My Favorite Comfort Movies – Part 5

July 2, 2021

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Everyone enjoying Summer so far?  Feeling like it’s somewhat normal again?  We just got back from a beach trip to Maine and it was nice to feel the normalcy of a vacation.  Well, except for the traffic….and some of the crowds….and getting a flat tire while driving around a small beach town.  Oh well, at least I had a nice view of the ocean while I waited for my roadside assistance in Ogunquit, Maine.  Or as my friend Adam called it – Otirequit, Maine.  That made me chuckle and pass a few of the many minutes I waited.  But in the grand scheme of things, that was a pretty small problem.  We were fortunate to have a nice time and a reminder that 2020 is (hopefully) in the rearview mirror and fading fast. 

Despite the warm weather and a lot of options to enjoy outdoor activities, there’s still plenty of room for a good old comfort movie – the perfect recipe for a Summer evening at home.  This is a series that I have enjoyed writing about, revisiting some of my favorite all-time films.  If you’ve missed the previous posts, you can find them at these links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.  Let’s jump into some new recommendations.

“It was Abbie something….Abbie….Normal?” – Young Frankenstein (1974)

If you know, you know.  In other words, if you read that quote and didn’t chuckle, be prepared for a fun movie when you discover this classic comedy.  For some people, it’s Blazing Saddles.  For others, it’s Spaceballs or The Producers.  But for me, there’s no contest – my favorite Mel Brooks film is Young Frankenstein, the 1974 spoof on the classic Frankenstein novel and movies, starring Gene Wilder and a murderer’s row of supporting actors.  Wilder plays the grandson of the famous “doctor / madman,” although he chooses to pronounce his surname “Fronkensteen”, not the traditional “Frankenstein.”  When he travels to his grandfather’s castle in Transylvania (where else?), and discovers the journals of his dearly departed relative, he is inspired to try to create life in the laboratory.  Filmed in gothic black and white by Brooks, and featuring so many memorable one-liners and deadpan funny moments, Young Frankenstein is a laugh riot. 

Let’s talk about the cast – we have the incomparable Marty Feldman (and his signature bug eyes) as Fronkensteen’s partner in crime Igor (or is it “Eye-gor”?), Terri Garr as his assistant Inga, the hysterical Madeline Kahn as his fiancée, Cloris Leachman as the housekeeper Frau Blücher (insert the sound of a horse whinnying – again, if you know, you know), Gene Hackman as a blind man in one memorable scene, and (the highlight of the film) Peter Boyle as The Monster.  That’s right – the guy who would go on to play Frank Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond, put on a brilliant comedic performance twenty years before torturing the Barone clan.  If you can’t find the humor in the scene where Wilder and Boyle perform Puttin’ on the Ritz, then you might need to rethink if comedy is the right genre for you.  This past week, Brooks celebrated his 95^th birthday(!!) and in an article I read, he spoke about a big disagreement he had with Wilder regarding this scene.  Wilder thought it was great, but Brooks didn’t think it worked.  After a twenty minute argument, fortunately, the director deferred to his star.  The jokes in Young Frankenstein are subtle, but very funny, especially when delivered by the strong cast.  Wilder and Feldman, in particular, make the most of their facial expressions to amplify the words on the page.  Speaking of which, the screenplay by Brooks and Wilder was nominated for an Oscar, losing to The Godfather Part II.  That’s pretty good company to be honored with, and shows the respect that the industry had for the film, just by getting a nomination as a screwball comedy.  It’s been almost 50 years (yikes!), but Young Frankenstein remains one of my favorites.   

“One Ping Only, Please” – The Hunt For Red October (1990)

If you were looking for a suspenseful story of international intrigue with spies and twists and turns, the place to go in the 1980s was the novels of Tom Clancy.  Make no mistake about it, if you became a fan of Clancy’s work and wanted to dive into his world, it was a commitment.  His hardcover novels could easily be a high-quality doorstop, pushing 1,000 pages.  He first burst on the scene with 1984’s The Hunt for Red October, which was adapted into a film starring Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan, the CIA analyst-turned-agent.  When Ryan uncovers the motives of a Russian submarine commander (played by Sean Connery in one of his best performances – and that’s certainly saying something), he sets in motion a chain of events that could lead to a disastrous Cold War conflict.  The plot can be a little confusing to follow at first, but as the details unfold, it’s clear that we are meant to be kept in suspense as to the motivations of the Russians, and if anyone in the U.S. Navy will believe Ryan’s theory. 

I like this film a lot for a number of reasons.  First, it features a strong supporting cast behind Baldwin and Connery, including James Earl Jones, Scott Glenn, and Sam Neil, and second, despite the potential for a claustrophobic feel of a story on a submarine, we move around enough from scene to scene that we don’t feel “trapped” on the sub.  The filmmakers do a nice job of using the technical jargon, but in a way that is easy to understand.  Most importantly, despite its 135 minute runtime, the story doesn’t seem to drag.  We are too immersed in the plot details of what is happening that it doesn’t feel like there is excess fat in this movie. 

I was a big fan of Clancy’s novels in the 1980s and 1990s, but the film adaptations have been a little spotty.  Baldwin only played Ryan in this movie.  The role was taken over by Harrison Ford for Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, two decent adaptations of Clancy novels.  After that, things got progressively worse with attempts by Ben Affleck and Chris Pine to recharge the Jack Ryan character, but they weren’t very successful.  That being said, we have some new life breathed into the character with John Krasinski starring in Jack Ryan, an origin story series on Amazon Prime, playing decidedly against type from his Jim Halpert character in The Office.  So, we have some hope for quality stories featuring spies and international intrigue in the future, but the original Jack Ryan movie, The Hunt for Red October, is still a fun watch.

Get a Nightlife – Swingers (1996)

Ahh yes, the origin of a catchphrase.  Or, in the case of Swingers, a few catchphrases.  If you’ve ever wondered where the hell “Vegas, baby!!” came from, look no further than the 1996 story of twenty-somethings in Los Angeles, looking for a good time hanging out at trendy nightclubs, while trying to jump start their careers.  This is one of the movies that I probably know by heart, but I never get sick of it.  Pathetic Mike, reeling from getting dumped by his girlfriend, can’t get out of his own way in both his career goal of becoming a stand-up comic and trying to find love again.  His best friend is Trent, the wannabe actor who knows all the cool lines to sweet-talk the women (or “beautiful babies,” as he calls them) at the hip clubs they frequent. 

When Swingers emerged as an indie darling upon its release, it seemed like Vince Vaughn (as Trent) would go on to be a huge superstar given his screen presence and fantastic performance.  And while he has had a successful movie career, it was Jon Favreau (who played Mike and wrote the script) who would have even more success, but not as an actor.  Yes, he had a nice run in a few decent films, but as a director, he had early success with Elf, helped launch the Marvel franchise by directing the first two Iron Man movies, would direct the live action remakes of Jungle Book and The Lion King and recently created The Mandalorian, the massive hit series on Disney+.  He is one of the power brokers in Hollywood now, which is interesting to think about, looking back at this film from 25 years ago. 

Swingers may not be for everyone (including my better half, who despises the Trent character), but I always found it amusing.  The opening sequence where Trent drags Mike to Las Vegas (the origin of “Vegas, baby!”) is played for a lot of laughs and we get to really understand their personalities.  Back in L.A., we’re introduced to the rest of their crew and spend a few days with them as they make their way from party to party and bar to bar.  The film features a number of great one-liners, inside jokes (like the riffs on filmmaking techniques seen in Reservoir Dogs and Goodfellas) and an outstanding soundtrack, which helped jumpstart an increased popularity of swing music.  If you like a fun, relaxing buddy comedy whose sole mission is to make you laugh, Swingers is an excellent choice.

The Odyssey of a Space Pirate – The Martian (2015)

I could keep this brief with these words – “This is a fun movie.  Don’t overthink it.”  It’s not easy to get a movie made, let alone one with a massive budget set in space and on Mars.  But if anyone can do it, it’s legendary director Ridley Scott, who adapted the novel by Andy Weir about an astronaut stranded on Mars who must struggle to survive alone until he can be rescued.  I read Weir’s novel and, despite a lot of technical jargon, thought it was a compelling and suspenseful story that would make an excellent story for a film adaptation.  The key here is getting the right person to play astronaut Mark Watney.  You need someone who could be credible as a NASA astronaut and balance the terror of being stranded on another planet, yet find humor with the situation he is stuck in.  Luckily, Matt Damon signed on early to play Watney and he is outstanding in the role, especially when his character is experiencing the wide range of emotions.  Even though he is terrified, he can still find the laughs in the disco music he is stuck listening to, or comparing his rescue plan to pretending he is Iron Man.  Most of Damon’s skills are on display while he is thinking out loud while he records a video journal.  That’s probably the most impressive aspect of Damon’s performance – he is largely acting alone, with no one but a camera on a movie set.  He would go on to win a Golden Globe for his performance and receive an Oscar nomination, ultimately losing to Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance in The Revenant.  Damon is one of my favorite actors and would love to see him get more recognition for his acting work – perhaps his upcoming film Stillwater will deliver that for him.

In The Martian, just like the all-time space movie Apollo 13, we have the balance of our stranded astronaut with those who are trying to rescue him.  We jump from Watney to the crew who left him behind thinking he was dead, who have to decide if they should return to rescue him, and the NASA team on Earth coming up with a rescue plan.  Scott does a great job of balancing the storylines of all three locations, and of course, the supporting cast of Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and many more make this more than just “The Matt Damon Show.”  But make no mistake about it – in any other actor’s hands, I’m not sure if this movie works.  A perfect example of a well-made blockbuster with comedy, drama, great special effects, and movie stars galore – The Martian is a winner.

Bonus Pick – Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young – Streets of Fire (1984)

OK, let’s get one thing out of the way – this may not be considered a “good” movie, but I still love it.  And it wasn’t on my list to write about this week (hence, the “bonus pick” classification), but I recently rewatched it for the first time since the 1980s after it was added to Netflix’s streaming platform, and felt compelled to share a few thoughts.  It’s kind of hard to describe this movie – well, I could just use the words that director Walter Hill (director of 48 Hrs.) shares on screen as the film opens – “A Rock ‘N Roll Fable.”  Set in a nebulous time and place (literally), it feels like a blend of the 1950s with the 1980s in a movie that resembles an adaptation of a comic book or graphic novel.  Streets of Fire is a simple story of a famous singer (played by 18 year-old Diane Lane in one of her early roles) who is kidnapped by a biker gang (led by a very young Willem Dafoe).  Lane’s ex-boyfriend, played by Michael Paré, coming off of his electric turn as Eddie Wilson in Eddie and the Cruisers, sets out to rescue her, with the help of her current boyfriend and manager (Rick Moranis) and a mechanic (Amy Madigan) he meets after returning to his hometown.  The story itself is pretty generic, the acting is a little wooden, despite some great actors throughout the film, including an early Bill Paxton and Rick Rossovich, but what makes this movie hum is the music. 

The score features some propulsive blues numbers from legendary guitarist Ry Cooder, and there are some great music performances throughout the film.  The one hit from the soundtrack was I Can Dream About You (you know it if you remember the 1980s), but to me, the best songs were the opening and closing numbers.  Lane doesn’t do her own singing in the film, and that’s ok, because she embodies the character of Ellen Aim perfectly, in a Joan Jett / Bonnie Tyler kind of way.  She leads her band through Nowhere Fast to open the film, a song of desperation to escape a dreary life, reminiscent of the themes of 1970s Springsteen.  Interesting side note – the movie’s title came from the Springsteen song of the same name from the album Darkness on the Edge of Town.  The filmmakers had plans to use the song to close the movie, but Springsteen didn’t want someone else re-recording his song, so the deal fell apart.  I never thought I’d say this, but I think the director lucked out with the song he did use – Tonight is What it Means to be Young, an ode to being a teenager in love and rebelling against what’s considered “normal.”  The Springsteen song Streets of Fire just wouldn’t have fit there, but I still love it as the film’s title.  The opening and closing songs were written by Jim Steinman, the legendary songwriter who recently passed away and was best known for his collaborations with Meat Loaf.  Now, I wouldn’t consider myself a fan of Mr. Loaf, but I can appreciate the complexities and rock opera style of some of his songs.  Let’s face it – Bat Out Of Hell was a MASSIVE hit album in the 1970s, and Steinman’s style is definitely felt in these two songs.  So, while this wouldn’t be considered a “masterpiece”, if you have any nostalgia for the 1980s and are in the mood for a movie with some great tunes that doesn’t take itself too seriously, check out Streets of Fire.  

That’s all for this week.  I hope you enjoyed a look at some of my favorite comfort movies.  Next week, I’ll be back to look at one of the most prolific directors working today, the great Steven Soderbergh.  His new movie, No Sudden Move, was just released on HBO Max (mild spoiler: it’s very good) and I’ll be looking at some of his best work over the last thirty years.  Thanks for reading and if you’d like to be notified of future posts, you can subscribe here.