Youthful Comfort Movies 🙃

 

Youthful Comfort Movies

by Kristin Battestella

Put on your nostalgia goggles and swaddle yourself in these fanciful, often preposterous charmers! Good or bad, the comedy hi jinks in these once derided but now beloved and sentimental films of our youth have become comfort viewings from simpler times.

Drop Dead Fred – I love this 1991 romp starring meek wife Phoebe Cates (Fast Time at Ridgemont High), her domineering mother Marsha Mason (The Goodbye Girl), and the titular imaginary friend Rik Mayall (Blackadder). Despite the unevenness between the mature break up drama and the juvenile flashbacks, there's a certain innocence to the vignettes and individual character moments – chopped off hair, paint doused old ladies, shampooed carpet perils and all. Not to mention smoking while power walking, houseboat sinking, office dalliances ruined scene stealer Carrie Fisher (Star Wars) amid the doubly nostalgic nineties phone booths, dowdy styles, little girl pink and white bedrooms, and a vintage jack in the box. Between the overbearing mother, a philandering husband, fires, getting fired, and everything else going wrong, we understand the withdraw into a fantasy childhood world. Going without the stars early was not an option, but we should have seen all the past at the start rather than utilizing flashbacks that disrupt the momentum. Fortunately, the backstory endears the over the top rowdy as viewers see the wonder lost as little girls are made to bottle up their zest – disrupting the ability to face reality as an adult. Why confront the trauma or numb it all with pills when acting like a child is such devious grown up fun? The who's actually doing what wink at the destructive imaginary antics wraps the manifested problems and emotionally abusive relationships in cozy comforts. Sound effects and graphics are dated and some fashions garish, but the now relatively tame gross out humor is delicious fun thanks to Mayall's zingers and squashed head in the refrigerator. Fred's impish support alleviates the youth crying for help as parents punish instead of taking a look at themselves. Rather than mental healthcare, we neutralize our pain with destructive vices because as grown ups with responsibilities, we can't retreat into hi jinks without consequences every time we get scared. Adults may find the surreal dream sequence resolution either profound or preposterous, and kids will probably tune out on the mud pie mischief thanks to the underlying dark themes so it's tough to know who the audience is for this facing our fears lesson. Despite the pacing flaws, one must appreciate the rowdy as well as the tender, and this lighthearted protectiveness is more enjoyable than today's dark psychological trends. Ultimately, this is about regaining joy and cutting the crap out of one's life. “Be gone, Evil One!”

Empire Records – Everyday is Rex Manning day thanks to crop tops, short skirts, combat boots, head shavings, compact discs, and Gin Blossoms in this 1995 steeped slice of life. Liv Tyler (Lord of the Rings), Renee Zellwegger (Chicago), and Robin Tunney (The Craft) carry the independent record store versus corporate buyouts and damn the man anarchy as Anthony LaPaglia (Without a Trace), Debi Mazar (Younger), Ethan Embry (Can't Hardly Wait), Rory Cochrane (Dazed and Confused), and Maxwell Caulfield (Grease 2) clash over stolen receipts, has beens, shoplifting, and vinyl legacy. The stolen money and save the store underdog tangible isn't as important as the layered themes, cries for help, and pressure for these teens to get their messy lives together when everything after high school is still up in the air. Overachievers and drugs, virgin and bad girl reputations, slackers or skaters – it's easier to turn up the music and dance but fake funerals allow the ensemble to voice their fears. Unhappy coworkers become friends having a good time in this day where nothing happens yet so much happens. Cool sunglasses, drums, and motorcycles accent what looks like a neat place to work with colorful set design, store fronts, stairs, and rooftop spaces for visual interest, angst, and self-expression. Old credit card imprinters, cassettes, and record listening booths contrast then contemporary character styles – identifiable but unique rather than typical cheerleader, jock, geek. While of its time, the well chosen soundtrack reflects the characters and events in almost musical fashion, however editing and deleted or missing scenes are apparent as people and encounters seem important then go unexplained. The ending is typical with a silly rooftop concert that makes everything fine when throughout the film each of the characters expressly shout that nothing is actually fine. If you didn't see this then the tone may be dated or even downright wacky for viewers who weren't born yet. Thankfully for those that remember the nineties promise with CD changers, music videos, askew posters, and existential quarters glued to the floor as art this is a perfect time capsule. “Say No More (Mon Amour)” is also better than the drivel today, fight me.

Summer School – From the Texas Chainsaw Massacre classroom viewing and the sofa on fire party to the test drive crashes and teens drinking on the beach – there is quite a lot in this 1987 comedy starring Mark Harmon (NCIS), Courtney Thorne-Smith (Melrose Place), and Kirstie Alley (Cheers) that would not fly today. Director Carl Reiner (The Jerk) and writer Jeff Franklin (Full House) populate the eponymous course with slackers, a beach bum gym teacher, goofy field trips, saucy foreign exchange students, strip clubs, study bribes, surf boards, cute dogs, and more horror pranks. Shoulder pads, beach gear, and one earring styles maximize the eighties charm amid going to jail on roller skates, swearing, gestures, and raunchy innuendo both now tame yet then surprising for a PG-13 picture. Roll call introductions, lighthearted tunes, and peppy montages assure everyone has their absurd good fun as punchlines, visual gags, food, oral fixations, and performances accentuate the comedy rather than rely on today's gross out extremes. Serious issues such as family troubles, teacher romance, student crushes, teen pregnancy, toxic behaviors, dyslexia, and reaching for the youths the system lets fall through the cracks are touched upon as the kids themselves believe they are failures when they are capable of much more. Grades are not a reflection of one's potential, but not every educator is in it for the students and the underachievers must make strides against the smug jerks in their way. One can't expect the premise to make sense here – the number of students changes throughout, the big test doesn't mean much, and the parents are pleased with this education experience despite all the mayhem and the still failing grades. Fortunately, there's a certain then innocence and comfort to the ease and excuses. Nostalgic audiences can zone out and enjoy the preposterous or spot another goofy quip with each re-watch. Personally, I think of that “Tension-breaker. Had to be done.” scream often these days.