A New John Hughes Movie?
Speaking of the 80s, you will all remember a certain filmmaker from that time period who made mostly teen movies and was very successful in representing teens and their lives in what was considered at the time to be a new, more realistic way. Movies like Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Weird Science and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off dominated the 80s movie scene and are a large part of your pop-cultural background if you grew up in that time. They were new and different because, unlike most previous cinematic portrayals of teens, they focused almost exclusively on teens and their personal issues (as opposed to how adults perceived the teens and their issues), did not condescend or portray teens as morons and, perhaps most critically of all, they usually had great soundtracks.
I bring this up not merely to reminisce, but because a new movie came out last weekend that reminded me of those movies. Called Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, it follows the Hughes pattern and delivers a funny and ultimately sweet story that is, as was typical of Hughes’ movies, short on plot but long on interesting characters and situations that ring true and treat teens as real people. Oh, and yes, it has a great soundtrack.
Hughes was seen as having a “realistic” portrayal? Wha?
I will say I liked his moves in the 80’s as opposed to the “Home Alone phase.”
Comment by Clark — October 7, 2008 @ 11:20 am
“Short on plot”?? What do you mean? What’s short about “Boy cuts school. Hilarity ensues”?
Comment by Brock — October 7, 2008 @ 11:28 am
I feel old. I don’t recognize most of the artists listed on the soundtrack.
Comment by Susan M — October 7, 2008 @ 11:35 am
Interesting. I know someone (young and single) who saw Nick and Nora and did not like it, said it was terrible and that the sound track was not that good.
Comment by Karen — October 7, 2008 @ 11:38 am
Maybe you had to be raised on John Hughes movies? I want to see it.
Comment by Susan M — October 7, 2008 @ 11:44 am
I saw it over the weekend. The two leads are very appealing. The soundtrack is filled with indie stuff you probably won’t recognize, but is pleasant nonetheless (if non-descript). The premise is tried and true, but not old.
But the plotting, or the vignettes or set pieces that carry the movie from scene to scene are mostly wanting. Nothing like a John Hughes movie, where some of the individual vignettes reach euphoric highs or bummer lows.
And the movie isn’t very funny. Hughes movies were both laugh-out-loud funny (16 Candles, Weird Science), and subtlely funny (Pretty in Pink, Breakfast Club), and usually both. Nick and Norah tries to get some laughs out of a chewed piece of gum and some crazy gay sidekicks, but it feels forced and unrealistic.
Having said that, the chemistry between the leads is very strong. I really like the girl who plays Norah, and Michael Cera is great, as usual.
So I’ll give it a “Rent It” recommendation.
Comment by Matt Thurston — October 7, 2008 @ 1:38 pm
Matt, it’s interesting how much new indie stuff is bland and nondescript as well as often being an homage to some pre-existing era of music. (i.e. lots of classic 70’s style punk, new wave, depech modey, police-like, grunge, etc.)
Comment by Clark — October 7, 2008 @ 2:30 pm
BTW - can I just say how creepy the implied rape in 16 Candles is? And it’s done for laughs?
Comment by Clark — October 7, 2008 @ 2:42 pm
Clark, “realistic” is a relative term when applied to teen movies. In the Hughes genre, I think it meant that Hughes treated teen interests and problems as real, rather than just “teen” issues and problems. Teens were not just window dressing, backdrops or stereotypes in Hughes movies. That was a step forward, however you view the movies in a larger sense.
Comment by MCQ — October 7, 2008 @ 2:48 pm
Karen: reviews have been somewhat mixed, but most reviewers are giving it solid ratings, and citing the soundtrack as particularly good. Most agree, as above, that the leads are by far the best part of the movie.
BTW, I compare this movie to John Hughes movies because I think its an interesting comparison, not because its a perfect one. Hughes movies were examples of both great and terrible moviemaking, IMO, with the best being probably Ferris and the worst probably Curly Sue (of the movies he directed). But there were a lot of both hit and miss moments in all his movies. The larger point is that they were a cinematic turning point and became cultural icons for many people who grew up during that time.
Comment by MCQ — October 7, 2008 @ 3:02 pm
Clark, I’ve always disliked Sixteen Candles, for that reason and others.
Comment by MCQ — October 7, 2008 @ 3:03 pm
Maybe it’s just my prudishness kicking in, but I found the little sex scene really disturbing. I mean, these two have only known each other for a couple of hours, and all of the sudden they’re unbuttoning their flies for a quickie like there’s nothing to it.
Am I that out of touch? Is that the way it is for kids these days?
Comment by Eric Russell — October 7, 2008 @ 9:15 pm
Eric: I strongly suggest you view that scene again. They didn’t have sex. It was “petting,” for lack of a better term, not a quickie.
Comment by MCQ — October 7, 2008 @ 9:49 pm
Here’s the list of songs(left) and the bands on the soundtrack:
Speed of Sound - Chris Bell
Lover - Devendra Banhart
Screw the Man - The Jerk Offs
Middle Management - Bishop Allen
Ottoman - Vampire Weekend
Riot Radio - The Dead 60s
Fever - Takka Takka
Xavia - The Submarines
Negative - Project Jenny, Project Jan
After Hours - We Are Scientists
Trust Your Stomach - Marching Band
Our Swords - Band of Horses
Silvery Sleds - Army Navy
Baby You’re My Light - Richard Hawley
Very Loud - Shout Out Louds
How to Say Goodbye - Paul Tiernan
Last Words - The Real Tuesday Weld
Nick & Norah’s Theme - Mark Mothersbaugh
Electro-Socket Blues - Rogue Wave
The Jerk-offs are a fictional band (Nick and his two gay friends) that is in the movie, so you wouldn’t know them, but there are a few well-known bands on this list: Shout Out Louds, Band of Horses, We are Scientists, Vampire Weekend, to name a few that I knew well before this movie. I do think it’s a pretty fun soundtrack, though it should have a track from “Where’s Fluffy.”
Comment by MCQ — October 7, 2008 @ 10:21 pm