OK film fans it's Friday night and I'm still being sidetracked by March Madness. However, since this weekend is the release of Hot Tub Time Machine I am planning to tear myself away from hoops long enough to check it out. I'm quite sure that my heightened level of anticipation instantly dates me so allow me just let the cat out of the bag. I went to high school and college in the 80's and it's a time I look back on both fondly and with utter disdain.
In honor of Hot Tub's star, John Cusack, who earned his bones in the teensploitation films of the 80s, I think now is the perfect time to post my Top 5 John Cusack Films of the 80's. I've got to be honest here; these are all going to be comedies because I didn't watch any of his serious roles until after his amazing performance in The Grifters in 1990. John was kind enough to get out of the rain for a moment to stop by and explain how this list works.
5. One Crazy Summer - 1986 One of three teensploitation films from director/writer Savage Steve Holland (of which two starred Cusack), this oddball story lives in my mind as the moment Demi Moore and Bobcat Goldthwait appeared in a film together and the world didn't plunge into the 7th Circle of Hell. Even by 80's standards this film was lame, but Cusack showed an ability to play the straight man and still get laughs in this stinker.
4. Hot Pursuit - 1987 Kind of another 80's stinker but Cusack shows some nice range as the film goes from basic teen comedy to some kind of hybrid Rambo flick. Oddly enough the funniest scenes in the film come from Robert Loggia.
3. The Sure Thing - 1985 Now were talking! Here's a classic road trip film where Cusack's Walter Gibson travels cross country with fellow student Alison Bradbury (Daphne Zuniga). She's on her way to visit her boyfriend and he's after what any red-blooded teenage boy is after, a sure thing. In true road trip fashion sparks fly as they get closer to their destination. Cusack gets to play both the ham and the wistful boy, talent's that would serve him well later in his career.
2. Better Off Dead - 1985 There's a special place in my heart for this film. My boys and I saw this in the theaters when it was released and many of the classic lines from it still pepper our conversations to this day. All I have to do is say, "Didn't ask for a dime" and any one of my boys will respond, "two dollars". While it's by far the best of the Savage Steve Holland films, everything from the hideous clothing to the Van Halen Claymation daydream scene is so uniquely 80's it's scary. From what I hear there's some spoofing of this film in the new Hot Tub Time Machine film, should be interesting to see which of his 80's films get a nod.
1. Say Anything - 1989 If this was a surprise pick you definitely need to brush up on your 80's teensploitation. This classic Cameron Crowe film turned Cusack into a cult icon and minor star. It tells the story of a classic underachiever who charms his class valedictorian into a summer romance after their graduation. Unlike most teensploitation films the characters are multi-dimensional lending more depth and credence to their relationship. The highs and lows they go through ring as true to a teen as they do to anyone who fell hard when they were a teen. This was the culmination of his work in the 80's and created one of his most endearing and enduring characters. Cusack's career has taken many paths and he's played a wide variety of characters but much like in this, his break out film, he seems to be made to play the lovelorn nice guy who still manages to get the girl. And after all, what would the children of the 80's have done without Lloyd Dobler.
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