how to write ‘em.
See what I mean?
Another person in this cast that kicks ass is Jon Cryer as her bestie, Duckie. Cryer is the type of dude we all is hilarious by now, but back in those days, he was just getting started and he was a true breath of fresh air to watch as Duckie. Duckie’s cool, swift, suave, and charismatic, but also a nice guy that wants nothing but the best for Andie, and it’s a shame that she won’t give him that time, of that very specific-day. We feel for this guy, more and more as the flick goes on, and at the end of the day: we want him to walk-away with the girl, even if he doesn’t stand a chance in doing so.
Even though these two are great, the one who really sticks out like a sore thumb is Andrew McCarthy as Blane. McCarthy is so dull, so uninspired, and so boring, that it honestly is a wonder why any person in their right frame-of-mind would fall for such a sap like him. But then I remember; he has money! Oh yeah, that’s right! Basically, he’s one of those guys that just so happens to be Mr. Charming and the knight in shining armor, despite him not being able to bring anything to the table at all. He’s just a doofus and to watch him try to win over the heart of Andie, was as stupid as it could get. I would have liked it more if James Spader took this role over instead, even if Spader is pretty damn fun to watch as the high-school jerk-bag, Steff, who gets what he wants, when he wants it, and just schmoozes his way all throughout high-school, with a trusty-cigarette always located in his hand. He’s what cool is all about. Not this loser Blane.
Consensus: Although it may harbor some interesting and smart ideas about growing-up and finding love as a teenager, Pretty in Pink still loses itself by the end when everything gets overly-sappy and overly-annoying. However, it’s still an entertaining flick to watch that has aged-well in most parts. Not all, but most.
6.5 / 10 = Rental!!
Now that’s a real preppie!
Sixteen Candles (1984)
Glad I actually celebrated my Sweet Sixteen the right way. Hooters baby!
It’s Samantha Baker (Molly Ringwald)’s Sweet Sixteen and no one in her family remembers the occasion. What’s even worse is that she can get away from this creepy freshman (Anthony Michael Hall), and can’t have the boy she wants, the dreamy hot-stuff known as Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling). Everything she feels totally resonates with me, because I would always remember the days of when jocks would tease me with their hot bods, and the dorks would never get the hint that I didn’t want anything to do with them. Oh, high-school. How I miss you so!
Well, now that I’am officially a high-school graduate (have no idea how in the hell that happened) I can easily say that I do miss a little bit of it. Not all of it, but a bit of it. That’s why watching one of these flicks really hits me harder than I imagined because being all done with my high-school days, I can now look-back, reminisce, and realize that the 21st Century that I grew up in, isn’t that much different from the 80′s. Don’t know if it’s good or bad, but it’s just a matter of what hit me first. Nope, it’s definitely bad.
So, in case you didn’t know, this is the directorial debut of John Hughes who is one amazing writer that defined the 80′s. This was one of his most prime-examples for many reasons, but the main which being because the dude was able to get inside the mind of the youth going through teenage angst and show it in a funny, but very truthful way. Everything you see here, you remember from high school, whether it’d be a loving or angry memory. Everything from the nerds, to the high-school crush you never had a chance (I don’t know what that feels like because I get all of my babes), to the lame-o school dances, to the crazy after-parties, to the cheerleaders you never had a chance with, to the clubs that nobody cared about but were somehow there, and just all of the other signature things in-between that make high-school, well: high-school. Gets me a tad nostalgic now that I think about it, but I’m still holding back the tears.
Where was Jake Ryan on my Sweet 16?
Whenever you watch a film from the 80′s, you see all that happens and you listen to the dialogue, and what they thought was so hip and cool then, has sort of played-out now and been deemed, “lame”. However, Hughes’ writing has somehow been able to over-achieve that problem, and still have his writing be considered funny and actually, iconic in it’s own way of capturing what it was like to be a teen in the 80′s, but what it was like to be a teenager, angst-fueled and all. The guy knows how to write snappy, but humorous dialogue that doesn’t go over too many people’s heads, but can also still get to the bottom of the barrel and shows just what a freakin’ hassle it can be to be a teenager, and worst of all, having nobody remember your 16th birthday. Never happened to me, but shit, I would have been pissed-off to the high heavens had it happened.
Of course, though, this is Hughes’ first movie he’s ever directed, and to be honest; you can sort of tell. As I’ve mentioned before, the script is great and it has it’s fair-share of wonderful lines that make you belly-roll, but it does lose focus on Samantha Baker and begin to focus way, way too much on the side-characters that bring-out most of the humor in this story. Don’t get me wrong, I liked all of the side-stuff that Hughes had to throw in here for comedic-effect so we wouldn’t have what seemed like a Lifetime-movie on our hands, but when it seemed like it had to deliver that emotional and romantic-note at the end, it just came off as very weak and didn’t do much for me. The ending is probably not suited best for a 19-year-old, d-bag like myself, but still, for who it is for, it works and actually still has them ladies swooning until these very days.
No matter what any member of this cast has done in recent-time (and that’s not saying much), they will forever and always be remembered for being members of the illustrious “Brat Pack”, and this film is one of the main reasons why they were apart of it. I don’t know if the performances had to do anything with it, but they aren’t that shabby, either. Molly Ringwald feels like an actual 16-year-old gal going through the usual-problems that it seems like most teenaged-girls go through: school, boys, mom, dad, brother, sister, menstrual cycles, dances, money, etc. However, she isn’t always pissing around the whole movie about how nobody remembers her birthday, because when she does decide to cheer-up and look at the bright-side, the girl’s got a lot of charm to her that makes me wonder why she didn’t do more when her teenier-bopper days were long-gone. I could understand why, because people wouldn’t be able to get past the fact that she’s still that girl from all of the John Hughes movies, but still: the girl has obvious-talent on-display here and it’s sad that she didn’t continue. Oh well, it was probably her idea anyway. Either way, poor gal.
Eat your heart out, Jake.
Everybody knows and loves Anthony Michael Hall, not only because he seems like he’s the only one out of this main-cast to keep himself alive and well in the hearts of moviegoers, but because his character, Geek, is such a fun character to watch and Hall brings a lot to the character. Yes, his name is actually “Geek”, but don’t feel bad for him because he’s probably the best character in the whole movie and also the most-endearing as well. I highly doubt anybody would have ever thought that out of everybody here, he would be one of the more-successful ones to keep himself active, but hey, good for him. At least somebody’s keeping themselves a bit busy with life.
Can’t say the same thing about Michael Schoeffling, who plays the hunk amongst all hunks, Jake Ryan. Schoeffling is fine in this role but he isn’t given much to do other than look cool, suave, and sexy, so that Samantha, and all of the girls at home can just stare-at his beautiful-face all day and night. I guess it ain’t so bad when you think about it, but it didn’t do much for him in the future, since the guy’s last credit to-date was something called Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken. Oh dear, doesn’t sound all that hopeful to me. Also, why the hell would Gedde Watanabe speak out against his role as the iconic Asian, Long Duk Dong?!? I mean I can understand that the film shows a very racist and politically-incorrect look at Asians but still! ………Okay, now that I’ve actually thought about it, maybe he was right. Hey, it may have been the most stereo-typically racist thing you’ve ever seen on-screen but don’t try and tell me that you found it hard not saying, “What’s happening hot stuff?”, after you came back from watching this.
Consensus: May not be as good, as memorable, or as important as some of John Hughes’ other pieces of work, but Sixteen Candles is still a funny, smart, and honest-look into the life of teenager going through angst that may have you look back on your high-school years with a smile, and maybe even a chuckle. I know it did for me.
8 / 10 = Matinee!!
Oh, who’s he kidding!?!? Sign him up for the sequel!
Countdown to Claus: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
I’m definitely not having half of my family over for Christmas now.
Hapless Clark (Chevy Chase), exasperated Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo) and their ever-changing kids (Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki) gear up for Christmas. As usual, all the good intentions in the world can’t save them from disaster … or Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid), whose unannounced visit throws the house into further disarray.
Since it’s “the most wonderful time of the yeaaaaarrr” I thought it would be cool to do a little Christmas-movie marathon starting with a film that I loved when I was a kid, but now realize that it’s not as funny.
John Hughes wrote this screenplay and has a great blend of some real silly humor that gets mixed in with a lot of the cartoon mayhem that occurs around the time of Christmas. Hughes is obviously not afraid to get a little goofy with this film as he throws a lot slap-stick in our faces with Clark Griswold getting hit in the chin, then falling down a ladder, then falling through the ceiling, and then basically everything else catching on fire. I like how Hughes is able to have a little fun with this screenplay and is able to show his goofy side.
My problem with the script though is that there surely is a lot here in this script that is pretty annoying and not very funny at all. The slap-stick at first was funny but then there were scenes that went on way too long that seemed too cute to actually be considered funny. There’s a long-ass scene with a squirrel running rampant throughout the whole house-hold and everybody is running around like a bunch of goons to bring out some sort of laughter, when in reality, this was just a lame way to get some laughs. This isn’t the only scene that tries a little too hard to be funny but I can easily say that it’s the one I remember mostly rolling my eyes at.
Although I may rag on this film for not being terribly funny, like it was trying so hard to be, I still think it captured a lot of the fun, warmth, and joy that goes into the holiday season. I mean you got you’re whole family right there with ya’ to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside and the whole “getting the perfect Christmas tree” to the “lighting of the lights” is what really will make you feel all happy even if the comedy can’t do that much all for you.
Chevy Chase is great as as always as Clark Griswold who always seems to have everything figured out, until something changes right away to completley terrible. Chase has mastered this role and he shows no signs of a bad performance but it’s also a real shame considering that this guy doesn’t really do much now. The last time I probably saw him was actually in ‘Hot Tub Time Machine’ and to be brutally honest, he was the most forgettable part of that forgettable film. That’s saying something.
Randy Quaid seems to be having a lot of fun as Clark’s cousin, Eddie, who is a total country bumpkin which is where the majority of the jokes for this film come from. I’m not saying Quaid is bad or anything here, because he’s actually one of the more delightful performances in this flick, it’s just that all of the jokes here centered around him just being this total red-neck that can’t pay for anything or even use his head right. They pulled this joke about 15 times and wasn’t funny once so I have to say that Quaid kind of got pulled under the neath the crap-shoot here.
Consensus: While Christmas Vacation isn’t funny the whole time, there is still enough silliness and warm moments to make this a great seasoned treat for anyone wanting a nice little laugh right next to the Christmas tree.
5.5/10=Rental!!
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
Don’t take taxis during rush hour. This is what will probably happen to you.
Neal Page (Steve Martin) is a high-strung advertising executive who needs to get from New York to Chicago in a matter of two days, for Turkey Day. Many things go bad for Neal and he ends up being stuck with a very nice, eternally sunny, and somewhat intolerable dude named Del Griffith (John Candy), a shower-curtain salesman. Things go from bad to worse, and Neal is stuck with Del in trying to get back to his crib for the turkey. And honestly, who wouldn’t be rushing home for Thanksgiving dinner? Yummy yummy.
John Hughes is a great writer and director and those are the two strengths that are shown here incredibly well, especially with his writing. The whole script here is basically watching this tight-ass be tormented by horrible situations that honestly do go from bad to worse and a guy he always seems to sneak away from, but in the end, he always ends up being right back to where he started from. It’s a formula that is very obvious but somehow Hughes makes it work.
The humor here is hilarious because I just loved seeing a buddy-comedy that had funny situations mixed with a lot of the usual jokes that come from two guys who are polar opposites. Del is talkative, loving, and always happy, while Neal is somehow always tense, annoyed, angry, or just bothered by everything going on around him. This clash between two characters creates a whole lot of fun for the film but then again, I do love road films, so my opinion could be a bit biased.
What really adds to this film is the fact that the humor is under-lined with some sentimental moments, but it doesn’t feel forced or corny in anyway. Hughes is able to draw out these characters so much that by the end of the film, we really do understand them and care for them and hope that no matter what they are both happy, which may sound a little cheesy now but the film spends so much time with its comedy that when it actually does get a little soft, it surprisingly works. The ending is quite a heavy one and I think that’s a real surprise and tribute to what a true talent John Hughes was as a screen-writer.
My problem with this film was that it was a little too obvious that there is a lot more to this guy Del, then we actually think. Without giving anything away, we never really find out where this guy is going, why he’s going there, and just how the hell he ends up going the same way as Neal the whole film. This to me seemed pretty obvious and I think if Hughes wanted to really shock us, he could have just been a bit more mysterious with the character of Del.
There was also this one scene where we find out the big “twist” if you want to call it that, at the end of the film. The scene doesn’t last long and I think for the film to really give this hard-hitting emotional impact on the audience, the scene needed to be help up longer before we started getting into the real heavy ending. Then again, I could just be nit-picking like a the highly-esteemed movie critic that I always am deep down inside.
The main reason why this film works is because of the great performances given by Steve Martin and John Candy who give some of their most memorable performances of their careers, and that’s saying something. Martin is great as the stuck-up Neal, who always seems to be freaking out at everything, and there are also many other scenes where he gets to show his true comedic talent. If you don’t believe me, just watch the F-bomb scene, then you’ll see what I mean. Just wish the dude would step away from ‘Cheaper By the Dozen’.
Candy has never been better as Del and it’s probably my favorite performance from him (beating out ‘Uncle Buck’) because he’s just so damn likable. The guy is always happy, looking on the bright side of things, and whenever something bad seems to come his way he always finds his way of sneaking out of it and bringing out a positive. Candy has a lot of funny lines and funny scenes where he gets to show his playfulness on-screen, but it’s really about the heart that Candy brings out inside of Del that works. You can tell there is something underneath Del, and there are a couple of scenes that hint this and the way Candy shows it is just perfect and real showing of how great he was with both comedy and drama. If I was stuck with John Candy on a two-day trip, I can easily tell you it would be a hell of a time though!
Consensus: Planes, Trains and Automobiles uses a formula we have all seen before but somehow Hughes makes it even more hilarious than it has any right to be, which is also with some thanks to Candy and Martin who are perfect in these roles, bringing out both comedy and heart within their own characters. Perfect Thanksgiving film.
9/10=Full Price!!
Happy Turkey Day everyone!
Charlie Bartlett (2007)
This is the rare time when you actually see a drug dealer that cares.
This comedy follows the exploits of Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin), a miserable high school student who finds a novel way to fit in with his classmates: by pretending to be the school psychiatrist, dispensing advice and the occasional prescription medicine. Charlie’s sympathetic ear and ready access to drugs make him popular with the students, but his activities soon attract the unwelcome attention of the school principal (Robert Downey Jr.).
Here we have the 21st century answer to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off where basically this one kid, can practically run the whole school without any teachers even being found. However, the comparison is a little weak.
The screenplay for this film actually had some very good writing to it once the film got past all the annoying high-school movie cliches. I liked that in this comedy they had some teenage angst that actually was clever and very real. A lot of people don’t take time to actually listen to a lot of these kids, let alone teenagers, and if only one person can listen with his/her two ears, it can honestly make a whole hell of a difference.
With a lot of comedies that I see, I always see when a film gets sympathetic by the end and it’s usually terribly cheesy. However, in this film the sympathy in the film actually worked because it was thrown in at moments that it needed it the most as opposed to just throwing it in there in order to get some hearts warming up by the end of the film. You also will really start to care for these characters as the film goes on to the point as to where you don’t know who to like and who to dislike.
The problem with this screenplay is that this film actually being a satire on high-school, it should have bitten harder. I mean you have all of these kids, taking drugs, being total assholes towards authority, and an R-rating, so why wouldn’t you push the envelope just a bit. It was a real shame when I saw the roads this film could have actually went down because there are times when it can be a bit edgy but nothing ever too shocking to the point of where you haven’t seen anything like it in a high-school film before, which with the material this film had, could have easily been.
Another problem I had with this film was the non-stop homages and elements that actually seemed like they were borrowed from countless other high-school films such as Rushmore, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and of course the John Hughes films of the 80′s. Probably the most unneeded homage was to Harold and Maude where the film uses the song, “If You Want to Sing Out” by Cat Stevens, for no reason other than just to basically reference that film in a way that seemed kind of dumb actually.
Anton Yelchin does a very good job at Charlie Bartlett who goes from this total geek, to being the most popular and lovable kid in school. Bartlett has the smarts to make you actually believe he’s capable of doing all of this, he has the charms to where you could actually believe that he would be able to actually talk to all of these people he does talk to, and he’s a also a little bit goofy to show that he’s just like you or me, nothing more, nothing less.
Robert Downey Jr. is very good as Principal Gardner, who is basically always drunk but still has a lot of good lines to himself and as usual, Downey plays him to perfection; Hope Davis is also good as Bartlett’s ditzy mom, Marilyn; and Kat Dennings has great scenes when it’s just her and Yelchin together, which makes her an even better fit as Susan Gardner. All of these characters are fleshed out well and we all care about them so that when something bad happens, we actually feel a little bit of it too.
Consensus: Charlie Bartlett has some clever themes about teenagers and the angst they go through, as well some great performances from the cast but the film never goes anywhere beyond it’s R-rating and plays it safe way too much, which is a bummer because this could have really been some nasty and wild stuff since we are talking about high-school taking pills.
6/10=Rental!!
Easy A (2010)
I know too many chicks that this movie could be based on.
Ambitious student Olive (Emma Stone) decides to boost her popularity by pretending to be the school slut. As the school’s swirling rumor mill increases both her notoriety and her finances, Olive enjoys her newfound status but eventually must decide which is more important: popularity or self-esteem.
I think my favorite part of this film was it’s script. Being in high school myself, it was very easy to relate to some of the topics that this film was poking fun at, and a lot of the stuff they say is actually true of how high school actually can be. Times have changed since the good old John Hughes days, but the jokes remain the same. Now, while none of the jokes actually had me bursting into tears while laughing, there were some great one-liners and even some very clever and well-constructed jokes that were brought full circle at the end that were just great. I think I found this to be a lot more wittier than most teen comedies we get about 5 times a year, and for that I had a good time with it.
My gripe with this film was that it was kind of hard to take seriously since this subject would be such a huge talked about thing. In this age of webcams and sexting, virginity is not something you would expect from a high school senior. So I found this kind of unbelievable that this one chick that had sex, would be the main talk of the town.
There is also a slight problem with this film and it trying to get its point across. The film wants to have it both ways, because it wants to be smarter than your average teen comedy, but it still wants to show it’s female star dancing around and wearing slutty clothes, and somehow it doesn’t work well. It either needed to be about girl pretending to be a slut, or how judgmental Christian high-schoolers can be, but it can’t be both.
Emma Stone has spent much of her career being the best thing in bad movies, but now she’s given the chance to actually lead a film, and I must say she does a great job with it. I cannot think of another young actress in Hollywood who would have been able to pull off, and carry this role in the whole movie like Stone did. She’s kind of got a niche for herself playing a young girl, who’s wise beyond her years and that signature snappiness just always brings out the best lines. The rest of the ensemble cast does fine as well. Amanda Bynes plays the “Jesus freak” Marianne, and at first has a couple of funny scenes, but then her character starts to get over-played and becomes somewhat annoying. But I don’t think this is Bynes’ fault, as the film relies too much on her character for humor. Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci seem almost too sarcastic to be actual parents, but I found their scenes to almost be the funniest here and work so well. There’s also many other great little notices from the likes such as Thomas Haden Church, Lisa Kudrow, Malcolm McDowell, and Cam Gigandet, but the film doesn’t have them show up enough, and I wish the film actually gave more time to these acts rather than some dumb plot-line with the Christians. Still, I still did like this ensemble.
Consensus: Easy A may over-exaggerate it’s plot, but the witty screenplay that’s smarter than most teen comedies, and the perfect performance from Emma Stone make this a flawed, but entertaining love letter to the John Hughes films.
8/10=Matinee!!
She’s Having a Baby (1988)
I guess John Hughes can actually make films, that aren’t just about whiny teenagers.
This John Hughes classic follows high school sweethearts Jake and Kristy Briggs (Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern) as they settle into married life. But Jake’s not completely sold on the idea of giving up his freedom — or his fantasies of a dream girl. Kristy decides to speed things up by going off birth control without telling Jake — until three months later, when they’ve failed to conceive, and Jake agrees to go to a fertility clinic.
Much thanks to my man Peter, at Magic Lantern Film Blog, for mentioning this in his posts. I’ll make sure to keep on watching, what you say to watch my man.
Writer/Director John Hughes has always be known to make films that express restless teenagers, in a very adult-like situations, but with this one, he actually steps out of that shell, and puts real adults, in real adult situations, and the transformation is just great. So many people rag on this movie nowadays, saying this isn’t his best work, and their entitled to their opinion, but honestly, this is one of his best, mainly cause he is able to juggle out humor, and drama so well with this picture.
The screenplay is brutally honest. I’m not a father, nor am I husband of any kind, but the insight that is given here, is so real. These young couples in love, always move into nice, little suburban homes, have the kids, and become that pitch-perfect family, but do they really want that? The film brings this question up many times, as well as others, and it shows you the hard-ships that a wife, and husband, go through, when it comes to that idea of being dedicated, and having to put up with responsibility, ideas that this film bring up so well.
But the film has plenty of emotionally strong moments as well, that work, especially towards the end. The climax, works so well, that by the end of the film, after everything is all said and done, you are just stuck thinking about that little dramatic series, which rarely happens in films. There is also plenty of comedy in this film, much ado to Hughes great sense of satire when it comes to the “American family”, and how people view it as, and fantasize it as.
The one real problem I had with this film, that many others seem to have, is that it doesn’t know when to stop. John Hughes puts plenty of fantasy sequences in this film, to convey the sense of unbelievable feeling, and there are some parts, that are true, and funny, but other times, I found myself actually annoyed by how many there were, and how long they went for. There is just one stupid dream sequence, involving all the neighbors, and their lawn-mowers, as their dancing around, and its amusing for the first 3o seconds, but then it goes on for about 4 minutes, and then I just got annoyed.
Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern really do shine in this film, and keep you watching, even when the film is a bit stale. Bacon at first, starts off as this funny, immature, dude who isn’t ready to handle grown-up decisions, but by the end, you see him transform into somebody better, and more mature, and it’s all believable, but he still brings a lot of humor to his character. McGovern, is also very good, showing a lot of strength in her character, as well interest, even when it seems her character is pretty boring, compared to Bacon’s. Alec Baldwin also shows up in this film for about 3 scenes, and totally nails each one, mainly because he plays a deuche bag, and we all know he’s good at playing that, or is it an act?? hmmm…….
Consensus: Different, more mature, and overall smart film, by John Hughes that hits all levels of drama, and comedy, as well as showing great insight into the suburban life.
9/10=Full Pricee!!
American Teen (2008)
Being a teenager really can suck.
“American Teen” follows the lives of five teenagers–a jock, a popular girl, a heartthrob, an artsy girl and a geek–in one small town in Indiana through their senior year of high school.
Watching this film had me think of all of the stereotypes in my high school, and how these 5 on screen, are so interesting, but yet so real.
The film works well with keeping you glued watching, and interested at how real this is. These are how teens in the 21st century are, and although their not the brightest bunch, they still are human. And when I watched this, I just thought of all these kids, and how their stereotypes just ruin them, and they have like no chance to get anywhere away from that. This film does go a lot deeper than just the stereotypes that we see, and the challenges they face hit so close to home sometimes, its almost too real to be true.
However, the biggest problem I had for me, was that although i know this film is real, that’s without a doubt, so many ways I felt like it was scripted in ways, to keep the story interesting. Like moments where these two teens are in the hallway talking to each other about their feelings, just seems so cliche, that it honestly can’t be in a documentary. And also, I feel like the camera sort of takes away the reality from the situation, cause some people are sort of held-back to do, or say anything, cause they know their being filmed, which I hated, cause I just wanted to see a lot more at times, but the film just cuts right away from it.
The thing that keeps us most involved is the stories about these characters. The most interesting one was the artsy girl, Hannah, who’s liberal ways of living, make her like an out-cast compared to the rest of the small town of Warsaw. She goes through a lot of changes as a character, and watching her on screen, is just great, cause you really do feel like if you saw her in real life, you would probably hang out with her. The geek, Jake, has a good story because he’s looking for love, and it’s just sad to see how his whole love life pans out. The jock, Colin, has a good story on what pressure of sports, and a lack of a personal life, can do to you. But I wasn’t as interested by the heartthrob, and popular girl (Mitch and Megan)’s story. I didn’t find them a perfect fit for these other stories, and didn’t convey enough emotions for either of them to keep us glued on the screen.
Consensus: It’s not an amazing documentary, if you can call it that sometimes, but its entertaining, and provides a great deal of reality for people looking to see how teenagers act to everything they get in life.
7/10=Rental!!
Drillbit Taylor (2008)
Sounds like a porno, and in ways, I kind of wish it was.
Three high school freshmen devise a novel plan for dealing with the treacherous school bully: They hire a bodyguard. Salvation comes in the form of Drillbit Taylor (Owen Wilson), a beach bum ex-soldier who teaches the boys some handy life lessons. Leslie Mann co-stars as an English teacher.
What starts off as a fresh, and actually funny idea, then turns into one of the usual, crappy, high-school comedies, that don’t work at all.
The main problem with this film is that it’s tone is way off. There is some funny moments, however, the constant fighting, and bullying, actually starts to get darker, and pretty sad, to the point of where you don’t know whether to laugh, or start to feel bad for these kids, as almost everyday they go into school, and single handedly get raped. The bullying scenes were way over the top. These things would never happen and certainly would never happen now especially the duration of the abuse. Someone would be roughed up by the police and sued at the very least for displaying this level of violence at a public school.
But things get worse, because nothing nothing makes any sense. Owen Wilson just walks into a school, with a shirt and tie, and everybody already thinks hes a teacher. Also, the school in this must be the same ones used in almost every single high school film, where no teacher is around to see any of this.
Owen Wilson I will say got me through most of this, but he is playing the same guy, he does in every movie, but it always works. But we never knew, and understand why this guy turned out to be such a bum. We see that he has the smarts and charm to be something more, but we’re just left with the fact that he still lives on the streets. The three kids here are funny, and almost reminded me of Superbad, mainly because they did look like three high school freshman, but they can’t do much with this script.
It also sucks that this was John Hughes last film before he died, and I just want to say, that although this sucks, it kind of makes me know that, he will always and forever be a legend in the world of cinema, no matter how bad, or good his work was.
Consensus: Though it may have some funny moments, Drillbit Taylor has problems with it script, because it gets too carried away with bullying, and just doesn’t fit well in today’s world.
2/10=SomeOleBullShitt!!!
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
I wish when I skipped school, it was as fun as this.
High-schooler Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) knows everyone — and every trick to faking an illness. So with the entire school convinced he’s at death’s door, Bueller grabs his girlfriend (Mia Sara) and best friend (Alan Ruck) and hits the streets of Chicago for a well-deserved day off. Fed-up principal Ed Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) is determined to catch Bueller and put a premature end to his field trip. But it’s tough to outfox Ferris.
Writer/Director John Hughes is known as one of the premiere directors for when it comes to 80′s films. With films like Pretty in Pink, Breakfast Club, and now Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, it almost seems like Hughes is a teenager when he’s writing all this stuff.
There is a lot to love here, and the best thing about this film is the creative screenplay from Hughes. There is a lot of comedy here, for me, it was a lot of laugh out loud comedy, and other times it was little chuckles, but overall it had me laughing. But it’s not just the funny in here that’s great, it’s capturing the emotion, and the mind-setting that was within all the teenagers back in 1986. There are plenty of parts where they bring it up, but around this time was when the teenagers started rebelling against all their parents and standing up for themselves. It’s great to see how Hughes captures the generation of the 80′s teen, and he never stopped, but it’s a shame he had to go so soon. R.I.P. Brotha.
But it also delves a lot more into the fun of life. To be truly honest I was pretty jealous of everything Ferris was doing. I mean going on top of parade float singing The Beatles, driving around in my friend’s dad’s 1961 Ferrari GT California, and faking dinner reservations at a fancy ass place, makes me want to go do something fun. Ferris says it himself twice in the film: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” And that’s what this film is all about, enjoying the fun things in life while you have it, cause you never know when your going to have that chance again.
Matthew Broderick does a great job of portraying Ferris Bueller probably cause he feels like a real cool guy. He’s funny, he’s got the hot-ass girl, and he can basically get himself out of any situation. There are constant times when Bueller breaks the fourth wall and talks to us, and that brings us to connect more with his character, and say hey, this guy is really cool, I wish I was him, or at least hanging out with him. It sucks that Broderick doesn’t do much stuff now, but for me, he always be a lovable star.
Other characters in this movie are great too. Alan Ruck as Cameron is the most developed character in the movie, and although is a total mook that can annoy you, you feel the pain he feels, and he has one scene where he’s on the phone with principal Rooney, posing as Sloane’s dad, and it’s easily the funniest scene, and that car scene is just perfect. Mia Sara does nothing now, and that kind of sucks, cause she’s actually good in this. Jeffrey Jones is good here as Mr. Rooney, who is just the biggest d-bag ever, and he reminds you of all high school principals out there. Too bad that guy had to have child porno caught on him, he would still be in a lot of stuff, creepy bastard. There is also some great stuff from Ben Stein, and an amazing cameo from the always funny Charlie Sheen.
The only problem I had with the film that doesn’t make it one of my all-time favorites, is that it doesn’t go far enough, as far as other’s character’s emotions, and feelings, but it all still works none the less.
Consensus: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a prime example of a film that’s hilarious, fun to watch, but well-written, with plenty of ideas and trends about the times in the 80′s, with a timeless message of life.
9/10=Full Pricee!!!
