Old School Summer Movies To Enjoy
Footloose And Other Old Favorite Films Perfect For Summer Fun
Jul 31, 2009
Everyone loves a little cerebral movie watching, but in the dog-days of summer too many independent thinkers can leave one exhausted. So instead of picking up the latest critically acclaimed film or fast-forwarding through commercials on your DVR, pick up these old classics which can make for a fun-filled night of goofy grins.
One Kid, One Town, One Chance
The above tagline for Footloose, the 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon, is just the over-the-top, so bad it's good movie that can cool down and loosen up any summer night.
Directed by Herbert Ross, Footloose became a huge international hit and catapulted Bacon to stardom all on the premise that he taught a town to dance. It would take someone made of stone not to pop some corn and enjoy the overly dramatic plot-line of this classic.
Bacon, who plays Ren McCormack a city-bred newcomer, finds himself in a backwoods country town dominated by Reverend Shane Moore, played by John Lithgow, who believes that music is the devil's playground.
Of course it's left up to McCormack to show the good reverend, his wild-child daughter and the whole town that music can unite not divide the community. The fact that he convinces the town of this by quoting scripture, having tractor races and dancing wildly through barns only adds to the "oh, those were the good 'ol 80s" fun of the film.
They Only Met Once But It Changed Their Lives Forever
Director and writer John Hughes is known for his classic 80's films and none are better than The Breakfast Club, released in 1984.A simple premise that everyone can relate to and enjoy, five stereotypical high school kids thrown together in detention arrive to hate each other and leave learning that they are more similar than they ever imagined.
The all-star cast, includes Judd Nelson, playing the hoodlum of the group, a preppy good girl played by Molly Ringwald, the nerd played by Anthony Michael Hall, Emilio Estevez as the jock and Ally Sheddy portraying the weirdo.
While the plot may be typical, the exceptional performances by the gang of characters and the comic foil of Principal Richard Vernon, played by Paul Gleason make this movie a classic in almost any genre. It's comedic, at times dramatic and loaded with enough one-liners and memorable scenes to last all summer long.
No Rules. No Curfew. No Nagging. No Pulse.Whether you relate to the globe-trotting mom eager to leave her five children behind for the summer or associate more with the bedraggled older sister attempting to hold the dysfunctional family together, Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead, is twisted comedy gold.
Released in 1991, the movie centers around the Crandall clan, five siblings of varying age raised by a single mother who decided to leave them with an elderly caretaker for the summer months. Unfortunately, as you can see by the title, things don't work out exactly as planned.
The eldest Crandall, played by Christina Applegate, must shed her selfish and youthful fancies in order to take care of the family after the babysitter bites the dust. After accepting a job by posing as a fake fashion designer, Sue Ellen Crandall (Applegate) finds out that taking care of others, and even herself, for months can be an overly stressful adventure.
With some uncouth, but totally believable narratives spewing from the mouths of babes, the film goes down easy as a family comedy with a dash of realism and just enough "everything turns out alright in the end" fantasy.
Watch What You Know
So if summer seems to be dragging along, or your tired of hitting the local cineplex for a helping of a three-hour trilogy, turn to some old favorites that have managed to age as well as you have. At the very least you may find that what you enjoy and find funny hasn't changed that much in the last 20 years. And it may even be time to pass these "classics" on to a new generation
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