This week itâs two films from my early childhood. Both I remember fondly and prefer to remember than rewatch. Itâs one of those things where you donât want to spoil the memory of the viewing experience with a new viewing experience, so all of this is from the memory of seeing them a lot growing up. Maybe one day soon Iâll sit down and take another look.
These types of films are also a good reminder to not let film snobbery get in the way of something you might honestly enjoy - being guided by IMDB scores and others like it, have a way of skewing things.
Happy choosing, happy viewing
Bry
FILM ONE: BOOMERANG
1992 Dir Reginald Hudlin
1 hr 57 mins
This is a pretty wild film, in a way that only 90âs rom coms could be. Itâs Eddie Murphy at the height of his stand up and movie star fame playing an ad exec who, to put it mildly, really loves women. So itâs a tale as old as time, in the sense that every story is a prodigal son story - he goes out to âventureâ only to see that the one he really belongs with is right there in front of him and has been this whole time.
The film also features a young Martin Lawrence and an even younger Chris Rock as the classic mail room intern figure who looks up to the womanising ways of Eddieâs character Marcus. Thereâs some truly outlandish sequences, one that stands out is when an art director is given free rein to make a new perfume commercial for the agencyâs newest client. The resulting film is something that would make Chris Cunningham blush. But now, thinking about it, wouldnât stand out as too insane given the latest in perfume advertising.
This is a fun, very 90âs, in both look and feel, comedy romance that is over the top - give it a go if youâre also really picky about feet.
TL;DR: Eddie Murphy nails the ad exec whoâs not necessarily looking for true love but finds it in the form of art director Angela, played by Halle Berry.
*Available for a small rental fee on Apple and Amazon in the US and the UK.
Fact: One of the highest grossing films with an all black cast, at the time of release.
FILM TWO: AMERICAN FLYERS
1985 Dir John Badham
1 hr 53 mins
This film sparked two interests for me, any film with Kevin Costner and Specialized bikes. The Specialized red is very specific, very evocative of this time and especially this film. This is the story of brotherly love and competition, itâs about people pushing themselves to the limits just to prove themselves and as you can see, it features a man wearing a cowboy hat riding a racing bike.
Itâs almost a mentor / mentee story, much like a more earnest, heartwarming version of Kingpin - a âdysfunctionalâ family on a road trip across America to take part in a big sporting event. Itâs along the way that we fall in love with both brothers. Costner as always, has a way of bringing a very specific type of emotional weight to his character, someone weâd want to impress, a character weâd look up to. Saddle up for an emotional slice of Americana and family legacy viewed from the saddle of a bike, not a horse.
TL;DR: A touching and heartwarming Costner driven sports film about brotherly love and competition.
*Available for a small rental fee on Apple and Amazon in the US and the UK.
Fact: Even though Costnerâs character is meant to be a much older brother, David Grant is only 6 months younger than Costner.