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When I saw American Graffiti, I felt literally transported back to the 50's. It had wonderful characters and dialogue yes, but it's most of all the feel of it that really made it special. A kind of nostalgic vibe you only get once in a while. It might not have been his first, but it's this movie which put George Lucas on the map. I dare even say it's better than the movie which really made him famous (Star Wars). How could it ever possibly be beaten by the sequel?
Well, it couldn't. But I did hope it would give me some of the same warmth and charm of the original.
It did in some parts, and in some it did not.
This is probably one of the most disappointing sequels I've seen to a comedy, especially considering what a classic the first Graffiti is. It's almost infuriating at points how much it did wrong, and it doesn't make me feel like it was really needed.
But let's go over the upsides at first.
1. The acting. The actors who returned were really good, and some of the newcomers weren't bad. Anna Bjorn as Eva was by far the best new one in the cast. She brought her own unique presence to the movie, even though you have no idea what she's saying most of the movie (which is kind of the point). And I liked her scenes with Paul Le Mat. Cindy Williams, Charles Martin Smith and Ron Howard were the best performers.
2. Terry The Toad. Terry nearly saves this movie. Always down on his luck, he's easy to root for, and even though his storyline is just as depressing as almost all of the other ones in it, he brings some humor with his various attempts to escape and taunting the general.
3. It does have its funny parts. Most of the humourous moments are not laugh-out-funny, if any of them are, but even through all the seriousness they still managed to interject some light comedic glimpses. Toad is mostly the one who made me chuckle, but Cindy Williams still shows some of her comedic talent as well.
And now, for the problems.
1. The story and the tone. Basically, it goes like this. Terry and a lot of other soldiers are fighting in Vietnam, while other people are at home protesting the war, but getting beaten down when they try. Among these people is Laurie's brother Andy. There's also John Milner as a racing car driver, who is starting to slip with his driving. He also gets to hang out with Eva, a foreign exchange student. He can't understand a god-damn word she's saying but starts to like her. Debbie and Lance are living the wild hippie life. Now, I have nothing against a racing car movie if I actually want to watch a racing car movie, but watching car racing by itself a lot of the runtime is not exciting. I care more about the character development, and they spend way too much time showing off the racing.
The overall Vietnam storyline could have worked if they didn't forget the fun tone of the original. But there's not much fun to be had here, it's just depressing. Not even just the war, we see Steve and Laurie fight a lot more this time too, and not as much of them being romantic towards each other. The first movie was realistic, but it wasn't a complete downer. This one however is way too serious. It also tries way too hard to be a gritty anti-war statement. All the protests and the brutal war scenes feel excessively used, and it's almost like watching a war drama instead of you know, a comedy. That's why I didn't laugh or smile that much, it's very difficult to make a comedy about the Vietnam war and yet also realistic at the same time. Which they didn't succeed with.
2. The directing. This is what really brings the movie down. The style in the first movie was nice and simple. Clear wide shots, close-ups when neccessary, and good-looking but not overly flashy. Here we have the director pulling out so many tricks out of the hat it becomes a headache to watch. Seriously, SPLIT SCREEN? It would have been one thing if we followed several characters at the same time (which still would be pointless), but we have it for one character only. It's annoying as hell, and only makes it harder to follow the already shaky camera work.
3. The soundtrack. Just like the directing, it makes the movie harder to follow. The way the music is incorporated into scenes make them tedious to watch, and feels like it's there to show off some great hits rather than fit into the contexts of the scenes. I get that it's the 60's, but putting in 60's songs just because it's the 60's is not enough, you gotta use them in a way that flows smoothly, gives the audience an almost newfound appreciation for them.
4. The use of Debbie. This really annoyed me. Instead of the wonderful chemistry with her and Toad, since Toad is gone on war they come up with a different solution: they give her the blandest and most uncharismatic boyfriend you can think of. There was nothing about their relationship that was believable, and Lance was nothing but a bland, boring jerk. John Lansing was passable enough, but his character was completely uninteresting and weighed it down. They even make Debbie herself less captivating, since they don't play off each other well.
5. The pacing. God, this movie was slooooooooow. Whenever it didn't focus on Toad, this movie moved at a snail's pace. It felt like at least 2 and a half hours, especially when we cut to Debbie and Lance's storyline, or worse, Rainbow and her friends. I thought it was cool Mackenzie Phillips took on two roles this time, playing both her and Carol. But man, their characters were so forgettable I forgot about pretty much all of them as soon as the movie was over.
More American Graffifi is worth watching if you're a really huge fan of Ron Howard and Cindy Williams, and they don't do a too bad of a job developing Toad and John Milner's characters. And even though I mentioned there wasn't as much romantic energy between them, I still cared about Laurie and Steve enough I was glad when they finally reconciled. But in general, it's not a lot to hang in the Christmas tree. Bob Falfa, Carlos and Carol are there if you're wondering, but they are pretty much cameos.
When I saw American Graffiti, I felt literally transported back to the 50's. It had wonderful characters and dialogue yes, but it's most of all the feel of it that really made it special. A kind of nostalgic vibe you only get once in a while. It might not have been his first, but it's this movie which put George Lucas on the map. I dare even say it's better than the movie which really made him famous (Star Wars). How could it ever possibly be beaten by the sequel?
Well, it couldn't. But I did hope it would give me some of the same warmth and charm of the original.
It did in some parts, and in some it did not.
This is probably one of the most disappointing sequels I've seen to a comedy, especially considering what a classic the first Graffiti is. It's almost infuriating at points how much it did wrong, and it doesn't make me feel like it was really needed.
But let's go over the upsides at first.
1. The acting. The actors who returned were really good, and some of the newcomers weren't bad. Anna Bjorn as Eva was by far the best new one in the cast. She brought her own unique presence to the movie, even though you have no idea what she's saying most of the movie (which is kind of the point). And I liked her scenes with Paul Le Mat. Cindy Williams, Charles Martin Smith and Ron Howard were the best performers.
2. Terry The Toad. Terry nearly saves this movie. Always down on his luck, he's easy to root for, and even though his storyline is just as depressing as almost all of the other ones in it, he brings some humor with his various attempts to escape and taunting the general.
3. It does have its funny parts. Most of the humourous moments are not laugh-out-funny, if any of them are, but even through all the seriousness they still managed to interject some light comedic glimpses. Toad is mostly the one who made me chuckle, but Cindy Williams still shows some of her comedic talent as well.
And now, for the problems.
1. The story and the tone. Basically, it goes like this. Terry and a lot of other soldiers are fighting in Vietnam, while other people are at home protesting the war, but getting beaten down when they try. Among these people is Laurie's brother Andy. There's also John Milner as a racing car driver, who is starting to slip with his driving. He also gets to hang out with Eva, a foreign exchange student. He can't understand a god-damn word she's saying but starts to like her. Debbie and Lance are living the wild hippie life. Now, I have nothing against a racing car movie if I actually want to watch a racing car movie, but watching car racing by itself a lot of the runtime is not exciting. I care more about the character development, and they spend way too much time showing off the racing.
The overall Vietnam storyline could have worked if they didn't forget the fun tone of the original. But there's not much fun to be had here, it's just depressing. Not even just the war, we see Steve and Laurie fight a lot more this time too, and not as much of them being romantic towards each other. The first movie was realistic, but it wasn't a complete downer. This one however is way too serious. It also tries way too hard to be a gritty anti-war statement. All the protests and the brutal war scenes feel excessively used, and it's almost like watching a war drama instead of you know, a comedy. That's why I didn't laugh or smile that much, it's very difficult to make a comedy about the Vietnam war and yet also realistic at the same time. Which they didn't succeed with.
2. The directing. This is what really brings the movie down. The style in the first movie was nice and simple. Clear wide shots, close-ups when neccessary, and good-looking but not overly flashy. Here we have the director pulling out so many tricks out of the hat it becomes a headache to watch. Seriously, SPLIT SCREEN? It would have been one thing if we followed several characters at the same time (which still would be pointless), but we have it for one character only. It's annoying as hell, and only makes it harder to follow the already shaky camera work.
3. The soundtrack. Just like the directing, it makes the movie harder to follow. The way the music is incorporated into scenes make them tedious to watch, and feels like it's there to show off some great hits rather than fit into the contexts of the scenes. I get that it's the 60's, but putting in 60's songs just because it's the 60's is not enough, you gotta use them in a way that flows smoothly, gives the audience an almost newfound appreciation for them.
4. The use of Debbie. This really annoyed me. Instead of the wonderful chemistry with her and Toad, since Toad is gone on war they come up with a different solution: they give her the blandest and most uncharismatic boyfriend you can think of. There was nothing about their relationship that was believable, and Lance was nothing but a bland, boring jerk. John Lansing was passable enough, but his character was completely uninteresting and weighed it down. They even make Debbie herself less captivating, since they don't play off each other well.
5. The pacing. God, this movie was slooooooooow. Whenever it didn't focus on Toad, this movie moved at a snail's pace. It felt like at least 2 and a half hours, especially when we cut to Debbie and Lance's storyline, or worse, Rainbow and her friends. I thought it was cool Mackenzie Phillips took on two roles this time, playing both her and Carol. But man, their characters were so forgettable I forgot about pretty much all of them as soon as the movie was over.
More American Graffifi is worth watching if you're a really huge fan of Ron Howard and Cindy Williams, and they don't do a too bad of a job developing Toad and John Milner's characters. And even though I mentioned there wasn't as much romantic energy between them, I still cared about Laurie and Steve enough I was glad when they finally reconciled. But in general, it's not a lot to hang in the Christmas tree. Bob Falfa, Carlos and Carol are there if you're wondering, but they are pretty much cameos.
Last edited by mattiasflgrtll6; 05-28-18 at 01:30 PM.
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More American Graffiti
When I saw American Graffiti, I felt literally transported back to the 50's. It had wonderful characters and dialogue yes, but it's most of all the feel of it that really made it special. A kind of nostalgic vibe you only get once in a while. It might not have been his first, but it's this movie which put George Lucas on the map. I dare even say it's better than the movie which really made him famous (Star Wars). How could it ever possibly be beaten by the sequel?
Well, it couldn't. But I did hope it would give me some of the same warmth and charm of the original.
It did in some parts, and in some it did not.
This is probably one of the most disappointing sequels I've seen to a comedy, especially considering what a classic the first Graffiti is. It's almost infuriating at points how much it did wrong, and it doesn't make me feel like it was really needed.
But let's go over the upsides at first.
1. The acting. The actors who returned were really good, and some of the newcomers weren't bad. Anna Bjorn as Eva was by far the best new one in the cast. She brought her own unique presence to the movie, even though you have no idea what she's saying most of the movie (which is kind of the point). And I liked her scenes with Paul Le Mat. Cindy Williams, Charles Martin Smith and Ron Howard were the best performers.
2. Terry The Toad. Terry nearly saves this movie. Always down on his luck, he's easy to root for, and even though his storyline is just as depressing as almost all of the other ones in it, he brings some humor with his various attempts to escape and taunting the general.
3. It does have its funny parts. Most of the humourous moments are not laugh-out-funny, if any of them are, but even through all the seriousness they still managed to interject some light comedic glimpses. Toad is mostly the one who made me chuckle, but Cindy Williams still shows some of her comedic talent as well.
And now, for the problems.
1. The story and the tone. Basically, it goes like this. Terry and a lot of other soldiers are fighting in Vietnam, while other people are at home protesting the war, but getting beaten down when they try. Among these people is Laurie's brother Andy. There's also John Milner as a racing car driver, who is starting to slip with his driving. He also gets to hang out with Eva, a foreign exchange student. He can't understand a god-damn word she's saying but starts to like her. Debbie and Lance are living the wild hippie life. Now, I have nothing against a racing car movie if I actually want to watch a racing car movie, but watching car racing by itself a lot of the runtime is not exciting. I care more about the character development, and they spend way too much time showing off the racing.
The overall Vietnam storyline could have worked if they didn't forget the fun tone of the original. But there's not much fun to be had here, it's just depressing. Not even just the war, we see Steve and Laurie fight a lot more this time too, and not as much of them being romantic towards each other. The first movie was realistic, but it wasn't a complete downer. This one however is way too serious. It also tries way too hard to be a gritty anti-war statement. All the protests and the brutal war scenes feel excessively used, and it's almost like watching a war drama instead of you know, a comedy. That's why I didn't laugh or smile that much, it's very difficult to make a comedy about the Vietnam war and yet also realistic at the same time. Which they didn't succeed with.
2. The directing. This is what really brings the movie down. The style in the first movie was nice and simple. Clear wide shots, close-ups when neccessary, and good-looking but not overly flashy. Here we have the director pulling out so many tricks out of the hat it becomes a headache to watch. Seriously, SPLIT SCREEN? It would have been one thing if we followed several characters at the same time (which still would be pointless), but we have it for one character only. It's annoying as hell, and only makes it harder to follow the already shaky camera work.
3. The soundtrack. Just like the directing, it makes the movie harder to follow. The way the music is incorporated into scenes make them tedious to watch, and feels like it's there to show off some great hits rather than fit into the contexts of the scenes. I get that it's the 60's, but putting in 60's songs just because it's the 60's is not enough, you gotta use them in a way that flows smoothly, gives the audience an almost newfound appreciation for them.
4. The use of Debbie. This really annoyed me. Instead of the wonderful chemistry with her and Toad, since Toad is gone on war they come up with a different solution: they give her the blandest and most uncharismatic boyfriend you can think of. There was nothing about their relationship that was believable, and Lance was nothing but a bland, boring jerk. John Lansing was passable enough, but his character was completely uninteresting and weighed it down. They even make Debbie herself less captivating, since they don't play off each other well.
5. The pacing. God, this movie was slooooooooow. Whenever it didn't focus on Toad, this movie moved at a snail's pace. It felt like at least 2 and a half hours, especially when we cut to Debbie and Lance's storyline, or worse, Rainbow and her friends. I thought it was cool Mackenzie Phillips took on two roles this time, playing both her and Carol. But man, their characters were so forgettable I forgot about pretty much all of them as soon as the movie was over.
More American Graffifi is worth watching if you're a really huge fan of Ron Howard and Cindy Williams, and they don't do a too bad of a job developing Toad and John Milner's characters. And even though I mentioned there wasn't as much romantic energy between them, I still cared about Laurie and Steve enough I was glad when they finally reconciled. But in general, it's not a lot to hang in the Christmas tree. Bob Falfa, Carlos and Carol are there if you're wondering, but they are pretty much cameos.
When I saw American Graffiti, I felt literally transported back to the 50's. It had wonderful characters and dialogue yes, but it's most of all the feel of it that really made it special. A kind of nostalgic vibe you only get once in a while. It might not have been his first, but it's this movie which put George Lucas on the map. I dare even say it's better than the movie which really made him famous (Star Wars). How could it ever possibly be beaten by the sequel?
Well, it couldn't. But I did hope it would give me some of the same warmth and charm of the original.
It did in some parts, and in some it did not.
This is probably one of the most disappointing sequels I've seen to a comedy, especially considering what a classic the first Graffiti is. It's almost infuriating at points how much it did wrong, and it doesn't make me feel like it was really needed.
But let's go over the upsides at first.
1. The acting. The actors who returned were really good, and some of the newcomers weren't bad. Anna Bjorn as Eva was by far the best new one in the cast. She brought her own unique presence to the movie, even though you have no idea what she's saying most of the movie (which is kind of the point). And I liked her scenes with Paul Le Mat. Cindy Williams, Charles Martin Smith and Ron Howard were the best performers.
2. Terry The Toad. Terry nearly saves this movie. Always down on his luck, he's easy to root for, and even though his storyline is just as depressing as almost all of the other ones in it, he brings some humor with his various attempts to escape and taunting the general.
3. It does have its funny parts. Most of the humourous moments are not laugh-out-funny, if any of them are, but even through all the seriousness they still managed to interject some light comedic glimpses. Toad is mostly the one who made me chuckle, but Cindy Williams still shows some of her comedic talent as well.
And now, for the problems.
1. The story and the tone. Basically, it goes like this. Terry and a lot of other soldiers are fighting in Vietnam, while other people are at home protesting the war, but getting beaten down when they try. Among these people is Laurie's brother Andy. There's also John Milner as a racing car driver, who is starting to slip with his driving. He also gets to hang out with Eva, a foreign exchange student. He can't understand a god-damn word she's saying but starts to like her. Debbie and Lance are living the wild hippie life. Now, I have nothing against a racing car movie if I actually want to watch a racing car movie, but watching car racing by itself a lot of the runtime is not exciting. I care more about the character development, and they spend way too much time showing off the racing.
The overall Vietnam storyline could have worked if they didn't forget the fun tone of the original. But there's not much fun to be had here, it's just depressing. Not even just the war, we see Steve and Laurie fight a lot more this time too, and not as much of them being romantic towards each other. The first movie was realistic, but it wasn't a complete downer. This one however is way too serious. It also tries way too hard to be a gritty anti-war statement. All the protests and the brutal war scenes feel excessively used, and it's almost like watching a war drama instead of you know, a comedy. That's why I didn't laugh or smile that much, it's very difficult to make a comedy about the Vietnam war and yet also realistic at the same time. Which they didn't succeed with.
2. The directing. This is what really brings the movie down. The style in the first movie was nice and simple. Clear wide shots, close-ups when neccessary, and good-looking but not overly flashy. Here we have the director pulling out so many tricks out of the hat it becomes a headache to watch. Seriously, SPLIT SCREEN? It would have been one thing if we followed several characters at the same time (which still would be pointless), but we have it for one character only. It's annoying as hell, and only makes it harder to follow the already shaky camera work.
3. The soundtrack. Just like the directing, it makes the movie harder to follow. The way the music is incorporated into scenes make them tedious to watch, and feels like it's there to show off some great hits rather than fit into the contexts of the scenes. I get that it's the 60's, but putting in 60's songs just because it's the 60's is not enough, you gotta use them in a way that flows smoothly, gives the audience an almost newfound appreciation for them.
4. The use of Debbie. This really annoyed me. Instead of the wonderful chemistry with her and Toad, since Toad is gone on war they come up with a different solution: they give her the blandest and most uncharismatic boyfriend you can think of. There was nothing about their relationship that was believable, and Lance was nothing but a bland, boring jerk. John Lansing was passable enough, but his character was completely uninteresting and weighed it down. They even make Debbie herself less captivating, since they don't play off each other well.
5. The pacing. God, this movie was slooooooooow. Whenever it didn't focus on Toad, this movie moved at a snail's pace. It felt like at least 2 and a half hours, especially when we cut to Debbie and Lance's storyline, or worse, Rainbow and her friends. I thought it was cool Mackenzie Phillips took on two roles this time, playing both her and Carol. But man, their characters were so forgettable I forgot about pretty much all of them as soon as the movie was over.
More American Graffifi is worth watching if you're a really huge fan of Ron Howard and Cindy Williams, and they don't do a too bad of a job developing Toad and John Milner's characters. And even though I mentioned there wasn't as much romantic energy between them, I still cared about Laurie and Steve enough I was glad when they finally reconciled. But in general, it's not a lot to hang in the Christmas tree. Bob Falfa, Carlos and Carol are there if you're wondering, but they are pretty much cameos.
Even though it's been years since I've seen the sequel, I pretty much agree with all your points on the movie, good and bad, mattias. Terry the Toad was my favorite character here, and I loved that Joe (Bo Hopkins), the leader of the Pharaohs from the first film, was there with Terry and Terry irked the officer by admitting that he and Joe were basically cowards and didn't want to fight. Being that Joe was a bit of a bully in the first movie (but not too much of one), I thought it was cool that he was cool with Terry calling him a coward in this. And the fact that they didn't show Terry's final outcome (as hinted at during the closing of the first film) but just
WARNING: spoilers below
fate the same, even though it was spelled-out flatly at the end of the first film. I didn't really want to see these beloved characters die.
And taking it from the fun, early 60's to the late 60's, well, it just made the movie, like you said, depressing, because they focused too much on depressing things like the war and protests. We get it, the times, they are a'changing, but they could have found comedic or sweet stuff to write about. But I get the feeling they just wanted to be profound here and it mostly didn't work.
Yeah, the split-screen crap was super annoying. I mean, I've never really liked that aspect of filming---unless it's a movie like Woodstock or something. But when it's a straight-up drama, it's nothing but distracting or just drawing your attention to the fact that you're looking at a director's trick. Just MHO.
Getting back to the fact that it's been years since I've seen it, I had no memory of Harrison Ford having a cameo in the movie. I'd say I need to see it again, but, eh, I really don't want to.
Nice review, by the way, mattias!
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Totally forgot this scene.
Laura (1944) 4,5*
Unique in its genre for sure. I liked Laura because she was different from most women in film noir. She wasn't cunning, deadset on the undoing of all the men around her but it was more the opposite. The dialogues were interesting and the atmosphere was both eery and vibrant so that matched pretty well together. There was not a lot of suspense since a lot of it is explained immediately, but that does not make the film less good.
Unique in its genre for sure. I liked Laura because she was different from most women in film noir. She wasn't cunning, deadset on the undoing of all the men around her but it was more the opposite. The dialogues were interesting and the atmosphere was both eery and vibrant so that matched pretty well together. There was not a lot of suspense since a lot of it is explained immediately, but that does not make the film less good.
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20th Century Women (2016)
''I don’t know if we ever figure our lives out and the people who help you, they might not be who you thought or wanted. They might just be the people who show up. ''
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The Collector (1967) by Eric Rohmer
Cemetery of Splendor (2015) by Apichatpong Weerasethakul +
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