5.19.2009

"''Ello misstress! You fancy a shag?' And there she'd be, fuckin knees in the sky. It was sad, it made me sad! Girl had no self respect!"

Yah. So. Hai gais.
Remember when I said drug movies had a special place in my heart? Well, this post holds no exceptions. I first saw this movie years ago, didn't think anything of it, and a few years later, bang! I needed to see it so bad again that it wasn't funny. Everyone had one of those kicks. Ya know, the one where when you were a little girl-or boy, not discriminating here-where you would find that one super hot actor who you would tape pictures of to the inside of your locker. A group of friends and I had this crush on Devon Sawa. But this was made shortly after his popularity died down. Now, I still kinda wanted to see it, but anyway. Onto the review, yes?


Today, I'd like to talk about this little movie called...Duh duh duh-



SLC! Punk has become a staple in what has come to be known affectionately among my peers as "The DVD Bible." I never let this one out of my sight and I fucking love this movie so much.

Anyway, it has three definite acts, each one more dramatic than the last.

Stevo is one of the only self-proclaimed "real" Anarchists in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1985. His roommate, Heroin Bob, or usually just "Bob" has been his best friend for years and accompanies him on all his glorious drug induced adventures and through his journey into realization, or coming of age, I guess. Now, I may be ruining this for some, but Heroin Bob's name comes not from drugs, but from the fact that he's terrified of drugs and would never go near a needle. There's a hilarious scene in the first act where it's explained and a wonderful rant that is just the most amazing thing ever.

Okay. So, act one and the players: Meet Stevo and Heroin Bob. Two guys who have no jobs, do some epic rants, and above all things, party hard. Stevo, played by the perfectly casted Matthew Lilliard, is a pot smoking, acid dropping, hardcore punk. His best friend, Bob, played by one of my favorite quadruple threats, Michael Goorjian, is a self-righteous, seriously intense, basket case. I'm gonna take a second and be completely biased here: I love Michael Goorjian. And I got back into this movie after watching Newsies and going, Dude, I totally know him from somewhere. HA! So, yes, Heroin Bob sings and dances and is damn awesome at it.

So, ahem. Yeah. The two start off with a seemingly simple life. Stevo is in a relationship of sorts with Sandy, another into the punk scene. His friends are introduced as Mike, played by a seriously young Jason Segel, their German drug dealer Mark, and Eddie, played by Adam Pascal. Pascal is most famous for his work in the Broadway show RENT, in which he originated the role of Roger. The guy is awesome. And Devon Sawa in what I think is his most funniest role ever. I mean seriously, I laughed for a really long time during his big scene.

In this act, the party lifestyle is more or less shown and the characters are introduced and there's a shitload of fights, and so many awesome rants that I can't even begin to describe. Bob has an ordeal with an infected hand, which is quite possibly one of the funniest moments in the whole damn shebang.

In act two, Stevo begins questioning what's going on. Bob and he are going their separate ways, and all he can think about is the future. Turns out, he did well in college, and his father is pushing him to go to Harvard Law so he can become this awesome lawyer. His father is Christopher McDonald, a character actor that I've found to be the most awesome thing ever. He's hilarious!

Bob's found love with Trish, a woman who's more or less...I don't know how to describe her...she's kinda boho, I guess. Stevo's kinda found love in Sandy, but he's also seeing how pointless the Anarchist lifestyle is for him. He's not getting anywhere in life, and there's a really great part toward the end where someone calls him on the whole punk thing.

The third act you kinda hafta see. It's a little more depressing than the rest of it, and there's a lot of tension between Bob and Stevo. Bob's thinking of staying in SLC and Stevo doesn't really want any part of it. But it's the ending and the monologue at the end, including the flashback, that never ceases to get a smile from me.

The acting is brilliant in this movie, and there's some really wonderful direction. Merendino did a hell of job casting and I must say, I only found a few minor flaws with it.

For one, it has some really long parts to it, some of which are completely necessary for character development. And there were some scenes that I just didn't really like, but hey, I didn't make the movie.

Goorjian and Lilliard are wonderful as the two best friends. Goorjian's got the best "I have no idea what's going on" smile and he's crazy funny when he gets into the character. And Lilliard just makes ranting an art form. Not only that, but they play off each other so well, and you can hear it in the commentary between the two. They tease the ever loving shit out of one another and it's so fucking funny.

So, on that note, I'll leave you guys. Trust me, this is a must see with classic lines and an original idea. While depressing as all get out, it's totally worth the watch.

Natch.

Z

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