Year: 1973
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Otis Young, Randy Quaid, Carol Kane, Clifton James, Michael Moriarty, Nancy Allen
Director: Hal Ashby
Nominations: Best Actor (Nicholson), Best Supporting Actor (Quaid), Best Adapted Screenplay
I'll start off by saying I always assumed that this film's title referred to making sure everything is just as the characters want it, down to the last detail.
It's actually about two naval enlisted men who are "detailed" to transfer a prisoner to where he'll be incarcerated. Numerous times throughout the film, Gunner's Mate "Mule" Mulhall (Otis Young) declares "I hate this stupid chicken-sh*t detail!"
Mulhall, and Signalman "Badass" Buddusky (Jack Nicholson) are two "lifers" in the US Navy, neither of whom know each other but both of whom have developed a rather lax attitude toward duty. Both are pulled for the above-described detail, seemingly because neither has anything better to do, though neither is happy about it.
The now ex-Seaman Larry Meadows (Randy Quaid) is their charge; a young man only recently enlisted who was caught trying to steal forty dollars from a charity dropbox. Because it was the pet project of the base commander's wife, he's been dishonorably discharged and sentenced to eight years in prison. Both Buddusky and Mulhall feel this is a bit harsh, but don't give it much thought, until they've spent a little time with Meadows.
Buddusky discovers that Meadows has had a pretty sheltered life, raised by a single mom who likely was an alcoholic to boot, and hasn't experienced much in life. He has no malice toward anyone; his only real issue is that he's a compulsive kleptomaniac, which is revealed when he tearfully confesses that he's stolen before even when he had enough money to buy whatever he was stealing.
While Mulhall is less than symapthetic, it's hard to dislike the simple but good-natured big lug of a guy, and Buddusky feels like he needs to really experience some life before he's locked up for the better part of his twenties. As they have a week to get him to Portsmouth, but can get there in two days, they hang around Washington while Buddusky does his best to show Meadows a good time, Mulhall reluctantly tagging along, trying to remind everyone what they're really traveling for, occasionally just giving in and joining them.
The film is based on a book by Darryl Ponicsan, and an interesting bit of trivia is that Ponicsan wrote a follow-up, years later, called Last Flag Flying, about Meadows, now in his 50's, getting back in touch with Buddusky and Mulhall to help him get to his son's funeral. That book was adapted into a movie of the same name, with the names of the three central characters changed so that people didn't think it was a sequel to this one, and starred Steve Carell in the "Meadows" role, with Bryan Cranston as "Buddusky" and Laurence Fishburne as "Mulhall".
Anyway, enough side-tracking.
This is a film that's difficult to dislike, but it's also hard to really know what you liked about it. Jack Nicholson is in top form as Buddusky, though quite frankly we all know today that Nicholson has a type, and he's very much playing to type here. This is probably the earliest performance of his I've seen (yet) but every tic and nuance we associate with Nicholson is fully on display here. Apparently he was upset that he didn't win the Oscar for this role, as he considered it some of his finest work. While I have yet to see some of his earlier performances, I have seen some that have come after, and honestly, I think his finest work was ahead of him.
Otis Young, whose career didn't reach the heights of either man he's acting alongside in this film, is also fine, even if, like Nicholson, his character is a little one-note. I love how he starts off determined to do the job he was given and getting increasingly annoyed at Buddusky until he finally shouts "I consider myself in jeopardy with you, understand? This ain't no farewell party and he ain't retirin'! He's a prisoner and we're taking him to jail!" But by the end of the movie he's got an air of irritated resignation, even buying hot dogs for a "picnic", which they hold after it's started snowing.
Randy Quaid...man, I can't even articulate why, but it's so strange to think that Randy Quaid is an Oscar nominee. Quaid's main claim to fame, besides being the big brother of Dennis Quaid (man, to think those two shared the same parents; we know who got the looks in that family) and most recently, more's the pity, going full-on crazy, is playing annoying redneck Cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon's Vacation series, most notably in Christmas Vacation, but he's shown up surprisingly often in my Oscar viewing. Aside from this one, he had featured roles in The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Midnight Express and, well down the road from these films, Brokeback Mountain. Not bad for a guy we mostly associate with goofy comedy roles, and who, after acting in these films (except that last one of course), joined the cast of Saturday Night Live, of all things.
But this is the film that got him the nod, and frankly, I can see why. Meadows in the book is a little guy, but Quaid, at 6'7" but with the face of a child, and the easy-going manner reminiscent of Forrest Gump, is the perfect actor to play this guileless man-child. Somehow his height, combined with his manner and expressions, just makes him more lovable. We almost hope the guys decide to set him free and just live with the discharge they're threatened with if it happens.
I've just about said all there is about the plot of this movie without going into specifics. It's really a three-man show, with a few cameos along the way. Don't blink and you'll see a young Gilda Radner as a member of a cult that the three of them encounter, which turns Meadows on to the calming, or focusing, power of chanting. Carol Kane, already fairly well-known, drops in as a spirited hooker who provides Meadows with his first experience in that regard. Essentially the plot is Buddusky thinks of something they could do in the time they have left, Mulhall protests, Meadows is usually pretty non-committal about whether or not he even wants to do it, sometimes even saying he'd rather not, and then they go do it.
But it doesn't seem repetitive. Instead, it's charming, and it's sweet to watch three men who don't really know each other and would never have met otherwise, growing to become friends, even sticking up for Meadows when he's bullied and teaching him confidence. It's something to watch Meadows's development from a shy kid who won't even protest when he isn't given mayonnaise on his burger after specifically asking for it to a man who at one point initiates the next activity with a cool "drop your socks and grab your cocks, boys, we're going to a party". It's delivered with this strange innocence, like he's saying it because he's never had a chance to do so before and he's not gonna blow it.
There's laughs, tears, drama, heart and a ton of profanity (no, really, it broke the record in F-bombs) and a great time waiting for anyone who watches this movie.
No comments:
Post a Comment