mruzick3
10-18-2003, 03:02 PM
I've noticed it's been quite a while since this feature has turned up so I thought I might give it a try in the appropriately named MY TURN forum.
It's approaching winter and the Christmas decorations are going up rapidly, but I can't help looking back at the warmth of summer. Seems like it was only last month when I was at the beach with my dog without a worry about Grad school. Then again, it was about 16 years ago that a group of fictional deliquents were making their reluctant appearance at the first day of school just blocks away from the freedom offered by the Southern California beaches. 'Summer School' was a mediocre achievement by Carl Reiner attempting to combine 'The Breakfast Club' with an after-school special theme and a man on the verge of a mid-life crisis. However, my teenage sentimentalities took to this film like Courtney Thorne-Smith's character took to the waves. My best friend and I made it a point to memorize every line Chainsaw (as in -Texas Massacre and not -Black and Deker) and Dave spouted to the new and disgruntled summer school teacher Shoop, Mark Harmon in a era defining role, who was recuited by force by his yuppie nemisis Vice Principal Phil Gills.
What made this film resonate with me was it's comedic and yet serious look at teenagers of the time. Compare today's teens with the late '80's high school students this film (or any film made for teens at the time) represent. Chainsaw and Dave had an encyclopedic knowledge of every classic gore film made and used that knowledge to "decorate" the classroom in blood spattered murder in one memorable scene. You have a few of the girls who were victims of circumstance. Whether by pregnancy, illiteracy, or an overbearing family, the growing women found themselves through their accomplishments in that summer. There were, of course, the old standards; the fluke nerd who failed, the jock who just failed, and the pretty boy who's moonlighting had caused insomnia and bad grades. And to put a comic and sexual twist in this story you have the Italian exchange student who, I swear, just stepped out of a swimsuit calendar. This last added character insured repeated rentals.
With all this you could almost forgive Reiner for casting Kirstie Alley, fresh from the 'Cheers' set, to play the love interest. This movie was fun. It didn't really fall into the 'One Crazy Summer' us-against-them genre and didn't quite fit into the finely tuned Hughes collection of teen angst films. It was different and taught me the hilarious value of killer bunnies at a petting zoo and a dog in love with a doll head. It taught me that bribes will get any teen to study and a well crafted letter can get you anything for free. Besides, no problem is so big that an afternoon screening of the 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' couldn't help resolve, so you may as well just give in and have a good time.
_________________________________
Mike Ruzicka
It's approaching winter and the Christmas decorations are going up rapidly, but I can't help looking back at the warmth of summer. Seems like it was only last month when I was at the beach with my dog without a worry about Grad school. Then again, it was about 16 years ago that a group of fictional deliquents were making their reluctant appearance at the first day of school just blocks away from the freedom offered by the Southern California beaches. 'Summer School' was a mediocre achievement by Carl Reiner attempting to combine 'The Breakfast Club' with an after-school special theme and a man on the verge of a mid-life crisis. However, my teenage sentimentalities took to this film like Courtney Thorne-Smith's character took to the waves. My best friend and I made it a point to memorize every line Chainsaw (as in -Texas Massacre and not -Black and Deker) and Dave spouted to the new and disgruntled summer school teacher Shoop, Mark Harmon in a era defining role, who was recuited by force by his yuppie nemisis Vice Principal Phil Gills.
What made this film resonate with me was it's comedic and yet serious look at teenagers of the time. Compare today's teens with the late '80's high school students this film (or any film made for teens at the time) represent. Chainsaw and Dave had an encyclopedic knowledge of every classic gore film made and used that knowledge to "decorate" the classroom in blood spattered murder in one memorable scene. You have a few of the girls who were victims of circumstance. Whether by pregnancy, illiteracy, or an overbearing family, the growing women found themselves through their accomplishments in that summer. There were, of course, the old standards; the fluke nerd who failed, the jock who just failed, and the pretty boy who's moonlighting had caused insomnia and bad grades. And to put a comic and sexual twist in this story you have the Italian exchange student who, I swear, just stepped out of a swimsuit calendar. This last added character insured repeated rentals.
With all this you could almost forgive Reiner for casting Kirstie Alley, fresh from the 'Cheers' set, to play the love interest. This movie was fun. It didn't really fall into the 'One Crazy Summer' us-against-them genre and didn't quite fit into the finely tuned Hughes collection of teen angst films. It was different and taught me the hilarious value of killer bunnies at a petting zoo and a dog in love with a doll head. It taught me that bribes will get any teen to study and a well crafted letter can get you anything for free. Besides, no problem is so big that an afternoon screening of the 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' couldn't help resolve, so you may as well just give in and have a good time.
_________________________________
Mike Ruzicka