By: Frank

 

Lets get out the obvious right away: anyone who loves Fast Times at Ridgemont High will at the very least be amused by The Wild Life. You might even find yourself loving it if you're forgiving and hopelessly 80's-obessesed. Cameron Crowe is the common denominator. But relative to his three era-defining films spanning from the metallic early 80's through the grungy early 90's—Fast Times, Say Anything, and Singles—this exercise in teen exploitation is fun but lackluster.

 

Eric Stoltz plays Bill Conrad, an every-guy 18-year-old trying to get over a break up with donut dealer Anita (Lea Thompson) while moving out on his own for the first time. Bill's solution for lost love is to shake off his dull high school image and party hardy with his best friend and bowling-alley co-worker Tom, played by Chris Penn. Bill, a hopeless pushover in the wake of Tom's self-centered, dishonest, generally shitty behavior, hangs out with him anyway, trying new things like strip clubs and house parties. But through it all he longs for Anita, and, well, you can fill the gaps.Tom's little brother Jim (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) serves the subplot as a 'Nam-obsessed, chain-smoking, proto-grunge teen with his own girl woes.

 

As with many 80's comedies, plot gives way to quirky characterization and memorable, but pointless vignettes—with spotty results.

 

Indeed, one particular Chris Penn characterization supplies the film's comedic centerpiece and the tagline about which any fan of this movie will helplessly smile: It's casual. That's it. Obi-wan Kenobi had "May the Force be with you." Chris Penn had "It's casual."

 

I first saw this movie with my brother around '87. I was 10-years-old and elated to exercise this newfound phraseology at any and every opportunity. "Clean the den or you're grounded." "It's

casual." Or, "Your teacher called today and said you got an F on your math test. What do you have to say?" "It's casual." Sometimes I got so casual that the 'ual' dropped right off the word. "It's kaj, mom. I'll do it tomorrow." My casualness got me the same reaction as Chris Penn's; frustration and anger. I learned my lesson, but Chris Penn's Tom never did.

 

In fact, this movie has no lessons. No one learns a damn thing, which is where The Wild Life loses its dramatic impact, something that even a dumb comedy needs. You won't give two fucks about

anyone involved, a failing that Crowe apparently learned from in his films.

 

But Crowe's script isn't the only mediocre point. The last-minute directorial work of producer Art Linson (who stepped in after the original director dropped out) is too flat for the wild script. Despite the attempts by the studio to market this as a direct descendent of Fast Times, Linson is sadly devoid of the fresh, edgy vision that Amy Heckerling or Crowe himself brought to his other classic scripts.

 

Like Fast Times, however, this film is solidly cast. The credits roll reads like a guest list for a super cool mid-80's Hollywood house party; in addition to Eric Stoltz, (pre-fatty) Chris Penn, Lea Thompson, and Ilan Mitchell-Smith (the other guy in Weird Science), we have meaty cameos from

the great Rick Moranis, Randy Quaid, punk rocker Lee Ving of Fear, and Ben Stein. The 10 lb. cherry on top is music by Eddie Van Halen, who eventually turned much of the soundtrack in the seminal 1986 album 5150 (which I could honestly care less about, but there's no denying the major 80's cred therein.)

 

The Wild Life is stuck in DVD copyright limbo due to the soundtrack (that's the word on the internet, anyway.) But even so, the situation remains completely casual; just pick up one of the relatively cheap VHS copies from Amazon, eBay, or your local enlightened flea market peddler. It's definitely worth seeing if you like 80's comedies, even if it isn't as smart, funny, or good looking as its older brother.

 

 

Rating: 2.5/5 Beer-filled Glove Compartments

 

 

 

 

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