Subtitled a tribute to American ingenuity, Fun with Dick and Jane is loosely based on the characters of first readers it’s audience grew up on. The movie is a comedy about an American family living the dream, until Dick is fired and their “keeping up with the Jones” lifestyle comes crashing down around them. Jane is unskilled, Dick is more concerned with keeping up, appearances than his credit score. Plus, the clock is ticking as they loose their car, their yard and are barely keeping a roof over their heads.

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A tribute to baby boomer mentalities

Personally I think that this is better described as a tribute to privileged narcissism. Fun with Dick and Jane is first lighthearted about the characters taking responsibility for their situation. The premise is that in desperation to continue living the good life, Dick and Jane turn to a life of crime. This is sickly narcissistic, when so many Americans, never get to live the lifestyle they wanted to maintain. The complacency that Dick and Jane have towards those they steal from is unjustifiable. They argue that the crime is victimless, or that the big corporations had it coming, in the same way looters are plundering stores with impunity these days.

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I still think that Fun with Dick and Jane has some appeal to the boomer generation it targeted. Maybe for nostalgia, the 1977 release means that this film is filled with 70s fashions and decor. Or maybe something to reflect on, to understand the path we’ve chosen as a society. Fitting really when you think about it. The short stories that the characters were based on were meant to give the life skill of reading to a generation. The film, taken in retrospect of today’s widespread parallels, gives us a life lesson in the consequences to a society for accepting and rewarding those who break the rules.

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Romancing the Stone is one of the movies that made 1984 a great year for cinephiles. It is Micheal Douglas’s baby…He bought the script from a young waitress, and as producer was instrumental in getting Robert Zemeckis to direct. He was not however guaranteed to be the lead, and had to convince the executive producers that he could do a better job than Sylvester Stallone or Burt Reynolds. Co-stars in this Rom-Com adventure are Danny Devito, and Kathleen Turner, who was willing to get really dirty for the role. Many early critics compared it to the Indiana Jones franchise, but I think that it better captures romance and Kathleen’s portrayal of the novelist / romantic fantasist leading lady makes the ensuing interpersonal dynamics more realistic somehow.

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Zemeckis credits the box office success of Romancing the Stone with allowing him to make the Back to the Future films. He did not however direct the Romancing the Stone sequel, Jewel of the Nile. The sequel has received a large amount of criticism and never achieved the same level of box office success as the original.

It’s difficult to find a romantic comedy that truly represent an era as well as Romancing the Stone did. It was unique because it was equally popular amongst young men as it was with women. This was because the move was mostly marketed on the action adventure genre and included a truly awesome soundtrack that the music video generation widely embraced. It’s a very rare gem of a movie from a simpler time.

Kathleen Turner plays Joan Wilder a hopeless romantic, living in a NYC apartment and dreaming of being swept off her feet by some storybook hero. In fact she has a successful career writing romance novels about her alter ego. Her sheltered life is far from the fantasy adventure romances that she writes about. But when her sister is kidnapped and she has to deliver the ransom. she gets to experience firsthand more than she ever imagined possible.

Watch Serpent and the Rainbow for a darker action adventure movie.

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Christmas in Connecticut is a romantic Christmas tale warns of the pit-falls of lying. A successful food columnist has created a fictional life for herself, living on a farm in Connecticut with a husband and small child, In reality she lives alone in an apartment in the city and can’t cook. It is war time and a war hero takes inspiration in her writing, thinking of home. Her publisher thinks that a televised special with her cooking a welcome-home feast for him would be a great moral booster both at home and overseas. (Ironically. it was released just after the war ended when men were all returning home, and women were going back to their kitchens).

Christmas in Connecticut is a comical blend of mistaken identity, best laid plans that go haywire and wise elders who know what’s best for their loved ones. Barbara Stanwyck stars as Elizabeth Lane. With the help of her uncle Felix Bassenak, who is a chef, she uses her column to give his recipes a life of their own. In a desperate attempt to save her job and that of her editor, Elizabeth hatches a plan to continue her charade by marrying a friend who just happens to own a farm in Connecticut.

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They borrow a neighbor’s baby to show the producer and are just about to be wed (in secret) when the war hero Jefferson Jones arrives ahead of schedule. Lane falls in love at first sight and the judge is dismissed. Another baby is brought in the following day, and when it’s mother arrives to claim it, the producer Alexander Yardley thinks that it is being kidnapped. What’s more, a case of mistaken identity has Elizabeth and Jefferson spend the night in a jail cell. When they return her producer is livid, thinking she is the most irresponsible woman he has ever met. She comes clean with her duplicity and he fires her. But before he leaves, Felix entices him into the kitchen with one of his recipes and then suggests that his niece has other job offers. Alexander afraid to loose out on a good thing, rehires her and soon after Jefferson declares his love making her Christmas in Connecticut, one to remember.

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White Christmas is a classic from Irving Berlin and he did entertainment like youngsters today have never seen. Long before video games and other consumer electronics, this is an old school Christmas musical which brings together Rosemary Clooney (George Clooney’s aunt), Bing Crosby, Vera Ellen and Danny Kaye. White Christmas is an uplifting and heartwarming romance filled with dance, comedy and music and it’s in color! Subplot to the romance, is a WWII military connection which is really about goodwill and the spirit of brotherly love and loyalty, a Christmas tradition once as strong as giving Thanks at Thanksgiving.

White Christmas covers two Christmases, first is during the war. Bing plays Captain Bob Wallace who is joined on stage by private Davis (played by Kaye) who hopes to break into real showbiz. Their beloved Major General has just received orders that his tour is done and the whole unit gives him a boisterous send off in song. Suddenly the gathering is broke up as they come under attack, Davis ends up knocking Wallace out of the way of a collapsing wall, saving his life, Wallace in gratitude promises to make him a performance partner when they get home.

The pair go on to be very successful, running an entire production house. They meet a pair of sisters who are also performers and are instantly attracted. The business minded older sister and Wallace but heads a little because they are so alike, while the younger pair plot to see them married. The four share a train north where they decide to go to Vermont together instead of NY in hopes to have a white Christmas. Their Vermont host is none other than the Major General who is about to lose his shirt because it’s a mild winter and his resort has no visitors for lack of snow. Wallace hatches a plot to attract tourists by bringing his whole production house up to the beautiful location while romantic hijinks ensue.

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Based on the 1950 theater production of the same title. The movie starts on Christmas eve, set in New York, but the Christmas magic here is of an unusual sort, coming from witches.  Kim Novak plays Gillian Holroyd, the beautiful enchantress who takes an interest in her new neighbor, Shep Henderson (Jimmy Stewart) a publisher who is already engaged to someone else. Shep of course (being of James Stewart) is stoic and incorruptible by normal feminine wiles, so Gillian casts a spell on him.  This is Jimmy Stewart’s last true romantic lead because he was twice the age of his costars. Supporting actors include Hermione Gingold, Ernie Kovacs, Elsa Lanchester (Bride of Frankenstein) Jack Lemmon (Odd Couple), and Janice Rule.

This Jimmy Stewart movie was the inspiration for the TV show Bewitched, was taken in part from Bell Book and Candle. But where the TV series always saw Samantha being denied the use of her witchcraft, the film tells us that falling in love will erase a witch’s magic completely. This adds a level to the boy meets girl story, because while Gillain has an interest in Shep, at first she sees him as a play thing, a diversion, not someone she has any true romantic interest in. He, in response to discovering that she is a witch who has cast a spell on him, does what any sane man would do. He separates himself from the attractive vixen, seeking higher help to break the enchantment.  He sees her abuse of power as a callousness towards mere mortals and can ignore any lingering feelings because of this.  She on the other hand ends up falling for this man of integrity and loses her powers, changing her personality as she is no longer able to manipulate people.

Trivia and/or nostalgia

A bell, book and candle are key ingredients for an exorcism. Ring a bell, open a book and light a candle….then reverse the process when all is done. This makes me wonder if Jimmy Stewart would return to life if we played the movie backwards? Regardless, if you’re an old movie buff you might want to check out the Blondie and Dagwood movies.

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Kenny Dantley has always loved cars. He doesn’t care much for school, but he is dedicated to restoring a Corvette Stingray for his shop class. Most of his teachers think he is a slacker, accept for his shop teacher, whom he respects for teaching him the trade. The whole class who participated in rebuilding the car get to take it out for a test run one night after school. Someone steals the car when it’s driver stops for refreshments. Kenny has posted photos of the car everywhere, hoping that the custom paint job, flange hood and right-side drive will be recognized. While pumping gas, someone finally tells him that he saw the car in Vegas. Kenny takes off from LA on foot, for the adventure of a lifetime.

Ultimately this is a light-hearted rom-com about chasing your dreams only to find what you really want out of life is entirely different.

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The story finds Kirby Winter, a socially awkward young man with no professional objective, as the sole heir to his eccentric millionaire uncle’s estate. His uncle a mathematics wizard, had made his fortune gambling and investing wisely. But instead of passing along his fortune to his rather ill-fortunate nephew, Kirby’s Uncle only willed gave him his treasured gold-watch. Kirby is disheartened, believing that his uncle felt he was unworthy of his inheritance, the pocket watch doesn’t even keep proper time.

An attractive wealthy woman Carla O’Rourke played by Jill Ireland suddenly enters Kirby’s life. She is after his uncle’s fortune and tries to seduce him, in his lack of hard currency and romantic ineptness, he inadvertently spurns her attention. Later Kirby crashing at a friend’s place runs into Bonnie Lee Beaumont whom he falls madly in love with. Together at the beach, he discovers that the watch can stop time and shares the secret with Bonnie. The two use the watch to play practical jokes on the beach-goers.

Meanwhile Carla, who was the arch enemy of Kirby’s uncle, finally learns the secret to his ability to thwart her criminal plot. She and her accomplice go after Kirby and the watch, almost killing him. He uses the device turning the tables on her. Although he could kill her, do anything really, he like his uncle decides that the watch should not be used for murderous misadventure, but makes sure she gets punished just the same.

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A young American couple of college grads are spending 9 weeks in the Greek isles before beginning their respective professional lives. Cathy Featherstone, an fledgling photographer and Michael Pappas, who is set to take over his father’s business, have been dating for 5 years and known each other since their teens. Their vacation allows them to enjoy nude beaches and explore their sexuality, shaking off responsibilities and parental expectations.

Micheal gets distracted one day by another woman Lina, who is an archaeologist helping to unearth the Akrotiri excavation. (According to the tourist webpage, the site is still open for visits). They end up having sex and overcome by guilt he confesses to Cathy. She, understandably gets upset and yells at him to get it out of his system. She tries to be with someone else, but can’t do it. While Micheal stays out all night at Lina’s. Cathy confronts Lina, who explains that she isn’t looking for a complicated relationship, so she won’t be taking Michael from Cathy. Cathy likes Lina in spite of herself and she begins to be included in the couple’s explorations of the island.

The relationship develops all around, until they are an inseparable threesome. Lina gets worried that if she stays with them it will hurt worse when they leave. And she disappears. The couple search high and low for her for days, finally deciding that if she doesn’t want to be found, they won’t find her. Everything around them reminds them of her and they pack to leave 3 weeks before their lease is up.
Lina meanwhile realizes that she was truly happy with them and heads back, only to find the house empty. She rushes to the airport, they see her just before boarding the plane, and overjoyed celebrate her return.

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Some like it hot follows two musicians, played by Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon who witness a valentine’s day massacre style execution in Chicago. They flee the gangsters by joining a all female band headed for Miami. On the train, in full drag, the pair befriend Marilyn Monroe’s character, Sugar and must contain their attraction to not reveal their true identities. Sugar admits that she has had it with saxophone players , much to Joe’s (Tony Curtis posing as Josephine) chagrin and that she hopes to snag a millionaire when they reach Miami.

Once in Miami, the pair continue their ruse. Lemmon posing as Daphne, attracts the attention of a real millionaire, while Joe tries to woo Sugar by pretending to be one. Joe convinces Jerry/Daphne to keep “her” suitor occupied, so he can use the real millionaire’s yatch to win Sugar. When he returns, Daphne has accepted a proposal from her millionaire, and Joe reminds Jerry that he can’t possible go through with his plan to marry, and get a big divorce settlement when the truth comes out.

Meanwhile, the Mafia have a big gathering at the hotel where the band is playing. Joe and Jerry are recognized, they hide in drag and witness the revenge murder of their pursuers. Fleeing to the millionaire’s yacht, with Sugar finally realizing that Joe and Josephine are the same person running after them. They make a get away, where Sugar professes her love for Joe and Daphne tries to explain to Osgoode, her millionaire, that she can’t marry him. He doesn’t care that she is infertile, and when Jerry finally tears off his wig to reveal himself, Osgoode simply says, “Well, nobody’s perfect.”

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George Cukor directed The Philadelphia Story movie with Cary Grant, Ruth Hussey and James Stewart rounding out the principle cast. Tracy Lord, the principle character is used to things going her way and has high expectations for those around her. First born daughter to a well established Philadelphia socialite family, she divorced her first husband two years past for drinking too much, especially when she criticized him for it. Her ex, C.K. Dexter Haven, portrayed by Cary Grant, belongs to the same social group and is a successful yacht designer, while her fiance George Kittredge is Dexter’s opposite, a regular guy who struggles to fit into socialite circles with his personally earned wealth.

Hoping to cover the who’s who of Philadelphia at the wedding, is James Stewart playing a tabloid journalist. He shows up with his paper’s photographer, played by Ruth Hussey. She has a thing for him, but he is oblivious, taking her for granted, while she loyally gets what he needs to make his articles pop off the page.

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