| Can’t stop the music
Everybody has a couple of dopey musicals that they are happy to watch over and over while their friends wrinkle their noses and say, "You actually like this?" Here are a few of mine:
Viva Las Vegas (1964): It’s been pointed out that all movies starring Elvis Presley are pretty much the same. Even so, I’ve somehow settled on Viva Las Vegas as my clear favourite. All other vehicles for The King feel the wrath of my mighty channel-changer if they happen to flicker into view on a dull TV-watching day. VLV, on the other hand, is something I never tire of – and no doubt I will continue to enjoy its goofy charms in the future.
You always know what to expect from an Elvis movie, and this one settles comfortably into its well established formula like a baby kangaroo in its momma’s pouch. Elvis plays a likable working-class schlub who, over the course of the film, sings, water-skis and stock-car-races his way into Ann-Margret’s heart. (Their first date is unintentionally hilarious – among other activities, they actually go skeet shooting. As if this weren’t enough to warm the cockles of the NRA’s heart, they go to some kind of Wild West theme park, dress up like cowboys and make "pow pow" noises at each other! Sheesh!) Ann-Margret comes dangerously close to upstaging Elvis several times.
The Pirates of Penzance (1983): This giddy adaptation of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta died like a dog at the box office, perhaps because it came a little too soon after The Pirate Movie (1982), based on the same source material. Nobody gives a shit about The Pirate Movie anymore – so you really should check out this truer, better version of the tale on video. It’s a treat.
Kevin Kline deserves special attention for his performance as the Pirate King. Not many actors can sing, dance, wear a puffy shirt and do pratfalls while still looking macho. Kev pulls it off. Similarly, the entire gang of pirates strikes just the right balance between menace and buffoonery.
Bugsy Malone (1976): This one’s a 1920s gangster musical in which all of the roles are played by children. Yes, really. A youthful Scott Baio plays the title character, while sultry tavern floozy Tallulah is played by none other than Jodie Foster. (That same year, Foster gave a remarkable performance as a child prostitute in Taxi Driver. Holy cow!) Instead of machine guns, these pint-sized criminals rub each other out by hurling cream pies. (The whipped-cream battles are surprisingly vicious.) Paul Williams’s infectious musical score is lip-synched by the kids, and it’s quite comical to hear their normal high-pitched tones give way to deep baritone singing voices during the musical numbers.
Unique, to say the least. |
