Sky High IS worth seeing
OK, since I didn't actually say anything about the MOVIE after I mentioned it in my last post, let me say that "Sky High" was a very entertaining movie. It wasn't lame, and it WAS worth the $23. I just got totally sidetracked by all the long haired guys (and last night I dreamed I was a teenaged student at Hogwarts and was snogging with Ron, so obviously I'm not over it yet, but I am going to talk about something other than devastatingly handsome young men with long hair through whose silky lengths I want to run my fingers... STOP!!!!!)
I actually saw "Sky High" TWICE this weekend. on Saturday with Kevin only, then again on Sunday with Kevin and his friend Dean and Dean's mom Shannon. The weakest part of the movie was Kelly Preston as the mom - seemed like she was uncomfortable in the Superhero costume, and her lines felt uncomfortable, too, sort of stilted, like she didn't really get the character, or just didn't buy it or something, I'm not sure. Kurt Russell was perfect, as always, even if he DID keep his shirt on the entire movie. He brought a tinge of campiness to it, but still made his character entirely believable. The boy who played the son Will, about whom the plot revolves, was very appealing. I like the fact that he looks like a regular kid -interestingly crooked teeth, slightly goofy and his performance had some very nice subtle shadings. The girl who played his best friend was good (another redhead, yay!) and his cast of sidekicks were interesting and felt like real people, too, superpowers notwithstanding. And I've previously mentioned the irresistable, gorgeous Warren Peace, whose past is intricately involved with Will's family. The Bad Boy was perfection in his role. And gorgeous. They could have made a whole movie about his mouth. Did I mention that he's gorgeous? Lynda Carter shows up as the principal of the high school, but she doesn't seem very comfortable in her role, either. Or maybe it's the high heels, I don't know.
My very favorite character in the movie was the "Hero Support" teacher, Mr. Boy, played by Dave Foley who is one of my all-time favorite actors. In my experience, every movie that he's in is worth watching just for him (anybody remember him in "Blast from the Past"?). He brings some hilarious depth to a fairly flat role. Another "Boys in the Hall" actor (whose name I can never remember)is in it as one of the teachers, and he also played the role to perfection. He and Dave even got a short bit together to riff off each other, very funny. Even if there were no gorgeous guys or anything else, Dave Foley made the movie worthwhile. Fortunately, he wasn't the ONLY thing worth watching.
The plot is fairly predictable, but it's pretty well-done and unselfconscious, and did have some amusing twists. Taken as an allegory for the high school experience, it's pretty sharp. It's about being a schlump in the ultimate popularity contest, and that you can't win it by trying to be like anybody else. It's about real friendship and honesty.
I don't think it's going to be an eternal classic like "The Breakfast Club" although it deals with many of the same issues, with nearly as interesting a cast. It falls just short of being really great, but there are enough laugh-out-loud moments and small bits of sneaky hilarity to make it certainly worth seeing. I'm sure I'll get it on DVD whenever it comes out, and not JUST for Mr. Gorgeous Bad Boy, either.
So DON'T scratch it off your list, go see it and let me know what YOU think of it.
I actually saw "Sky High" TWICE this weekend. on Saturday with Kevin only, then again on Sunday with Kevin and his friend Dean and Dean's mom Shannon. The weakest part of the movie was Kelly Preston as the mom - seemed like she was uncomfortable in the Superhero costume, and her lines felt uncomfortable, too, sort of stilted, like she didn't really get the character, or just didn't buy it or something, I'm not sure. Kurt Russell was perfect, as always, even if he DID keep his shirt on the entire movie. He brought a tinge of campiness to it, but still made his character entirely believable. The boy who played the son Will, about whom the plot revolves, was very appealing. I like the fact that he looks like a regular kid -interestingly crooked teeth, slightly goofy and his performance had some very nice subtle shadings. The girl who played his best friend was good (another redhead, yay!) and his cast of sidekicks were interesting and felt like real people, too, superpowers notwithstanding. And I've previously mentioned the irresistable, gorgeous Warren Peace, whose past is intricately involved with Will's family. The Bad Boy was perfection in his role. And gorgeous. They could have made a whole movie about his mouth. Did I mention that he's gorgeous? Lynda Carter shows up as the principal of the high school, but she doesn't seem very comfortable in her role, either. Or maybe it's the high heels, I don't know.
My very favorite character in the movie was the "Hero Support" teacher, Mr. Boy, played by Dave Foley who is one of my all-time favorite actors. In my experience, every movie that he's in is worth watching just for him (anybody remember him in "Blast from the Past"?). He brings some hilarious depth to a fairly flat role. Another "Boys in the Hall" actor (whose name I can never remember)is in it as one of the teachers, and he also played the role to perfection. He and Dave even got a short bit together to riff off each other, very funny. Even if there were no gorgeous guys or anything else, Dave Foley made the movie worthwhile. Fortunately, he wasn't the ONLY thing worth watching.
The plot is fairly predictable, but it's pretty well-done and unselfconscious, and did have some amusing twists. Taken as an allegory for the high school experience, it's pretty sharp. It's about being a schlump in the ultimate popularity contest, and that you can't win it by trying to be like anybody else. It's about real friendship and honesty.
I don't think it's going to be an eternal classic like "The Breakfast Club" although it deals with many of the same issues, with nearly as interesting a cast. It falls just short of being really great, but there are enough laugh-out-loud moments and small bits of sneaky hilarity to make it certainly worth seeing. I'm sure I'll get it on DVD whenever it comes out, and not JUST for Mr. Gorgeous Bad Boy, either.
So DON'T scratch it off your list, go see it and let me know what YOU think of it.