One Crazy Summer is not a serious film; it’s a comedy with a cartoonish style, but it’s a wonderful example of what such an exaggeratedly wacky movie should be. Starting on the foundation of the basic 1980s screwball comedy, it transcends the other B movies of that genre with its characters and its own unique laugh-out-loud moments.
Bobcat Goldthwait in particular steals the show as Egg Stork, but he’s still there to back up the main character Hoops McCann (John Cusack), whose own cartoon creations–the cute and fuzzy bunnies–are determined to thwart his quest to find love. The standard ’80s comedy elements come into play with Cassandra (Demi Moore), who’s trying to save her grandfather’s house from a nasty stereotype villain who wants to build a lobster restaurant in its place. Everything seems to click pretty well in the movie; it doesn’t have any dull spots and the humor stays pretty fresh even at a second and third viewing. It’s become one of my perennial favorites.
There are some especially worthwhile moments, mostly due to Bobcat’s wonderful zaniness. The Godzilla scene alone makes the movie memorable. The cartoons drawn by Cusack’s character appear now and then to illustrate how his search for love is going; those cute and fuzzy bunnies are vicious.
Parents take note: This is family fare; feel free to watch it with your kids. There’s nothing really objectionable in the movie, and Demi stays dressed for a change. It’s plenty funny without being raunchy, which is fairly refreshing. If you like a good top-of-the-line goofy B movie as much as I do, One Crazy Summer belongs in your collection. I can’t wait for it to appear on DVD.
