Watched on dudes night this week, it was my pick...

This is a favorite of mine that I hadn't watched in a really long time. After watching again it keeps it spot as a favorite, I thought it held up really well. The other guys... Did not like it at all. This was mostly due to there being nearly no plot: the movie is essentially a ride following a bunch of characters around as they get into trouble and weird crap happens to them. I don't think the other guys were prepared for this.

Love the style of the movie. It's this absurd snapshot of the mid to early eighties told through a kind of punk-style lense that rewards multiple watches. So many little screwed up details to be missed. You'll catch some little detail that seems weird at the time only to have a character call it out later. Some are never explained (or maybe I just don't get it) but are hilarious to spot. Tons are recurring. Also: title track by Iggy Pop, with songs from Black Flag, Fear, and Suicidal Tendencies making appearances. Hell yeah. There's even a cameo by the Circle Jerks playing as a lounge band, funny get-ups and all. If you don't like this style, you're probably not going to like this movie.

This was written and directed by Alex Cox who would go on to write the screenplays for Sid & Nancy and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (just now seeing that one). I need to see more of his stuff. Esteves does great bouncing around through all this mess with a shit-eating grin on his face: he's not a super likable character, but he (usually) looks like he's enjoying the chaos going on around him. Harry Dean Stanton was also great as Molly Ringwald's dad, and we all got a kick out of Jack Nicholson's henchman sidekick from Batman getting what amounts to a leading role here...

I think the big key to everything working together is that the movie doesn't take itself seriously. AT ALL. They know the plot is meaningless and doesn't matter. They call this out over and over again either making fun of how ridiculous some plot point is ("You eat a lot of acid Miller? In the hippy days?") or insulting the viewer for thinking that some element should even be cared about ("What about our relationship?!?", "What? Fuck that!"). But really, who cares about plot when the ride is this fun.