So, I had to do a short film review for my Editorial Writing class. I've seen a lot of good movies. Hell, I manage a movie theater, and my dad has owned it since 1982. Having so much material to pull from, it was clear to me what I had to do. Corey Haim may never be my third husband, but I can still pay homage to him every chance I get.
Without further ado, here it is.
Bogey and Bacall. Hepburn and Tracy. Astaire and Rogers. These are just a few of the legendary pairings who look like amateurs compared to the king of all acting duos: Haim and Feldman. If you haven’t had the absolute pleasure of watching “License to Drive”, their 1988 silver screen masterpiece, then stop what you’re doing, no matter what it is, and watch it, no matter how difficult it might seem.
What doesn’t this movie have? Protagonist who talks to the camera: check. A young Heather Graham: check. Scenes in the DMV: check. Twin sister character: check. Carol Kane: check. The list goes on and on. Are you looking for Corey Haim to grin adorably? You won’t be disappointed. Are you looking for Corey Feldman to be the slightly darker character of the two Coreys? It’s your lucky day! Are you hoping for never-ending hijinks to ensue? Oh, boy, are you going to be excited!
You might be wondering about the plot. Don’t. There is no need for a well-developed plot with this depth of cast. Richard Masur’s moustache did not get its own billing, but it should have. Likewise with the family car.
Director Greg Beeman was truly blessed with this manna from cinematic heaven. He had to do very little to ensure that teenage girls would flock to theaters to watch, and that’s exactly what he did. Close-ups of Heather Graham’s blue eyes and helpless expression (that expression may have been real) abounded. The script may as well have read as follows: For 88 minutes, let Carol Kane be frazzled and zany. Let Haim grin and let Feldman furrow his eyebrows. Throw in a conspiratorial father-son moment (or two)! Destroy stuff. Make the girl cute and show her legs off accordingly. Make the twin sister a bookish contrast to Haim’s Haim-like mirth. And for God’s sake, keep it PG-13 appropriate! Think of our demographic here!
If you were thinking that the soundtrack had no legendary title track, you would be wrong yet again, and at this point, maybe consider walking away from the cinematic guessing game. BILLY OCEAN. That’s right, “Get Out of My Dreams, Get Into My Car” provided not only a movie-appropriate title track, but come on! Have you HEARD the song?
All in all, this movie was a recipe for late-80’s success. It achieved exactly what I imagine it set out to do: draw in teenage girls, and accordingly, their teenage dates who would see anything if it meant potentially holding hands and maybe even making out with them while said girls pretended they were with (either) Corey instead.
No comments:
Post a Comment