Dumb and Dumber                                             1994                                         2 ½ sweet pickles

An intercepted ransom. The thwarting of the kidnappers. Clearly the work of skilled experts. Or maybe not.

Lloyd Christmas is a man desperate for love and true fulfillment in his life. He and his friend Harry are down on their luck, jobless, and on the verge of homelessness. That is until Lloyd meets the woman of his dreams, Mary, on his way transporting her to airport. The encounter leaves him entirely smitten, and when she leaves her briefcase at the airport it seems he’s been given an opportunity of a lifetime. The problem is that the briefcase was actually ransom to get back Mary’s kidnapped husband, and Lloyd and Harry are pulled into the middle unknowingly of a crazy situation. Another problem is that they’re also too dumb to realize it.

Their adventure takes them to country diner snafus, hot pepper and ulcer take downs of villains, the killing of endangered species, betrayal and reconciliation of friend, and a crazy showdown with the kidnapper. Lloyd doesn’t get the girl in the end, which he’s bitter about, but he reunites her with her beloved husband, so that’s something. We’re left seeing them walk off into the horizon with a hopefully brighter ahead. At least we hope is, but not very likely

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad                                1988                      3 sweet pickles

Crime doesn’t pay. We all know this. No matter what we may conceivably believe, choices have consequences and most of the time good prevails over evil. What we may not expect is a slapstick and outlandish telling of this truth. That’s what our movie centers on.

Our story opens on the life of Detective Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielson), who is effective if not extremely unconventional in his approach to fighting crime. When a friend on the force is nearly killed, Frank uncovers a plot to kill Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to America. Following the trail and clues, he meets suave businessman Vincent Ludwig (Ricardo Montalban), the prime suspect and his stunningly attractive assistant Jane Spencer (Priscilla Presley). The journey to justice is insane. Assassins are turned on by an emitted frequency, an apartment filled with rare treasures is burned, and opera singers and umpires are impersonated, all for the sake of proving Vincent’s guilt. The queen is almost assassinated, but as with any good crime drama Frank is successful at vanquishing the enemy. He gets the girl and the glory in the end.

This movie is far from taking itself seriously with cheesy, crazy, and laugh out moment after moments. It combines many themes from the 80’s, whether it be serious voiceovers or outlandish humor.

Groundhog Day                                        1993                                                                      4 Sweet Pickles

What if the day you’re currently in, no matter how it goes down, became your eternity? Endlessly trapped in the same cycle of events, destined to meet the same people and have the same conversations, only to wake up again to face it all again. What a terrible thought, right? That, my friends, is the focus of our movie today.

Weatherman Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is a not so sunny reporter who manages to make everyone around him miserable. He’s high maintenance and kind of terrible. To make matters worse, Groundhog Day has arrived and Phil gets the enormous thrill of covering this beloved and eccentric event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Just kidding, he hates it. Traveling with cameraman Larry and his beautiful new producer Rita Hanson (Andie MacDowell), he survives the festivities and Phil the groundhog’s announcement of six more weeks of winter and he is ready to get home. A sudden blizzard blows in, stranding them in the town. Displeased, Phil goes to bed early in hopes of a better day tomorrow. Instead, he wakes up to the same day again on repeat and realizes that he’s stuck in a time loop. What’s a man to do?

The rest of the film explores the concept on both the crazy and serious side of things. Phil experiences it all. He gets in a car chase with the police while driving down the railroad track. He eats to the point of gluttony. He studies the habits of women in order to seduce them. He falls in love with Rita, who is so far out of his league, and tries to win her over. When he is unsuccessful, things take a darker turn and he attempts to end his life. Upon reflection, he decides to take what he’s learned from this entire situation and better himself. He learns to play the piano, create ice sculptures, speak French, and even attempts to save a dying homeless man. His transformation through this loop becomes noticeable, and Rita is amazed by his kind, sweet, and selfless nature. Phil wins Rita’s heart, and in true and fitting fashion his love of her and her love of him sets him free. Emerging a free man from the time loop, he and Rita plan their future together, settling in Punxsutawny, a place that has come to mean so much to them.

Urban Cowboy                                              1980                                                       2 ½ Sweet Pickles

Pride, stubbornness, and pig-headedness are all central themes in this movie.  The consequences of living only for ourselves can be extreme and severe.  This movie led the viewer through the mire of pride, leaving us with a glimmer of hope at the end that it can be overcome.

Bud (John Travolta) rolls into Pasadena, Texas, a man (boy essentially) who’s lived in a small town without the lure and excitement of the bigtime.  He connects with his uncle and family and goes with them to a honky tonk called Gillies, and there gets a taste for the life of a true cowboy.  He’s proud and naïve, almost immediately making reckless and brainless decisions.  In spite of that, or maybe because of that, he attracts the attention of Sissy (Debra Winger), an equally headstrong and beautiful woman.  They fall for each other, get married quickly, and start their life together. But that alas is not the end of the story.

Bud is old school in his values and how he sees a woman’s role, while Sissy wants to push the boundaries of what a woman can and is expected to do, especially when they both take an interest in bull riding. This causes friction in their relationship, especially when Sissy attracts the attention of bad boy bull rider Wes (Scott Glenn).  Their pride and immaturity lead them further away from each other, not resolving their differences, but instead pitting them against each other, ultimately leading to their separation and filing for divorce.  Reckless alliances are formed, new relationships are formed, and destructive choices are made on both sides. Wes and Sissy end up together, and his brutality and cruelty breaks her.  Bud is living it up, but he feels empty and unhappy.

One thing that brings him enjoyment is his relationship with his uncle and their lessons in bull riding. His uncle talks to him about the importance of family and belonging to something and someone, pushing and encouraging him to make amends with Sissy.  As he says, Pride will ultimately destroy you and what you love most.  His uncle sadly is killed in a freak accident at work, prompting Bud to do some soul searching.  The last scene of the movie features a showdown between Bud and Wes, a reconciliation with Sissy, and what hopes to be a maturing of both parties.

I cannot support the choices or condone the actions of the characters, but the movie itself was interesting in the sense that it explored our human nature and the destructive ramifications of what pride can do left unchecked.  Living a life seeking to love, serve, and understand the needs of others is the way to go, and we know that this is found in the person of Jesus.

Big Trouble in Little China                            1986                                                            3 sweet pickles

The title really does say it all. The audience is invited into a crazy and corny ride with this cult classic. Nothing is predictable. It’s off the wall, random, and oddly clever, which is so typical of the 80’s.
Where to begin in telling this story. We meet our hero, Jack Burton (Kurt Russell), driving an 18-Wheeler in the midst of a storm making crazy random calls out over the radio. He arrives in San Francisco and begins a series of games played at high stakes, with Jack beating out his friend Wang Chi (Dennis Dun). Unable to pay his debt on the spot, Jack tags along with Wang to make sure he gets his money back. They go to the airport to pick up Wang’s betrothed from China, Miao Yin, whom he desperately loves. Things go sideways when she is abducted by a notorious group of criminals known as “The Lords of Death”. They chase after them into Chinatown and get engulfed in a street fight between two ancient Chinese societies. If that wasn’t enough, that fight is interrupted by the Three Storms, three ancient warriors with weather related abilities. It becomes too much for Jack and Wang, so they decide to book it, but in the process, Jack runs over a creepy ancient man David Lo Pan, not maiming or injuring him, but terrifying both he and Wang.

There are several more twists and turns in the story, but as it turns out Lo Pan is a man seeking to break a curse that was put on him, and the only way to do that is marry a woman with green eyes and then kill her to appease the emperor, and Miao Yin fits the bill. Resolved to save her, Jack and Wang are joined by a headstrong Lawyer Gracie Law (Kim Cattrell), enthusiastically eager journalist Margo, best friend Eddie Lee, and street wise magician and Lo Pan expert Egg Shen. They break in, are captured, break free, and lose Gracie after she is grabbed by a sasquatch like creature on the way out. She also happens to have green eyes which makes her desirable to Lo Pan. He decides to marry both Gracie and Miao Yin, sacrificing Gracie and keeping Maio Yin. Jack and crew have to go in for one final showdown, saving the girls, defeating the Three Storms, and destroying Lo Pan. All prove themselves to be heroes in their own way, and they exit victorious. Wang and Miao Yin are reunited, and Jack drives off into the next adventure on his truck route.

This movie was random, clever, and unpredictable.  Jack was not your typical hero, fumbling through different battle sequences and only taking out Lo Pan, seemingly accidently because of his reflexes. He also doesn’t choose the girl at the end, which was funny and clever.  Wang stole the show, with his funny comebacks and saber skills.  Gracie Law was all that you would expect and provided a good amount of laughter.  Egg Shen was the storyteller, and he opened the movie by recounting the events and had all the info to solve the problems they faced.

Short Circuit                                                  1986                                                     2 ½ Sweet Pickles

The 80’s had a lot of themes, but some of the major movie themes were war with the Soviet Union, artificial intelligence, and the dangers of technology. This movie encompassed all, making for both a light-hearted and cheesy ride.
Our movie opens with US leaders viewing and celebrating the innovation and excitement of technology at it’s finest, and what hopes to be the beginning of an exciting adventure in artificial intelligence. Five robots, all designed by S.A.I.N.T (Strategic Artificially Intelligent Nuclear Transport) to operate and perform to the programmer’s specifications, are the technology in question. Things take an interesting turn when one of the robots is struck by lightning, scrambling the programming and it escapes, and not only that, seems to reprogram itself. They lose track of it, which causes no end of anxiety, and the government pulls in creator Newton Crosby (Steve Guttenburg) and his eccentric partner Ben to aid in the search.
Number 5, as the robot is known, ends up at the house of Stephanie (Ally Sheedy), a crazy but sincere animal savior who isn’t known for the soundness of her life choices. Number 5 comes into her life, at first terrifying and frustrating her, but eventually she recognizes beyond belief that he seems to be alive. The government is eager to get him back, and the tracker they embedded him with leads them to Stephanie’s house, but he evades their capture by quickly reading a driver manual and taking off in Stephanie’s food truck. He adapts, grows, and becomes more relational through the input he takes in, becoming more and more “alive”.
The rest of the movie is a journey of Stephanie defending and trying to convince Newton and the others of Number 5 and his ability to relate, with plenty of crazy corniness to carry it along. The government is not convinced, and they destroy him in spite of what both Newton and Stephanie share. Number 5, however, is a smart robot, and he fakes his own destruction and rides off to a new life with his new family.

Three Men and a Baby                              1987                                                       4 sweet pickles

The title really does say it all, inviting the soon to be viewer to think about what it might be like. And it did not disappoint. Clever, sweet, and funny, this was an engaging and enjoyable ride.

Our story opens on the lives of three bachelors, Jack, Michael, and Pete, who are living it up in New York City. They all have successful careers, an eclectic home, and a raging social life. Two of the three are experts with the ladies, and they go from relationship to relationship without much thought. Although they have fun, I think all three would have to admit that their lives lack true meaning.
In walks the twist in our story when Jack, an actor, agrees to hold a package for a friend. He is however leaving the country, so he asks his friends Michael and Pete to keep an eye out. When the package arrives, Michael and Pete are shocked to discover that the package is a baby, and not just any baby, but Jack’s little girl Mary who he is unaware existed. Still believing it to be a temporary situation, Michael and Pete scramble to figure out how to care for this baby. Diaper fiascos, sleepless nights, and formula studies are all part, and they quickly prove themselves able to rise to the challenge. The day comes for them to pass on “the Package”, and although they are beginning to become attached, they are eager to see Mary go. It turns out they made a mistake, and the package Jack referred them to was actually another package containing drugs and the dealers are desperate to get them. Pete and Michael save Mary just in the nick of time, but now have the police after them. The apartment is trashed, and Mary’s life threatened. Angered and confused, Michael and Pete are frantic for Jack’s return.

When he does return, the games on him. Not only is he surprised by the fact he has a daughter, but he also is thrown into the responsibility of figuring the baby thing out. Pete and Michael expect him to fail, but the fatherly bond is strong. These three men together figure out how to balance taking care of Mary, as well as take down a drug ring and aid the police. They rock this Daddy/Guardian thing! Suddenly, Sylvia, the mom, returns to take Mary home to the UK with her. Jack seems willing to let her go, but on the prompting of Michael and Pete they run to airport to stop the girls before they leave. They just barely miss the plane and go home sad and depressed. Sylvia is waiting in their doorstep, overwhelmed and crying, afraid she can’t be a good mom. But the three friends have a solution. Not only can they help her by babysitting, they invite her to move in and share the responsibility of parenting equally. The last scene shows them happily embarking on a trip together, happy and fulfilled with hope on the horizon.
This movie was a gem. Wrapped in sweetness, I appreciated its attention to detail. From excruciatingly long scenes with a baby crying, accurate depictions of how overwhelming it can be to be a first-time parent, to how delightful a baby can be, the whole experience was wonderful. Tom Selleck stole the show with his kind sincerity, and Steve Guttenburg and Ted Dansen were both engaging in their performances.   Also, one cannot go without mentioning what a beautiful and amazing set of twins the cast to play Mary.  I highly recommend it if your looking to feel good and laugh a lot.