Over the weekend I had a chance to catch some movies from the 80s that I’ve always enjoyed but haven’t watched in awhile. It’s only been maybe a year or so, not too long, but for some reason I noticed a lot more when I watched this time around. And it wasn’t all good.
First, I caught some of Christmas Vacation. Yes, I always see it at least once this time of year, as I think most people do. Unlike when I used to watch it though, I now feel for Clark. I know what it’s like to get aggravated at things, have something you’re really looking forward to not pan out, get frustrated dealing with family. But even more so, I identify with Margo, the yuppie neighbor. Having to deal with all of that bs going on next door?! Trees crashing through windows, getting attacked by a squirrel (and then a dog), having your relaxing bath disturbed by a swat team? OMG, I would probably want to send a hitman after my neighbor!
Another one I watched was Beetlejuice. Still enjoyable for the most part, but I realized was a shaky premise it’s based on. How the hell did Adam and Barbara not survive their accident? Their car fell maybe 20 feet into a shallow, slow-moving river… and the driver and passenger windows were down! They couldn’t crawl out before the car flooded and sank, if it would actually sink in that depth of water? And what about Beetlejuice’s backstory? I’m at the point of wanting to know more about how he ended up working with the case worker, how he lost the job and what the hell is wrong with him!
The third 80s flick I watched was Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Watching this as an adult, there is so much wrong with it! All I could do was tick off all of the crimes being committed during the course of the day. Aside from skipping school, there’s computer hacking, auto theft, impersonation, multiple counts of trespassing. I’m not just talking about Ferris and his friends… Principal Rooney breaks the law a few times as well. And really, Ferris is just a dick – everyone loves him, but he’s only out for himself, getting his friends in trouble just because he wants to enjoy the day.
Sure, I may have been thinking too much about these movies, probably because I’ve seen them each more than a dozen times. But it doesn’t mean I’m wrong about them. They’re all comedies, which means things seldom make sense and plenty of rules get broken. It’s probably why I’m not into comedies as much as I used to be… and watching these three sort of proves the point!