After decades of evolution, by the 1980’s, American institutions like high school, suburban life, road trips, nightlife, and the military had become regular, common, shared American experiences. Many 80’s movies, particularly light comedies and especially movies by John Hughes, were a slice of this contemporary American life. The light comedies using these American institutions as a backdrop followed the same formula: a superficial problem threatens the main character’s enjoyment of and rightful place in that institution, feel-good music follows the character as they figure out how to resolve the issue, and a climactic scene shows the character proving himself and restoring his rightful place in that institution.
Unfortunately, in this one, there’s not an ounce of smart humor. John Candy is better than this.
I like how their fatal mistake is to overload an already heavy boat with extra people, photography gear, a refrigerator, and a bunch of useless pirate props, and the solution is to throw everything overboard and massively pollute the ocean. Times have changed.
Enough obnoxious Footloose placement to take me out of the movie.
I'm a
Recent Comments