Movie Review: National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)

A road trip comedy, National Lampoon's Vacation concocts a hit-and-miss subversive mix of dark humour with seemingly innocent family fun.

The eternally optimistic Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) insists on taking his family on a long road trip from Chicago to the Walley World theme park in Los Angeles. His wife Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) and kids Rusty and Audrey (Anthony Michael Hall and Dana Barron) are less enthusiastic but pack into the newly acquired garish green Wagon Queen Family Truckster station wagon to embark on the trip.

Along the way they stop in Kansas to visit Ellen's country bumpkin cousin Catherine (Miriam Flynn), her husband Eddie (Randy Quaid) and their numerous children. Ellen and Eddie foist Phoenix-bound Aunt Edna (Imogene Coca) and her gnarly dog onto the Griswolds. The adventurous episodes continue, including an unscheduled sojourn into the desert and frequent encounters with a beautiful woman (Christie Brinkley) driving a red Ferrari.

Trendsetting for its time, National Lampoon's Vacation was written by John Hughes (based on his short story for National Lampoon magazine), and directed by Harold Ramis. The film features coarse language spouted in front of children, mild nudity, animal cruelty, sudden death, a theme of middle-aged lust, and unhinged behaviour that tips into armed threats. But it's all presented in the context of an uproariously fun family road trip with a cheerful father egging his brood to have a good time.

The film's dual personality is what gives it a sharp edge, because otherwise this is an episodic and fairly sparse comedy singularly lacking in narrative arcs or character depth. Beyond Clark's insistence that the family ought to have fun no matter how little fun they are having, the film trundles on from one set piece to another, fully dependent on abject stupidity to land the Griswolds in their next mess.

Clark's other journey is that of a middle aged man lusting after a mythical sexy girl driving a super sportscar. The reality is that no Christie Brinkley would ever cast a second glance at a doofus like Clark Griswold as he lugs his family around in a ridiculous station wagon, and this is part of Hughes' perverted take on comedy.

Chevy Chase's screen persona of the straight man with a much higher opinion of himself than merited is perfectly deployed to create Griswold, and he arrows through the film on a downward trajectory towards total humiliation. Other funny men appear in small roles, including Eugene Levy as a car salesman and John Candy as a security guard at Walley World.

National Lampoon's Vacation travels the bumpy road of comedy, delivering some laughs, some bewilderment and plenty of silliness.

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Movie Review: The Breakfast Club (1985)

A coming-of-age high school dramatic comedy, The Breakfast Club is a sharply defined study of five memorable characters under stress. With the feel of an intimate play and career-defining performances from the young cast, director and writer John Hughes established his reputation as the voice of youth and mentor for a new generation of actors.

It's Saturday in suburban Chicago, and five Shermer High School students have to spend the entire day in detention as punishment for poor behaviour. Andy (Emilio Estevez) is the jock on the school wrestling team, Claire (Molly Ringwald) is the princess primarily interested in shopping and make up, Bender (Judd Nelson) is the psychological bully from a rough home, Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) is the nerd, and Allison (Ally Sheedy) is just weird. The five barely know each other. Under the supervision of assistant principal Richard Vernon (Paul Gleason), they are confined to the library for the day and ordered to write a 1,000 word essay each.  But with Bender as prime catalyst and mood disruptor, they do little writing and plenty of talking.

Initially the conversations are difficult and confrontational, and there is plenty of teasing, insulting and acrimony. But over the course of the day, they get to know each other, including uncovering family backgrounds and the reasons why they all ended up in detention. As they try to stay one step ahead of Vernon's authoritarianism, the green shoots of respect and understanding begin to appear within the group.

Written by Hughes and pulled together as an ensemble piece on essentially a single set, The Breakfast Club delves into the anxieties of teenagers, scraping away the hardened outside shells to find real people inside. As the external postures are stripped away, surprising commonalities are found, emotions are shared and previously unthinkable bonds are allowed to form under the umbrella of shared burdens.

The Breakfast Club is not without its creaky moments. The pacing is episodic, with the emotions and confrontations that are laid bare in one scene frequently all but forgotten in the next. And the ending, with sudden attractions materializing, appears rushed and predetermined for the sake of generating some warm kisses and unconvincing romantic sparks.  And assistant principal Vernon is just too deserving of any trouble that the kids manage to dish out.

But to the sounds of what became the generational anthem Don't You (Forget About Me) by the Simple Minds, the five young actors overcome the weaknesses in the script with outstanding performances, Judd Nelson leading the group. Bender is the troubled kid convinced despite all contrary evidence that he is tougher than his surroundings, and Nelson plays him with a cool eyed intensity that never wavers. He is merciless in picking on Claire, but is smart enough to stop just short of assaulting Vernon when fully afforded the opportunity. Nelson explores the coiled internal tension that only comes from an abusive household, as Bender's restlessness means that he cannot help but stir things up to spread the misery. Hughes explains Bender's attitude but never softens him up into a victim or a potential reformed kid.

Molly Ringwald, just 16 when filming The Breakfast Club, embodies every popular, rich, pretty girl more interested in friends, shopping and hanging out than reaching out or stretching academically. Ringwald brings a tough naiveté to Claire, a privileged girl fully enjoying the entitlement of coasting through high school and not having to deal with neither effort nor kids like Bender. On this Saturday Claire has to share time and space with a group of students that are typically beneath her, and Ringwald conveys vulnerability as an easy target but also a gradual awakening to new realities.

Allison is the most opaque character, and Ally Sheedy nails the dark kid who hovers like a ghostly presence at the back of the room. Allison is the slowest among the group to reveal herself, and she just gets weirder and more interesting the more she opens up, the pieces of her puzzle adding to the confusion rather than assembling into a whole.

Andy and Brian are the relatively straightforward personalities, Emilio Estevez projecting uneasy conflict as he walks the line between being trying to be cool and stepping in to protect Claire from Bender's browbeating. Anthony Michael Hall further develops his screen nerd persona, trying to fit in but always just a little bit clumsy in his social interactions. Andy and Brian find common ground when they both admit to the enormous pressure they feel from their parents to perform, Andy on the wrestling mat and Brian on all his exams.

In baring the souls of five disparate characters, The Breakfast Club shines as a unique examination of the teenager, and as an impossible to forget film experience.

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Movie Review: Sixteen Candles (1984)

A wistful coming-of-age high school comedy, Sixteen Candles was the first in a series of landmark John Hughes films exploring teen angst, and his first collaboration with Molly Ringwald. The film easily swims in the turbulent waters of the teen world, where the briefest of glances between boy and girl can carry the most exaggerated of meanings.

It's the sixteenth birthday of Samantha Baker (Ringwald), but none of her family members are even aware of her big day. Mom (Carlin Glynn) and Dad (Paul Dooley) are preoccupied with the upcoming wedding of Sam's older sister Ginny (Blanche Baker). To make matters worse, Sam is kicked out of her bedroom to make room for the arrival of two sets of annoying grandparents, while her younger brother (Justin Henry, of Kramer vs. Kramer fame) insults her for sport. And somehow, a Chinese exchange student by the name of Long Duk Dong (Gedde Watanabe) also arrives to stay at the Baker's house.

But Sam's real problems are at school. She covets the attention of hunky Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling), although she is convinced (wrongly) that he does not even know that she exists. Jake's trophy girlfriend Caroline (Haviland Morris) is proving to be a major pain, while the obnoxiously sweet Ted, better known as just Geek (Anthony Michael Hall) is doing all he can to gain Sam's attention, mainly to win bets with his friends (including a young John Cusack).

Hughes fills every frame of Sixteen Candles with manic activity, and there is always something going on in the background and in every corner of what the camera casually captures. As much as Hughes understands and reflects the conversations, hopes, fears and embarrassments of teens, it's the entire overwhelming teen experience of life flooding in to clear out the security blanket of childhood misconceptions that he nails, from the highs to the lows and everything in between.

Ringwald, in her breakout role, provides an affecting performance as Sam, her eyes and mouth conniving to create a victimized pout that can't quite succeed in hiding a slightly mischievous character. Understated, vulnerable, sassy and resigned to thrashing her way through the turbulence of high school crushes, Ringwald's Samantha  radiates the natural and awkward charm of a girl opening her eyes to the chaos of adulthood, coveting the attention of her parents while beginning to carve her niche in the world.

Michael Schoeffling did not have much to work with, the handsome yet sensitive personality of Jake almost too good to be true, although the character became a durable legendary ideal for teen girls. His only problem is his girlfriend, and Caroline is all too easy to dispose of after a few drinks. Anthony Michael Hall leaves a stronger impression as the Geek, a uniquely self-aware personality struggling to make a breakthrough with girls while adhering to the confines of nerdiness. Hall used this springboard for several further collaborations with Hughes and a brief reign as the most likable brainy persona in the movies. Cusack, as one of the Geek's even more geeky friends, emerged from the supporting cast to enjoy a stellar career.

Sixteen Candles is funny, thoughtful, heartfelt, and sometimes chaotic -- a good metaphor for what being sixteen is all about.

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