The Wedding Singer

The Wedding Singer
February 13, 1998
New Line Cinema
Comedy, Romance, Historical
VHS
B

I'm not an Adam Sandler fan and I don't think this movie particularly captures the '80s, especially 1985.  (It's like they threw the decade into a blender, with JR's shooting here and Miami Vice there, and a soundtrack that sounds mostly like '83, admittedly not unlike Romy & Michele.)  And yet, this is one of the better rom-coms of its era, still holding up well, although more time has passed since '98 than there had between '98 and '85.

While not all the credit is due to 22-year-old but already very experienced Drew Barrymore (John's granddaughter), I do think the teaming of her and Sandler brings out his sweetness, which affects the whole movie.  By the time an entire planeload of strangers (including Billy Idol as himself) is rooting for Sandler's Robbie to win Barrymore's Julia away from her scummy fiance, you have to have a heart of stone (or at least an aversion to rom-coms) to not yourself tear up at the "Grow Old with You" song.

This is not to say that the movie doesn't have the usual tasteless Sandler humor.  (I could've done without the ass-grabbing slow-dance, especially since it includes pubescent-adult pairings.)  There are children (the youngest about four) and old people saying allegedly hilarious and outrageous things.  Many of the '80s jokes fall flat.  Still, there is enough to enjoy here that it's worth viewing, and re-viewing.

I want to give shout-outs to three supporting cast members.  Former Marcia Brady imitator Christine Taylor is almost unrecognizable but equally good as Julia's slutty but kind cousin Holly.  Alexis Arquette is fun as Robbie's friend and bandmate George (who idolizes Boy George).  Arquette was Dick in Threesome and in a way these films show part of the the queer timeline of his/her life, since the performer would transition to female around 2006.  The absolute best cameo in the movie is Steve Buscemi's  David Veltri, two scenes (one at the beginning and one at the end) that he absolutely steals.

Incredibly, 78-year-old Sid Newman, who plays Frank, was Boy on Trolley in 1944's Meet Me in St. Louis, so I guess he beats George Burns, Groucho Marx, and Debbie Reynolds for longevity, although he's nowhere near their level of fame.  Marc Lonow, who's the Father of the Bride (I think the one who beats up Robbie), was Dave (the uptight married guy) twenty years earlier, in Thank God It's Friday.   Carmen Filpi, who's Old Man at Bar, had a small but pivotal role as Old Man Withers in Wayne's World.  Angela Paton was much more memorable as Mrs. Lancaster in Groundhog Day than she is as Faye here. Jason Cottle and Jenna Byrne, who play Scott and Cindy Castellucucci here, were in Wag the Dog as A.D. and Sharon respectively.

Nearly all of Priscilla Cory's credits read "Pretty Brunette" something, so she's Pretty Brunette Hostess here and would be Pretty Brunette High School Student in Barrymore's Never Been Kissed.  Allen Covert, who plays Sammy (Robbie's friend who idolizes Fonzie and Michael Jackson), would appear there as Roger in Op-Ed.

I don't have any other credits for rapper Ellen Albertini Dow, but she just passed away, at 101!

Nice day for a white wedding.

Thank God It's Friday

Thank God It's Friday
May 19, 1978
Columbia
Comedy, Musical
VHS
C

This plays like one of the more forgettable episodes of The Love Boat, only with casual drug use and of course a disco setting.  There are different plot threads and characters, many of them involving romance, and they only somewhat overlap.  None of them is particularly interesting, and I can only recommend this movie for maybe half a dozen decent to good songs and a chance to spot a handful of people who went on to better things, notably Fame's Valerie Landsburg (playing a teen who's supposed to be a marvelous dancer, although we can't really tell from the brief sample) and poor Debra Winger, as a nice girl looking for a nice guy.

And there's Jeff Goldblum, still only 25 at that point, but looking older and reptilian as the sleazy owner of the Zoo disco.  His character tries to seduce Sue, played by Andrea Howard, who'd be the love interest in The Nude Bomb.  Her husband Dave is played by Mark Lonow, who'd be a Father of the Bride in The Wedding Singer.  

As for the music, Donna Summer sings the Oscar-winning "Last Dance" and three other songs, and the Commodores sing "Hot to Trot" and the classic "She's a Brick House."  Just about everything else is forgettable, except for the over-the-top title track, which makes the Columbia lady boogie down.

Phil Adams, who's Tarzan here, would be a "hood" in C.H.O.M.P.S.  Wade Collings would also dance in Can't Stop the Music.  MacIntyre Dixon, a bartender here, would have a more substantial role, as Cole Oyl in Popeye.  Paul Jabara, who plays Carl and performs (on the soundtrack rather than as Carl) "Disco Queen" and "Trapped in a Stairway," wrote not only "Last Dance" but "It's Raining Men," which plays in Bridget Jones's Diary among other movies.

Director Robert Klane went on to the Weekend at Bernie's movies, which I don't own.