WHAT'SUP
It Might Maybe be Alright, round 308.01.09
This is the third review in a series about my attempts to identify and find comfort in coming-of-age movies skewed toward post-college life. The first is here and the second is here.
Attempt 3: “Kicking and Screaming”(1995)
Basic plot: The first 7 or 8 months post-college of the “Hawks,” structured mostly by the markers of a college semester.
Actual plot: Like “Reality Bites,” there’s a really strong undercurrent of love story, between Grover and Jane, in this ensemble tale. But this one works a lot better. It’s also about not becoming a “Chet,” “Kicking and Screaming’s” answer to Matthew McConaughey in “Dazed and Confused.” But less creepy and more erudite.
What I thought: This is probably only second in quotability to “Heathers”, one of my all-time favorite movies. The flashback scenes are a little rough, but it’s really well constructed. All of the characters were likable and undeniably human. Also, single most well-dressed group of guys in the ’90s, excluding Skippy.
“Yes, but how did it make you feel?”: Like dragging your feet is OK. But that moving on is also OK. Again, really good narrative arc. I felt like I got “something” out of it. Not quite that Lou Pucci running through the streets moment, but the opposite in a really nice way. Like Chet says, “How do you make God laugh? By making a plan.”
Character I most relate to: A combination of Grover and Kate. And also Max and some Jane, and a even a little Miami. Very little Miami though.
What I learned: That there is life after college no matter how long it takes you to get there.
Rating: 4.5/5
Next up: “The Last Days of Disco”
Previously: “Reality Bites”
Also: “Slacker”
