As the Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic of the Pasadena Weekly from July 2009-August 2019, I saw and reviewed hundreds of movies as they were ideally meant to be presented: in movie theaters.
But now, two of the nation’s largest theater chains, AMC and Regal, have agreed to close for six to twelve weeks apiece to comply with the social distancing policies wrought by the Coronavirus pandemic.
Needless to say, our options have shifted into watching movies at home on DVDs, Blu-Rays and streaming services.
In the next few weeks, I’ll help you find a mix of past classics, cult classics, blockbuster favorites and overlooked gems that can keep your mind off of the news and away from thinking of just how bored you are while on lock down.
Today’s opening trio of movies are all John Hughes classics that are uniquely appropriate for our national mood.
I’ve picked Hughes films because he was my personal favorite filmmaker ever. Also, his populist approach ensures that almost everyone can enjoy these.
If your movie date nights have become chatting about a film over the phone while watching separately, these are three movies that are a great deal of fun to watch and trade growing up-stories over.
1. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
This movie is the ultimate ode to leisure, with the tagline “Leisure Rules.”
You’ll follow the world’s most popular high school student, Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) as he navigates a day of playing hooky alongside his girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) and beleaguered best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck). The three of them work to evade capture by his high school principal (Jeffrey Jones).
This 1986 gem might appear to be goofy teen-movie fluff. However, the film’s unabashedly joyful, life-embracing spirit and underlying message of living life happily even in the face of oppression garnered it both perennial popularity as well as a prestigious spot as one of the 600 or so greatest American movies ever on the National Film Registry.
You can stream it currently on Netflix if you’re not one of the millions who own the DVD/Blu-Ray. You’ll find yourself smiling and laughing from start to finish, and likely daydreaming about what favorite things you’ll do on the first day we’re allowed back to normal life.
National Lampoon’s Vacation
This film is the first of three “Vacation” movies that Hughes wrote following the misadventures of the Griswold clan from Chicago. This one marked his Hollywood breakthrough after a successful career in advertising and then humor writing with the Lampoon.
It finds a thoroughly goofy charm in the pitch-perfect casting of Chevy Chase as well-meaning but often clueless father Clark Griswold.
Clark takes his family on a two-week road trip from Chicago to Los Angeles en route to a planned triumphant climax at an amusement park called Wally World. Anyone with a sense of humor in the past thirty-six years since its 1983 release probably knows the twist at the end. But the movie is still funny, as are the many side gags along the way.
It’ll get your mind out of your cramped home and out on the open road.
Beverly D’Angelo is a dreamboat suburban wife Ellen who’s also a perfect comic foil to Chase. Anthony Michael Hall does a great job as his teen son Rusty. Randy Quaid has gonzo comic form as Ellen’s Cousin Eddie, and Imogene Coca is pure gold as the obnoxious Aunt Edna.
This is a winner through and through, and can also provide plenty of fun in tandem with its sequels “European Vacation” (the weakest of the three, but still with enough laughs to make it worthwhile) and the superior classic “Christmas Vacation”.
The first “Vacation” was rated R, but with just a couple of F words and a quick shot of D’Angelo’s breasts, it would have been rated PG-13 under the new rating if released just a year later.
You can rent it via IMDb and Amazon for $3.99.
Home Alone
Lastly, I’m recommending the 1990 Christmas classic that became the most successful comedy of all time with a whopping $286 million gross (about $400 million in today’s dollars, and at ticket prices less than $10 to boot).
The story of a precocious kid named Kevin McAllister (played by the magically charismatic Macaulay Culkin) who is accidentally left home alone by his family amid their harried rush to a Christmas vacation in Paris. He has to do battle with two inept robbers (the comedy dream team of Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern).
This film combines heartfelt moments with some of the greatest slapstick comedy ever committed to film.
I’ll never forget audiences cheering the final battle royale with the crooks at an advance preview screening as if they were watching a down-to-the-wire Super Bowl game.
But the real reason this is perfect for our current national moment is that it’s a film you can enjoy whether home alone or with family and friends of any generation. It’ll make you laugh, maybe even shed a tear a little, and just feel good to be human.
You can also rent this great classic on IMDb and Amazon Prime for $3.99.
