RENAISSANCE MAN is a really-not-that-bad inspirational teacher movie directed by Penny Marshall (A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN) and written by Jim Burnstein (a rookie who later did D3: THE MIGHTY DUCKS). It’s corny in the usual ways but also benefits from the simple appeal of the formula and a more-subtle-than-usual performance by Danny DeVito (ROMANCING THE STONE, THE JEWEL OF THE NILE, BATMAN RETURNS).
He plays Bill Rago, a fuck up in the world of advertising who gets fired after missing an important meeting with out-of-town VIPs. Ed Begley Jr. (last seen two weeks ago in EVEN COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES) appears briefly as his friend Jack who hired him and still cares about him but has run out of jobs for him. While defending him to the boss Jack says “the man’s had a few personal setbacks the last couple years,” and we can infer that one of them is a divorce, but I like that they never elaborate. Maybe it was some weird shit too. We don’t know. (read the rest of this shit…)
I wasn’t intending to include CLUELESS in my Summer of ’95 retrospective, since I mainly like to look at “blockbuster” type movies. And I feel very familiar with it. I saw it a long time ago and then I’ll watch parts of it on cable now and then. But I think Mr. Majestyk or somebody said he was hoping I would do it and you know I’m like a DJ, I try to read the audience and move the crowd and what not.
And man, when you sit down and watch it from beginning to end for the first time in a while, CLUELESS really holds up. It’s a funny, unique movie, one that’s simultaneously very ’90s in attitude, music and cultural references, and timeless because of its stylishly heightened (I hope) depiction of the world of Los Angeles rich kids. And you know what, nothing against James Acheson, who won a costume design Oscar for RESTORATION that year, but do you think he ever sent flowers to Mona May, who did this shit? I mean come on. It’s brilliant. Apparently she got her start working with Julie Brown on MTV (not Downtown, the funny one who plays the gym teacher here).
Alicia Silverstone plays Cher, the spoiled daughter of an angry widower lawyer (Dan Hedaya, ALIEN RESURRECTION). She and Stacey Dash as her best friend Dionne (they were “both named after famous singers of the past who now do infomercials”) in some ways fit the stereotype of Beverly Hills teen girls: they obsess over expensive name brand clothes and their own popularity, they think less about school and their futures than about boys and parties (though they don’t seem very interested in drinking and look down on anything more than occasional drug use). They are superficial, but they’re generally well-meaning, nice people. Then one day, inspired by ex stepbrother Josh (Paul Rudd, GEN-X COPS 2: METAL MAYHEM)’s comment about Marky Mark* attending a tree-planting ceremony, Cher decides to try using her popularity for good.
*This was before FEAR, let alone BOOGIE NIGHTS, so nobody called him Mark Wahlberg, not even his parents.(read the rest of this shit…)
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Recent commentary and jibber-jabber
CJ Holden on Superman (2025): “German actor Lars Eidinger was announced for the role of Brainiac in the next SUPERMAN movie. You might know him…” Dec 20, 09:49
The Winchester on Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point: “Started this based on the recommendation of Vern. I’m really enjoying it. I feel like I’m roaming the party. I…” Dec 19, 19:04
Skani on Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025): “Or 2 BEST 2 OF THE, for that matter. I have to re-watch HEART EYES, because that was the reigning…” Dec 19, 17:35
Mr. Majestyk on Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025): “Hardly. Third or fourth at best. Whenever anyone make these kind of pronouncements, I always assume these are people who…” Dec 19, 08:40
emteem on Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025): “I was going to see this anyway, but all of these comments and Vern’s review has bumped it up my…” Dec 19, 08:26
Mr. Majestyk on Knives Out: “The second one, while a little bloated compared to the first one, has probably my favorite scene in the series.…” Dec 19, 08:13
Bill Reed on Knives Out: “Love the THIN MAN films. The first one is perfect. The second one is somehow better. It’s probably diminishing returns…” Dec 19, 05:54
Danger Mouse on Influencers: “I love this series, and I have an incredibly unhealthy crush on Cassandra Naud. My head canon for how she…” Dec 18, 17:37
Skani on Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025): “Thinking about it now, aside from my comparisons to IN A VIOLENT NATURE and THANKSGIVING, another obvious comparison is SILENT…” Dec 18, 09:35
Mr. Majestyk on Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025): “At first, I got Richard Kind from him, but then I started getting notes of Tom Berenger. A confusing but…” Dec 18, 08:58
pegsman on Knives Out: “I have seen a couple of the THIN MAN movies. But after this I just HAVE to get hold of…” Dec 17, 21:59
Acid Burn on Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025): “I really don’t understand why Hollywood cloned Richard Kind, introduced this younger version as “Rohan Campbell,” and positioned him exclusively…” Dec 17, 20:49
Skani on Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025): “Misc Thoughts 1. Whether or not this film is “great,” it is definitely better than “not great.” It’s a solid…” Dec 17, 17:11
June 3rd, 1994
