![]() If you were to ask me what the ultimate "all-nighter" movie is, I think the first thing to spring to mind would be 'Dazed and Confused'. It was just that big a deal in the late 90's. But I'd have to say that the classic of the sub-genre (that I feel like I made up, but it totally exists) that kinda got things rolling, it's gotta be 'American Graffiti'! What's an "all-nighter" movie, you ask? It's quite simply a movie, usually a comedy, that takes place within a 24-hour span. This is typically over the course of the night, as they're more or less "party" movies. Besides the two examples posed, 'Project X', 'Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle' and 'Superbad' are other prime examples. 'American Graffiti', released in '73, highlights the end of the summer of '62 (so yes, I'm cheating a bit here on the theme this month) for a handful of high school graduates who are about to go their separate ways. First up, we have Curt Henderson and Steve Bolander (Richard Dreyfus and Ron Howard, respectively). About to go to college on a scholarship, Curt starts having second thoughts about leaving it all behind. Steve, however, is ready to go with him and start fresh, quite happily leaving everything behind, including his girlfriend, who is also Curt's sister, Laurie (Cindy Williams). Curt's beliefs that he should stay behind are even strengthened by the now somewhat famous scene of Suzanne Somers mouthing the words "I love you" to him in a passing-by T-Bird. Meanwhile, we have super geek, Terry, a.k.a. "Toad" (Charlie Martin Smith) who has access to Steve's car for the night - a '58 Chevy Impala. He manages to find the lovely Debbie (Candy Clark) and have a side adventure with her. Then, in a third story, there's John (Paul Le Mat) - a greaser type, who proudly cruises around in his '32 Ford Coupe while he's tricked into towing around a young teenage girl named Carol (Mackenzie Phillips). All the while, he's being sought after by Bob Falfa (Harrison Ford - pre "Star Wars' breakout) and his '55 Chevy for a drag race. The entirety of the movie jumps between these characters and their respective stories. One could almost see this as more of an anthology - Curt's story, Toad's story and John's story. Let's not forget Steve and Laurie's story as well, even if it is the most boring part of the film. It's just kinda showing what can happen to a relationship if it's strained by the concept of one of the couple moving away. Meanwhile, Curt has a run in with a gang known as the Pharaohs, Toad tries way too hard to impress Debbie, facing the consequences of inexperience, and John - well, shit, everyone loves John. He's just kind of a bad ass. The entirety of this film is surrounded by the sounds of Wolfman Jack - a radio DJ who was HUGE in the 60's. Think of him as being the major name in radio broadcasting before Howard Stern came along - only Wolfman was a bit more tasteful (as you kinda had to be for the time. Remember, this was the 60's). It all adds to the whole atmosphere of everything, and things feel pretty solidly authentic. My parents would watch it with us when we were younger, and claim that it got things pretty accurate - as in "yep, we did all that when we were that age". Anyway, I could go on and on about this classic, and I have to draw the line somwhere. All I can say is that this is one of those movies I CAN recommend to literally anyone and everyone. I feel like there's something here for everyone, and if nothing else, it's an interesting piece of pop culture's history. I claim it as the beginning of "all-nighter" movies, myself (though I could be wrong). If you haven't seen it yet, have a sit down for a couple of hours and enjoy. It's just a lot of fun.
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![]() Let's go back to 2007. The epitome of a high school comedy was 'American Pie', and the now-big names in this were generally side characters in anything they've already been in. That is until writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg turned in a script to Judd Apatow that they had been working on since they were thirteen years old. I tend to find a lot of people kinda take this title for granted. It ushered in a whole new era of comedy for another generation, and was a sort of launch pad for so many careers, symbolizing one gigantic break-out performance. It almost represents a new beginning. The story involves three outcast guys on their last day of school. Evan (Michael Cera) has a crush on a girl named Rebecca (Martha MacIsaac) and wants to figure out how to tell her how he feels. Meanwhile, Seth (Jonah Hill), has a thing for another girl named Jules (Emma Stone), who ends up inviting him to a party she's throwing for the end of school. Upon learning that Seth and Evan's friend Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) is getting himself a fake ID, Jules asks if the boys can grab the alcohol for the party. But when they send Fogell into a convenience store for the alcohol, things go awry with a robbery, separating the group. While Seth is still dead set on getting alcohol for the party with the belief it'll get him laid, Evan is a little more concerned about the well-being of their friend. But then we have what actually happens to Fogell, often seen as the best part of the movie. Two cops come to investigate the crime, Officer Michaels (Seth Rogen) and Officer Slater (Bill Hader), and offer Fogell a ride to where he needs to go. They get chummy with him though, and essentially turn into the coolest cops ever. This also manages to give Fogell a sort of sense of pride, thus transforming a super nerd into a bit of a, shall we say, randomized badass? As I mentioned before, this one kinda represents the breakout role for so many of these actors; Emma Stone and Jonah Hill perhaps being the biggest, as they've since been nominated for Oscars. But before this, names like Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Emma Stone, etc. were kinda pushed to the background, often playing side characters. So they were recognizable enough (except maybe Stone) at the time, but this was the one that made their names truly known. If none of that is enough for you, this was also where the phrase "F*ck my life" came from - or at the very least, the film that made it a popular saying. Considering how often that one's still kinda used, one can't say this didn't have a massive influence on our culture. As I said, it was kinda the beginning of a new era. Maybe that's all just my perspective, which is fine, but consider it - what REALLY did we have before this that was on par? Of course, being that this is still a low-brow comedy, and often almost shockingly raunchy (there's a whole sequence having to do with a penis-drawing obsession), it's fair warning that this isn't gonna be a title for everyone. In fact, I know a few people who just plain hate it or refuse to watch it. But there is a group of us who appreciate it, as it comes so much closer to representing what we spoke like and acted like in high school. Well, some of us, anyway. ![]() If I'm honest, I can count on one hand how many times I've actually sat down and watched this movie. It was never really a "go-to" for me when it came to teen comedy, but it was always still a film I admired for being a teen comedy without the need to be raunchy. Suggestive moments, perhaps, but not enough to really raise any eyebrows. The comedy here relies heavily on the characters and their interactions with one another - a good thing. Much like 'American Pie', however, this one is split down the middle on opinion. The entire film takes place at a house party, celebrating high school graduation. The main plot follows Preston (Ethan Embry), who wishes to proclaim his love for the most popular girl in school, Amanda (Jennifer Love Hewitt), having just been dumped by her jock boyfriend, Mike (Peter Facinelli). Preston is accompanied to the party by his friend, Denise (Lauren Ambrose) who doesn't want to be there, but goes for moral support. Joining in are rapper wannabe, Kenny (Seth Green) and geek looking for revenge, William (Charlie Korsmo), both of whom are mostly responsible for the comedy relief of the film. As the night goes on, certain characters go through certain things and grow as people, as one might expect from something like this. However, I particularly enjoy the message this movie has about fate and it's overall existence (said by Jenna Elfman in a sexy cameo). It's understandable that the message might be considered pretty heavy-handed, but I find it kinda interesting. Another nice thing to say about this film is that, much like 'Breakfast Club', there's a character in here for everyone. Also, much like 'Breakfast Club', a lot of their personal growth comes from interactions where these characters learn more about each other, and open their eyes. The film, as a whole, is actually pretty sweet. While it's still not my go-to, personally, I feel like it's still a good recommendation for this list. Being that opinions are split, it's a good one for anyone to see for themselves and decide. My personal take is that this is a simple slice-of-life film, and there's not much to it other than teenagers at a party with their own agendas. But again, I feel like everyone has a relatable character in this somewhere. For me, it's William - a geek who goes to the party with ill intentions, but ends up having a more interesting night than he thought he would. I have to say, Charlie Korsmo, a.k.a. the son from 'Hook', plays the drunk role surprisingly well. This is another one that was released while I was in high school, so there's a tiny bit of a personal tie to it in that way - and this is far more accurate to what high school was back then than 'American Pie' was... Well, except Kenny's style, I dunno what that was about, but we never had that. Not that I can remember. While I can't speak for the Americans, this one is available up here in the Great White North on Netflix. It's an easy one to throw on and get through for a few decent laughs, and a bit of a spiritual journey of sorts... a BIT of one. Mostly it's just a fun teen party movie with a romantic plot - yet not entirely a romantic comedy. It's a good one for my generation to go back and check out. It might just bring up some fond high school memories. ![]() Here we have a title from back when I was in high school, along with all of the characters present. I fully consider this one to largely be my generations ultimate raunchy teen comedy. It follows in the footsteps of movies like 'Meatballs' or 'Porky's', and provides us with a lot of sexual humour among a group of relatable teenagers. The film centers on four best friends, Jim (Jason Biggs); the quiet and awkward geek who bad stuff just keeps happening to, Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas); the film's ultimate plot device, Oz (Chris Klein); the sensitive jock, and Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) the eccentrically cultured, sort of unusual one. While at a party, at their acquaintance Stifler's (Seann William Scott), they discover that the geekiest kid in school managed to have sex before them. As a result, Kevin has the four make a pact to "get laid" before school ends; prom being the night it all goes down. Kevin has a bit of a head start with his girlfriend, Vicky (Tara Reid), Jim tries very hard to impress exchange student, Nadia (Sannon Elizabeth), with the off the wall help of his now famous Dad (Eugene Levy), Oz meets a lovely young lady named Heather (Mena Suvari) and works his honest and sensitive side, and Finch manages to start very positive rumors about himself that spread around the school. On the whole, the plot is actually pretty shallow, and as a stand-alone movie, this ends up being kinda dated. However, speaking for myself, the charm that comes from 'American Pie' is what follows afterwards. If you watch the four main titles featuring the original cast, you can actually get a pretty sweet, if predictable love story out of it between Jim and well-developed band geek character, Michelle (Alyson Hannigan). It's actually a cool development to watch, giving way to the idea that sometimes that person you don't think much of can work their way into your heart. I mean, I guess spoiler alert, but c'mon... there have been three sequels to this, one of which is 'American Wedding' so... yeah. The only real problem I have with this one is the way it ends. There's actually a very valuable lesson to be learned in this movie that's essentially about getting yourself laid. Jim has a moment of dialogue with Kevin, you see his point, and the movie really could have ended on a positive note... but things kinda just happen anyway, and it puts a bit of a damper on the whole lesson. With fair warning, even though this ends up on my Suggestions page, not everyone will end up liking this one. It's pretty dated, being a 1999 film, and I think I know just as many people who hate this as love it. But I feel like if you were sort of on the more unpopular side of things back in high school (as I was), you'll get something out of this, even if it's very little - especially if you went to school during this time. |
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