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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EXTRA CREDIT: Review them on Amazon! That would really help me out. Unless you didn't like them, in which case forget I said anything.
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THANKS EVERYBODY. YOUR FRIEND, VERN
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Recent commentary and jibber-jabber
Zed on Coyote vs. Acme: “I just got back from seeing this. I’m a Looney Tunes purist and I was delighted. Agree with Vern that…” Sep 1, 21:40
Franchise Fred on The Crow (2024): “Respect they didn’t post this in the Obsession comments. That would be too on the nose.” Sep 1, 13:45
grimgrinningchris on The Crow (2024): “Sonia, Can Dr Oyinbo bring that a tortured soul back from the land of the dead to put the wrong…” Sep 1, 12:49
zikade on Coyote vs. Acme: “When Road Runner shows up in the court room and is basically a big friendly dog who just wants to…” Sep 1, 12:12
B1 on The Sixth Sense: “Honestly, ‘a movie both horror fans and pussies can enjoy’ is the most accurate description of The Sixth Sense ever…” Sep 1, 07:21
RBatty024 on Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma: “In defense of vibe cinema, film got started as a medium of visuals without narratives. There’s a reason why people…” Sep 1, 07:03
Birch on Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma: “I am a Schoenbrun hater at this point and this movie really did not change my mind (and, I must…” Sep 1, 06:27
RBatty024 on Coyote vs. Acme: “I showed the trailer for this to my daughter a couple of weeks ago in anticipation of taking her to…” Sep 1, 06:22
Mr. Majestyk on Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma: “I agree with all that. I don’t want to watch Gen Z’s movies, but I’m thrilled that they might finally…” Sep 1, 05:37
KayKay on Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma: “Majestyk, good points, but on the other hand, there’s evidence that it’s the same Gen Z who’s currently leading the…” Sep 1, 04:54
KayKay on Coyote vs. Acme: ““But there’s something more specifically 2020s about the way this one doesn’t even pretend to give a shit about making…” Sep 1, 04:10
Franchise Fred on Coyote vs. Acme: “Forte was also in Nebraska so he’s stealthily been a moving dramatist too. I also loved how it was revealed…” Aug 31, 23:01
Mr.Shemp on Coyote vs. Acme: “I’m not too proud to admit that in the final courtroom scene, when the Road Runner appeared, I got a…” Aug 31, 21:43
Max K. on Coyote vs. Acme: “As he’s not a real actor, it doesn’t actually count, but if he were, then Foghorn Leghorn as the CEO…” Aug 31, 18:05
KayKay on Coyote vs. Acme: “From the guy who regards WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT as an absolute fucking masterpiece and still laments the commercial failure…” Aug 31, 10:35
June 3rd, 1994
