Details
Movie Description
Robert Altman's take on the influential genre of the 1980s teen comedy surpasses most of its contemporaries in style and humor, although it never enjoyed the same success many of those films did. The film, based on a short story that ran in NATIONAL LAMPOON magazine, appears to be an excuse for the director to make an episodic comedy that will stop at nothing to get a laugh, and while this effort may not be one of Altman's best--it remains a funny, richly-layered satire of the teen exploitation genre.
Synopsis
O.C. (Daniel H. Jenkins) and Stiggs (Neill Barry) are two Arizona teenagers who are intent on making life miserable for their nerdy neighbors, the Schwabs--Randall (Paul Dooley), Elinore (Jane Curtain), Randall Jr. (Jon Cryer), and Lenora (Laura Urstein). The pair idolize musician King Sunny Ade, and when they find out he's playing a show in Mexico, they travel to see him with their dimwitted friend Barney (James Gilsenan). As the summer progresses, O.C. and Stiggs continue to torment the Schwabs--at Lenora's wedding, and the opening night of the local theatre group's play, to which they invite King Sunny Ade and his African Beats to perform. Another free-wheeling comedy in the tradition of M*A*S*H, O.C. AND STIGGS finds Altman dipping into the popular 1980s teen genre yet with his flair for the absurd. He also throws in comedic self-references to his other films such as NASHVILLE's presidential hopeful Hal Phillip Walker (Thomas Hal Phillips). Actors Melvin Van Peebles and Martin Mull also add to the light-hearted affair, as does Dennis Hopper, whose crazed Vietnam veteran mirrors the role he played in APOCALYPSE NOW.
Film Notes
The film was shelved by MGM for three years before they finally decided to release it in selected cities. It was released in New York City on March 18, 1988.
Industry Reviews
"...[Altman's] satirical side is given unusually free rein....Lively, colorful..."
Maslin
"...[The] performances are uniformly good, with Dennis Hopper once again excelling as a madman..."
Variety - Jagr. (07/15/1987)
"...The satire is vicious, but Altman's handling is buoyant and worldly....[The film] has a wistful, bright look..."
Los Angeles Times - Michael Wilmington (10/10/1987)
|
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
All rights reserved.
