Road Trippin' ... "The Last Laugh"

The Last Laugh (2019) 

TV-MA

Starring Chevy Chase, Richard Dreyfuss, Andie MacDowell

Written and Directed by Greg Pritikin

The Story:

Moving to a retirement community, talent manager Al Hart (Chase) laments having to give up his career. As fate would have it, his very first client, comedian Buddy Green (Dreyfuss) is at the community, and the two rekindle their friendship. 50 years earlier, Buddy turned down his shot on the Ed Sullivan Show. Al's got a great idea: put Buddy back in the game as they take a road trip across America to get on The Tonight Show!

It's a buddy comedy/road trip for the geriatric set!

Dreyfuss and Chase are both in fine form in the film.

Chevy, in particular, looks to be in the best shape he's been in recent years. He actually gets to play the straight man, as such, in the duo. So much of the mugging for the camera he's been asked to do over his career is not there in this film.

Dreyfuss instead gets to play the funny man, but as his comic notes, he doesn't have an act so much as he has a lifetime of jokes.

With Netflix releasing movies seemingly every day, there's going to be a lot that slip under the radar as they can only promote so many films on their home page when you log on.

This is a good thing.

Direct competition to the networks, broadcast and cable, and to Hollywood with their big budget attempts, it's going to make everyone up their game.

That makes the audience the true winners here.

Their Impact On Pop Culture Cannot Be Denied..."National Lampoon: Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead"

National Lampoon: Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead  (2015)

Unrated

Directed by Douglas Tirola

The Story:

The rise and fall of the National Lampoon magazine, and the impact that magazine had on American pop culture.

Ooo.

That's actually rather profound, and also quite true.

What started out as a satirical magazine that poked holes in the establishment in the late 60s/early 70s, grew into an influential comedy machine in the mid to late 70s that established much of the humor that continues in movies and television today.

The brainchild of Doug Kenney, Henry Beard and Robert Hoffman, they created a little magazine that started slowly and then slowly built into a sales juggernaut. Parody and satire were the name of the game, and they enlisted a slew of talented writers to make the pages of the magazine must read material.

It proved so popular, they started a radio show and brought in even more comedic talent to make their skits take life. The majority of the original cast of Saturday Night Live passed through National Lampoon on their way to bigger things. Many from Lampoon were targeted by NBC to help create Saturday Night Live.

Then came the movies.

Animal House & Vacation.

So too could Caddyshack be added to the mix, as it was Lampoon in every way except billing.

While nearly everything else to bear the label of National Lampoon has been of variable quality, those two were the gold standards which made all of the others seem pale in comparison.

If it's any consolation, most movies that came after Vacation often licensed the National Lampoon name for an attempt to cash in with a built in audience.

So, while it wasn't National Lampoon being less funny, it was them being increasingly greedy. :)

The documentary does an excellent job of talking to just about everyone that was there and is still around and it's filled with lots of archival footage of the stage shows, radio shows, magazine and movie clips.

A very enjoyable documentary that is well worth your time.


Final Grade: B+

Live From New York, It's "Saturday Night Live: 40th Anniversay Special"

Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary (2015)

TV-14

Starring The Not Ready For Primetime Players

Created by Lorne Michaels

The Story:

The year was 1975, and Lorne Michaels unleashed a weekly 90 minute program of satirical humor and musical guests every Saturday Night, live for the viewing public. The face of comedy was changed forever.

It may not have truly recognized for the brilliance at first, but how about by using a 40 year retrospective that is basically a greatest hits/worlds' biggest inside joke for the cast and the fans of the show to help you appreciate the comedy geniuses that have passed through Studio 8H over the decades.

Some went on to bigger and better things after their stint on the show. Some went on...and we are surprised that they are still around.

Saturday Night Live has been around for 40 years.

Reports (or demands) of its cancellation have been circulating for about...

39 years.

:)

Pretty much if they were ever on the show, they were on the show last night.

Even Eddie Murphy, who returned to a standing ovation.

There were a few new sketches with cast members from across the spectrum, and with a few special guest stars.

I would say the Jeopardy sketch with Ferrell back as Trebek and the always underrated Darryl Hammond as Sean Connery did not disappoint.

There was a Weekend Update retrospective with Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Jane Curtin as hosts.

Then a salute to the musicians and comedy skits that have been a staple of the show since the beginning.

They also looked at the crossover between sports and comedy as well.

A solid show from top to bottom, and filled with more than enough laughs.

Worst segment?

The Kanye West musical segment.

That's okay, SNL is notorious for  airing stuff that probably should have been cut.

I don't stay up much anymore and am not that familiar with the cast, but I'm glad they're still around and doing this every weekend.

Looking forward to the next decade of laughs, and that should be SNL's next retrospective, the 50th.

Final Grade: A

I Want To Attend Greendale "Community" College!!

Community (2009)

TV PG

Starring Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Yvette Nicole Brown, Donald Glover, Jim Rash, Ken Jeong, Chevy Chase

The Story:

Disbarred lawyer Jeff Winger (McHale) heads back to Greendale Community College when it is discovered that he lied about having a degree. While he's taking Spanish, he wants to hit on a fellow classmate, Britta (Jacobs). To do that, he makes up a fake study group to get to spend more time with her. However, Abed (Pudi) think Jeff really wants to start a study group and invites the rest of the gang along.

This is their story!

So this was a show I had wanted to watch when it came on, but usually I don't have time weekly for a television show, so this one passed me by.

Then the kids started watching it online, and were always laughing.

So in December, they bought Season 2 and had me watch the 2nd episode.

Then I watched the rest of the episodes.

I was hooked.

Starting in Season 2 was a bit of a cheat, but well played on their part.

The show, writing, acting, chemistry is great in the second season. Going back to watch the first season later, you can see the skeleton of the show it would become, but Seasons 2 and 3 are incredible from start to finish.

Also, don't be shocked to find the show turn into a musical, a cartoon, a stop motion or any of a million other TV or movie tropes. 

While McHale is the *star* of the show, it's a true ensemble throughout.
However, I am of the mind that Danny Pudi as Abed is the real star of the show.
As the grounded center, emotionally detached and through the eye of his documentary lens, he captures the friendship that builds and grows throughout the seasons.

Because what starts as a show about a lawyer looking for a degree at the community college that isn't even the best college in the community becomes a show about...

Friendship.

It's a slow build, but oh so worth it.

You've probably heard about the drama that surrounded creator Dan Harmon, Chevy Chase, and even NBC...

Irrelevant.

The first 3 seasons are great. Seasons 4 and 5 are good.

Season six?

Coming to Yahoo in March.

I can't wait.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I now own all 5 seasons and have watched all the episodes. And some episodes...several times. :)

Not A Christmas Movie, But Would You Settle For A "Snow Day" ?

Snow Day (2000)

Rated PG

Starring Mark Webber, Zena Grey, Jean Smart, Chevy Chase, John Schneider, Chris Elliot, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Schulyer Fisk,

Directed by Chris Koch

The Story:

Upstate New York is hit with a massive snow storm. Natalie (Grey) wants to ensure the kids have something they've never enjoyed before: a second snow day! To do that, the kids will need to stop snowplow man (Elliot), but when Natalie's brother (Webber) bails for romance, it's up to Natalie to ensure Snow Day 2 happens for the neighborhood. Meanwhile, their dad (Chase) is the local meteorologist who is jealous of his rival station's weatherman (Schneider). However, before the Snow Day is over, maybe everyone in the family will get their wish.

From Nickelodeon Studios, I ran across this little gem for the first time a few years ago.

We watched it, and became huge fans.

It's a lot of fun watching the kids attempt to stop the evil of the snow plow and the great lengths they go through to stop his reign of terror!

Meanwhile, Hal spends the day trying to woo the popular girl in school, and yet the girl of his dreams is actually much closer than he realizes.

Perhaps the magic of the snow day will reveal his heart's desire.

Chase gets to have a little fun, Clark Griswold dialed back to about 7, but he does get to do another sled run pratfall.

His run-in with his on-screen rival at the end is pretty fun stuff.

As mentioned in the title, while this doesn't have any Christmas happenings, we've added it to our list of movies that get watched around Thanksgiving through January, though this one gets popped in whenever the mood strikes.
 
Available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing (but it's only going to last until New Years Day!)

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: This one gets watched at least once during Christmas time, and any other time we're feeling winter-y!

It's A Long Way Down, The Holiday Road..." National Lampoon's Vacation"

National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)

Rated R for language and brief nudity

Starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall, Dana Barron

Directed by Harold Ramis

The Story:

Clark Griswold (Chase) is set to take his family from Chicago halfway across country to Wally World, the family amusement park of choice!  Instead of flying, they plan on taking a road trip across country.

What could possibly go wrong?

It's been over 30 years since we first met the Griswold family, and they live out the American Dream, turned horrific nightmare that plagues the back of the mind of every dad who prepares for a road trip with their family.

Written by John Hughes, and directed by Harold Ramis, this comedy classic has endured for generations and is only overshadowed by the ever-popular Christmas Vacation due to the seasonal nature of that one enjoying repeated holiday viewings and becoming a family tradition for most people around Christmas time.

The original though is no slouch.

Between laugh out loud jokes, gags and pratfalls, Vacation has it all.

Anchored by arguably Chevy Chase's finest performance, he plays the perfect father who sets the bar way too high, and then slowly erupts when he can no longer even get close to clearing the bar.

D'Angelo is the perfect foil who tries to keep her manic husband in check along the way.

Then of course, the memorable minor characters who litter the landscape along the road trip.  From the crazy Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) to the elusive Girl in the Ferrari (Christie Brinkley), the story is chock full of characterization for even the smallest of cameos.

Filled with memorable characters and quotable dialogue, this is one of those comedies that has endured.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I do own it, and while it doesn't get the multiple viewings per year of the Holiday version, it averages a viewing every year or two.

The Sound Nobody Made Rushing To The Theater For This One..."Zoom"

Zoom (2006)
Rated PG

Starring Tim Allen, Courteney Cox, Chevy Chase, Kate Mara, Spencer Breslin, Ryan Newman, Michael Cassidy, Rip Torn

Directed by Peter Hewitt

The Story:

Jack (Allen) used to be a superhero, Captain Zoom, years ago.  However he gave up the gig when his team was destroyed fighting a super-villain, who just happened to be Jack's brother.  Years later, his brother is coming back from the dead, and the government wants to create a new team of heroes, so they round up some kids (Mara, Breslin, Newman and Cassidy) and under the watchful eyes of Dr. Grant (Chase) and Holloway (Cox), they will  become the planet's best hope for survival.  The project leader (Torn) wants to bring Zoom back into the fold to help train the kids.  Will they be ready to save the day?

Ah, the simpler times.

Super hero movies before the arrival of Iron Man.

:)

This, coupled with Sky High, made for a cute, family friendly superhero escape in the wake of The Incredibles.

Overall, the movie is still cute and fun nearly a decade later.

The acting is good, the storyline is okay.

I think the movie tried too hard to squeeze in gags for the sake of having a comedy moment.

Yes, I'm thinking of the sequence of Chase in the test chamber specifically.

The best gags in the movie happened organically, instead of forced.

A nice time capsule of life before the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I do already own it, but it doesn't see much viewing time, as this is the first time in 8 years. :)

R.I.P. Harold Ramis 1944-2014

The world became a much less amusing place Monday with the passing of Harold Ramis.

He was a triple threat in Hollywood: Writer. Director. Actor.

Of the 3, he was probably most famous, and will be remembered for his acting role(s), most notably as Dr. Egon Spengler from Ghostbusters.

However, it was likely his writing that won over most of us as fans in the first place.

Animal House, 1978

  "Ladies and gentlemen, I'll be brief. The issue here is not whether we broke a few rules, or took a few liberties with our female party guests - we did.

But you can't hold a whole fraternity responsible for the behavior of a few, sick twisted individuals. For if you do, then shouldn't we blame the whole fraternity system?

And if the whole fraternity system is guilty, then isn't this an indictment of our educational institutions in general?

I put it to you, Greg - isn't this an indictment of our entire American society?

Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but we're not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America.

Gentlemen!"

Harold Ramis' first writing assignment for the big screen: Animal House.

If he had done nothing further with his writing career, that would be pretty impressive.

But Ramis wasn't done yet...

Meatballs, 1979

 "And even if we win, if we win, HAH! Even if we win! Even if we play so far above our heads that our noses bleed for a week to ten days; even if God in Heaven above comes down and points his hand at our side of the field; even if every man woman and child held hands together and prayed for us to win, it just wouldn't matter because all the really good looking girls would still go out with the guys from Mohawk because they've got all the money! It just doesn't matter if we win or we lose. IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER"

In 1979, Meatballs was released.  Again, Ramis was one of the writers, and he worked with Bill Murray and director Ivan Reitman for the first time.

This is an underrated classic in my opinion, and I watched this movie countless times on tv growing up.

However, sandwiched between Animal House and his next film, Meatballs often gets overlooked.

Caddyshack, 1980

  "License to kill gophers by the government of the United Nations. Man, free to kill gophers at will. To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit - ever. They're like the Viet Cong - Varmint Cong. So you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that's all she wrote."

Once again, a film written by Harold Ramis, but also for the first time, he sits behind the director's chair.

How did he do?

It's in the hole!

This is the undeniable sports classic when it comes to golf, Caddyshack will live forever.

It was 1981 when I became aware of Harold Ramis, the actor...

Stripes, 1981

 "Army Training, Sir!"

10 years old, and I went to the movies with my parents and we saw Stripes.

Yes, I have awesome parents.

While much of the movie may have soared over my head at the time, the premise of the story was straightforward enough, and the acting and writing were, and still are, hilarious.

This was the 2nd time that Ramis, Murray and Reitman worked together.

Even more successful than their first outing, but nothing would prepare them for what came next when they all worked together.

However, it was time for Ramis to direct his 2nd feature film before that happened...

National Lampoon's Vacation, 1983

No Bill Murray this time, but he did call upon a Caddyshack alumni to lead as Clark Griswold.  This movie still holds up well after all these years, and is only overshadowed by Christmas Vacation thanks to the annual replayability during the holidays.


Then, the phenomenon happened, and thanks to the title song, lives to this day thanks to 80s radio airplay...

Ghostbusters, 1984

"We're ready to believe you!"

Once again, Ramis writes for Murray and directed by Reitman.

Easily the biggest hit of their careers, and a movie that is still great, 30 years later.

Sadly, the much rumored Part 3 won't happen now.

Fast forward to 1993, and Ramis and Murray teamed together one last time, and created a masterpiece...

Groundhog Day, 1993

"This is pitiful. A thousand people freezing their butts off waiting to worship a rat. What a hype. Groundhog Day used to mean something in this town. They used to pull the hog out, and they used to eat it. You're hypocrites, all of you!"

Written and directed by Ramis, and starring Bill Murray, this was their last collaboration together.

The movie is cinematic genius, partly due to Murray's delivery, but Ramis' direction is effortless and his writing is as crisp and sharp as it ever was.

I will cap off Ramis' career with one last film (even though it had a sequel...)

Analyze This, 1999

"I wasn't really gonna whack you."

"Paul..."

"Okay, I was gonna whack you. But I was real conflicted about it."

Harold Ramis wrote and directed Analyze This starring Billy Crystal and Robert DeNiro.

It's brave enough to write a comedy and have it star Billy Crystal, who is already hilarious.

But they took DeNiro and gave him a sense of humor.

And it worked!


The low points to Harold Ramis' career are really inconsequential.

He left us with a legacy of work that, at least for me, makes him one of unquestioned great cinematic comic minds of the late 20th Century.

I will miss his further contributions to film.

I will cherish those memories he gave us.


R.I.P.

The Twelve Reviews of Christmas...Day Ten: "Christmas Vacation"

Can I refill your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?

The Story:

Clark (Chevy Chase) and Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) Griswold are back, along with their kids Rusty 3.0 (Johnny Galecki) and Audrey (Juliette Lewis).  This time, they are staying at home and getting the house ready for the in-laws to visit!  It's going to be the best Christmas.... Ever!!!

The Griswolds exist to remind you that no matter how bad  your vacations are, things could always be worse!

The third, and best, of the series returns with John Hughes pulling out all the stops for a Christmas classic, helmed by first time director Jeremiah Chechik.  It was all downhill for him after this film, but what a promising start to a career!

However, for the most part, the movie runs solely on the wonderful gags and dialogue that John Hughes developed for his cast, led by the perfectly cast Chase as the patriarch of the family.

I'm not here to argue on Chase's behalf as an actor, but for those that fail to find him funny or insist he's never done any good work, I'll simply say you're wrong, here's proof, and move along.

He is the beleaguered "everyman dad" that eventually some form of torture befalls to make the worst plans come to life.

Thankfully, it's Clark who takes the brunt of what goes wrong and provides the rest of us with a blueprint on how to avoid making the same mistakes.

Randy Quaid returns as the creepy cousin Eddie, and is simply outstanding in his performance.  Chase and Quaid have a perfect back and forth relationship throughout the movie that is just hysterical to watch their delivery, along with the funny lines.

It's not Christmas time until this movie plays, and it's one of a few Christmas movies that is not only allowed to play more than once during the holiday season...

It's encouraged!

If you don't already own a copy, it's also currently streaming on Netflix through the holidays!

Final Grade: A+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Owned it, wearing it out... the kids upgraded the house to a blu ray copy last Christmas!  They love me!! Or the movie... : /

: )

Not Another Review of "Not Another Not Another Movie"!

Does a parody of a parody movie turn out to be true cinematic art?

Think about that for a moment...


The Story:

After their last movie sank at the Box Office, the studio boss comes looking for their money back.  To try and salvage their career and save themselves from getting killed, they hatch a scheme to make fun of movies that make fun of movies.

Ingenious, right?

Well...

To say that your biggest names in a production are Burt Reynolds and Chevy Chase, you would be talking box office gold...

In 1977.

In 2013?  Not so much...

And those two have probably 5 minutes of screen time, enjoyed their paycheck, and went home.  Vinnie Jones comes in to do the heavy lifting with about 10 minutes of screen time, and the rest is filled with a bunch of no-named faces who stretch an idea into a 90 minute film.

And they succeed.

To be honest, it wasn't that great, but it also wasn't the train wreck it could've been.

Sticking around after the credits, it appears that this film was edited using computer software, so I'm all for any advancement in film that lets the next generation of filmmakers get a foot in the door.

There are some funny gags, some humorous moments and it is all wrapped up with a bow at the end of the film.

Can't say two enthusiastic thumbs up, but I've sat through worse (or more correctly, I've shut off worse, see last year's # 1 worst movie of the year that had a similar premise!)

Streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: C-

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 12 ~ Christmas Vacation

 Sorry Harold Ramis, but this is the best of the Vacation series.

Written by John Hughes, I told you, he wrote a lot of great stuff, it's perhaps the best take on a family Christmas ever put to screen.

Just with the Griswold's, you have to crank everything up to 11...or higher.

The story:  Clark and Ellen Griswold (Chevy Chase & Beverly D'Angelo) are set to have a very Merry Christmas...unfortunately, both sets of parents are coming to stay for the holidays.  If that wasn't bad enough, Cousin Eddie and his brood show up on their doorstep.  Luckily for Clark, he maintains his holiday cheer because he knows, that his annual Christmas bonus will show up on his door at any moment.

Okay, if typing up yesterday's review for Scrooged started to get me into the Christmas Spirit, then Christmas Vacation puts me over the top.  It's time to skip the Halloween decorations and go straight for the tree, and wonder why eggnog is not carried year round in stores?

The de-aging of Russ and Audrey is hilarious, because they simply do it, and accept it, so the audience goes right along with them.  They don't try and do a prequel or explain anything.  They just make the change, and run with it.   

Chase is at his best as Clark Griswold.  He's been criticized for his entire career for not being funny, a good actor, a pain in the butt off-camera...

Well, I don't care.  Chevy Chase plays Clark to the hilt.  He is a master of comic timing and reactions.  His insults to Cousin Eddie, barely audible, are nothing that every single one of us has done at some point in time to some clod that has irritated us.

In short, Clark Griswold is the father every dad tries to be....and not be...at the same time.

: )

Sadly, Clark simply tries so hard, that when the obvious setback occurs, the pendulum has to swing so far in the other direction, and that is the source of much of the comedy.

He epitomizes the phrase "when it rains, it pours" or "Murphy's Law". 

A dinner can't simply be ruined... the Christmas tree has to go up in flames...and then more bad things begin to pile up.

In short, it's real life, but it's funny because it's not YOUR life.

And it leads to one of the greatest outbursts/meltdowns of any character, in any movie, Christmas or otherwise.

Nope, it's just not Christmas without seeing this one a few times before the big day.

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 38 ~ Caddyshack

We've had football.

We've had more than our share of baseball.

But golf?

Is that even a sport?

And should there be movies about it???

Amazingly, the two best golf movies I've ever seen almost both made the countdown.

Tin Cup would easily land in the Top 150.

But I could not deny the humor and zaniness of Caddyshack.

I told you Harold Ramis would be back.

In this, his directorial debut, he could have hung it up, because it doesn't get much better than this.  Thankfully he didn't, but he could have.

For those that have never seen the film...

As the catchphrase goes: It's the slobs versus the snobs.

You have a wonderful uppity country club and all of their members plus their caddies.   Then one day, a member with the requirements, but not the class... shows up and turns the country club upside down.

The film stars a who's-who of comedic actors of the late 70s/early 80s.  Most will agree that Bill Murray steals the film as the groundskeeper, and he does.

However the main thrust of Rodney Dangerfield as the outsider trying to fit in, against Ted Knight's uptight judge carries the main momentum of the film.

As I've said before, the better you want your hero to be, you better have an equally entertaining villain.

Ted Knight brings bluster and fire to his performance, literally playing the straight man to the zanies, and it works perfectly.  Look at the picture for this film.  He is literally losing his cool on camera, and it's hilarious.  He is the perfect foil for Dangerfield (and Chase) in the film, and was a casting stroke of genius.

Strangely, the slowest drag in the film comes when they put Murray and Chase in the same scene together.  What should have been comic gold kind of grinds to a halt, and is only mildly amusing.  Otherwise, the movie is hilarious, and will likely be quoted for all time on golf courses around the world...

"It's in the hole!"