It wasn't really my intention to turn this theme week into one where I just watch movies from a particular level of school. I was worried about having too many high school movies and not enough college ones but then something hit me- there aren't a lot of good movies that take place at college. That doesn't mean that they are all bad, because that's certainly not the case. However, the ones that are good stand out so heavily because the competition doesn't really rise to the highest tide. Good Will Hunting is a great drama and the Oscars recognized that. Old School and Road Trip were beloved in the early 2000's as raunchy comedic romps. But those sort of have a been there done that quality to them. Hunting is a film I'd like to touch on at some point but after the drama on Monday, and the drama disguised as a comedy yesterday I needed to back load this week with comedies.
Seeing as that is my mission than for most people they would assume I would have to do Animal House. As far as comedies go it's right near the top of the list. However, to me it feels sort of like a movie everyone knows. It's ubiquitous. It's been parodied, analyzed, and quoted into a mass of a film and there's really no new ground I can hook into it. Often when people discuss the best songs of all time they point to Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven," as being the best epic song. Animal House is sort of like that. If you buy that analogy, then Back to School starring Rodney Dangerfield is Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song." A beautiful helter skelter style piece of art that is nothing more than candy for the senses. This is a fun movie and it's one you need to see if you've never done so.
I think it's sad that there is a significant portion of people that don't quite understand how popular Rodney was at one point in his career. He was a great stand up comedian and then he was everywhere in popular comedies of the early 1980's. Caddyshack is the one everyone knows, but Easy Money was very good as was this film. In the 90's Rodeny did an animated film and then bit parts before getting Meet Wally Sparks and My 5 Wives (both terrible films). The premise is one of those only in the movies plots.
Thornton Meloni is a true rags to riches story. He didn't have a good education and his dad was incredibly tough on him as a youngster. One day Meloni goes to visit his son at college and realizes that he has been telling him lies about being on the swim team at school. The son is considering dropping out so Thornton decides to enroll in the college in a sign of solidarity with his son trying to convince him to stay enrolled. From there you get a similar type of film to Caddyshack where the tight crusted literati is against the more free-wheeling ways of Rodney' character which creates conflict.
What sells the film though is similar to what sells Caddyshack. It isn't just focused around Rodney providing punchlines and quips. There are some great performances surrounding everything here provided by actors like Sally Kellerman, Robert Downey Jr. and William Zabka. But the star of the film is clearly Dangerfield, and not just because of the comedy.
It's hard to determine whether this part or Al from Caddyshack is the better role, but I think it's safe to say that Thornton here is a more refined version of Al. Not better or classier, but Rodney seemed to have a better handle on how to play the part without the rough edges. This happens because this is basically the character that Rodney had worked on for years in his stand-up act. Rodeny's act was always about an undercurrent of proving he wasn't a loser even though that is how the people with money-like him- viewed him. Rodeny was keenly aware that the best way to get at those people was to undercut them at every turn. Force them to show that they aren't as polished around the edges like they want to pretend to be. It's an image they portray and Rodney was all about cutting thorough that and essentially saying, "Cut the crap."
The part does move away enough from Dangerfield's "I can't get any respect," style though to not feel like a warmed over version of his act. It's familiar ground for sure, but there are enough nuances in the character that it never feels stale- which is something that actors today have trouble with. The lines in this film are great and the one-liners come fast and furiously throughout.
- Bring us a pitcher of beer every seven minutes until somebody passes out. And then bring one every ten minutes
- How would you characterize "The Great Gatsby"?
He was... uh... great!
- The football team at my high school, they were tough. After they sacked the quarterback, they went after his family.
All those line work and there are more where they came from. This is a film that feels fresh 25 years later and is inherently rewatchable which is something you can't say about a lot of comedies.
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