Most positive reviews of this movie can be summarized as "I was there, consequently this is a good movie". I say that is an insufficient reason to like ANY movie. This is a character-driven movie to . Not one of these characters would I like to speak to for more than five minutes. Let's do the roll-call. Rob Lowe, a slacker and dead-beat dad. Mare Winningham, the lummox who loves him. Judd Nelson, a charmless, philanderer. Emilio Estevez, whose infatuation with Andie McDowell is fueled not by heedless romanticism so much as a stalker mentality. Demi Moore, an empty-headed druggy. The most two likeable characters, Ally Sheedy and Andrew McCarthy, are a directionless whiner and a capon. No reviews have mentioned this, but they're all drinking alcohol in almost every scene, which probably explains a lot. So, you ask, what possible reason could there be to follow the exploits of these dreary character types? Search me.
The script is beyond lazy, falling into a predictable rhythm. Something comes between two of the friends, they squabble, another friend is in trouble, they come together again. Repeat. There is also a nastily homophobic undercurrent to the film, which probably thinks itself progressive since everyone is fine with McCarthy being gay, and McCarthy himself doesn't object to strenuously to others thinking him gay. But that's only because, thank God, he isn't! Sighs of relief all around. This is a deeply tiresome movie which makes me glad I'm not a fraternity, because then I could be a dreary boozing proto-yuppie too.
The script is beyond lazy, falling into a predictable rhythm. Something comes between two of the friends, they squabble, another friend is in trouble, they come together again. Repeat. There is also a nastily homophobic undercurrent to the film, which probably thinks itself progressive since everyone is fine with McCarthy being gay, and McCarthy himself doesn't object to strenuously to others thinking him gay. But that's only because, thank God, he isn't! Sighs of relief all around. This is a deeply tiresome movie which makes me glad I'm not a fraternity, because then I could be a dreary boozing proto-yuppie too.