Tuesday, December 28, 2010
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
Today's film was Steve Pink's
This is a loud, profane and excessive comedy with a very poignant heart.
Three close friends who have ended up unhappy in their 40's are transported back to the 80's when "we were happy". Not.
The comedy situations are sometimes tough to take, some homophobic, but then I realized everyone was getting the shit kicked out of them and that these guys were pathetically threatened by sexuality at all. And as close friends, they were even more leary about anything "along that line".
Straight, so to speak, out of the asshole manual that they talk about.
I knew John Cusack but not the other three. One is Cusack's nephew. Also a pathetic loser at 20, scared of his own shadow.
Here is the power of this film.
Just when the absurdity of all the jokes and horseplay reaches a max, the film takes off in another direction. It gets funnier, it gets genuinely sadder and then, well that is the payoff.
Friends, guy friends, can love one another and be caring. And all for one and one for all.
I was almost ready to pull the plug early on but stayed to have more and more fun. The last ten minutes is great. And makes the first 90 minutes mean all the more.
The layers come together. Hints from the past are sewn up. Very nice.
There is a nice touch with Crispin Glover, the original Marty McFly, as a key character in the time machine routine.
I didn't know the 80s were so mockable. At first, like these guys, I didn't even get that they had gone back. It all seemed normal to me!
So, I will give it a 4 out of Netflix5. I would get more out of seeing it again. I think I got most of the jokes but a return would be nice.
Labels: films
