I'll be the first admit, this movie, "Kicking and Screaming," is a period piece, a film about a group of recent college graduates who seem unable to take that first step into the real world. That said, your feelings for this movie are certainly affected by your current state. For me, I discovered this movie when I was senior in college, studying liberal arts, and unsure of what I was going to do with my life. I had also recently come out of a long relationship, which I believe mirrored the one falling apart in the movie. So instantly, I connected with this flick. I saw similarities between myself and most the characters, especially the group's leader, Grover, and its bumbling, neurotic mess, Otis. However, I digress.
Returning to the movie itself, I'll argue that it is an unfailingly realistic look at post-college life for those of us who don't want to be investment bankers, or worse, pony up the extra dough to go to graduate school. Beginning on graduation night, when Grover learns that his girlfriend, Jane, is moving to Prague, the movie follows four friends, Grover, his caustic roommate Max and their college buddies, the neurotic Otis and the well-intentioned, if slightly moronic, Skippy, as they try to figure out what they want to do with their lives. Skippy decides to re-enroll in school; however, we learn he only does so to remain close to his junior girlfriend, Miami. Max becomes more and more bitter, proactively rejecting suggested outings because, "he's already visualized going there, and he didn't have a good time." Otis feels obligated to go to engineering school in Milwaukee, but backs out, because the time difference would really mess him up (they live on the East Coast). Finally, Grover becomes more and more apathetic, drinking forties of Colt all day, and hooking up with freshmen girls every night.
This routine goes on for the four of them for a while. In the midst of such debauchery, however, we witness glimpses of Grover's past, how he met his former girlfriend (in an creative writing class full of pretentious, name-checking bohemians...i.e., "his prose is like the bastard son of Holden Caulfield"..."it's got a real 100 Years of Solitude feel to it"), their first date, etc. All and all, a nice counterpoint to what is going on presently in the movie. The movie climaxes with Grover, who finally decides to get on a plane and fly to Prague. Unfortunately, the attendant won't let him on (he has no passport), and he's forced to stay in the U.S. The movie, however, avoids ending on such a downer by immediately flashing to the first time Grover reveals his feelings to Jane. I won't include his words, but I honestly can say I've never heard such an awesome way to say you want to kiss someone.
Lest ye think is some sort of sappy, nostalgic drama, let me say that this movie is, above all else, a comedy of the highest order. Even the most depressing parts are presented in a way that is both humorous and touching. The scenes with Otis are especially funny. Asked whether he's wearing mascara, he responds, deadpan, "No....yes" and no one ever asks why. Such instances continue throughout the movie, later with a pajama top and an unread book.
The supporting cast also do an outstanding job. There's Eric Stolz playing the local bartender Chet, himself a Nth year senior, who constantly compares drinks with philosophers ("if Aristotle is a red wine, then Socrates is a dry martini"). Perennial B-movie star Dean Cameron (Chainsaw of Summer School fame) also makes an appearance as the manager of a local movie store where Otis attempts to seek employment. Dean's character somehow thinks that even after he's made his "off-beat" movie that's got a "real Lolita quality to it," he'll still work at the video store, chastising customers for having a "delinquent Mystic Pizza." My favorite cameo, however, has to belong to the actor who currently serves as the judge on MTV's dating gameshow. He plays a greasy student, who fancies himself European and politically correct ("racism spans the globe, from Jones Beach to Crown Heights we witness acts of hatred," to which Max responds, "what? that's like saying from here to the living room we witness acts of hatred.")
All in all, one of my favorite movies of all time.
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Paralyzed with post-graduation ennui, a group of college friends remain on campus, patching together a community for themselves in order to deny the r...More at Buy.com
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