What can I say for the summer of 2004? I had a mind-numbing job heeding the demands of crotchety old women in an overpriced gift shop, I had no free weekends, I spent almost all my graduation money in two and a half months without buying a single worthwhile item, and I wasted too much of my precious youth on the couch watching drivel like “I Love the 90′s.” But for all that ailed me this summer, inane comedy was the best medicine-or rather, the best palliative. Of the six big comedy block-busters this summer, I invested eight of my hard-earned dollars and four hundred fifty-seven minutes in five: “Saved!”, “Dodgeball,” “Anchorman,” “Napoleon Dynamite,” and “Little Black Book.”

“Saved!,” a quasi-religious, semi-cynical, but all around enjoyable comedy, opened at the beginning of the summer. I enjoyed it but it seemed to me that this movie didn’t garner much mainstream success. Perhaps it was the touchy subjects the film addressed (one of the high school-aged characters ends up pregnant, among other things), maybe it was the lack of commercials (I recall seeing a grand total of three commercials for “Saved” the entire summer, and I watched a lot of TV), or perhaps it was the fact that Mandy Moore was one of the headliners. Her character was grating and whiney, but this time it was intentional. Overall this movie was enjoyable; it attempted to address some social issues, it had a variety of likeable characters (including Macaulay Culkin as the paraplegic Roland, and his rebellious and cynical girlfriend Cassandra, played by Eva Amurri), and even tossed in some coming-of-age type themes. This movie was funny and even caused me to ponder social and religious issues…for a whole half-hour after I saw the movie.

If you’re not into thinking I suggest the movie “Dodgeball.” What “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” was lacking in plot and profound dialogue, it made up for in weird, sick humor. It was the almost touching story of Joe, the apathetic, unmotivated owner of a dilapidated fitness center (aptly named Average Joe’s) trying to save his gym from an evil, body-image warping corporation run by a mustached and lycra-clad Ben Stiller. Stiller’s character was an uncomfortable but hilarious machismo clich‚ bent on physical appearance and strangely named White Goodman. A series of politically incorrect and somewhat gross gags, tag-teamed with slapstick, playground-type physical humor ensues as Joe and his professional dodgeball team move through the ranks to win the tournament and the cash prize. Although the story line was bland, the jokes were both dirty and funny enough to have me laughing out loud. A word of advice, however: if being politically correct is a personal goal, I recommend bypassing this movie completely.

The next film I saw this summer was one I was actually looking forward to. “Anchorman,” with all of its absurd characters and quirky improvisation was actually a good stupid comedy (yes, they exist). The film really didn’t have a plot, or a lot of “nostalgia” about the decade (the 1970′s) in which the story takes place. It snuck in the issue of sexism in the workplace, but more of as a joke than anything else. Its redeeming qualities were its idiosyncratic gags (at one point Steve Carell’s character, Brick, is seen spooning mayonnaise into a toaster for no apparent reason) and hysterical situations and dialogue. One of the movie’s best scenes was the anchorman fight, in which all of the major news channels’ top correspondents, along with their posses, engage in a ferocious battle with uncanny weapons. The movie included dozens of cameos by a myriad of stars, both well-known and obscure. Tim Robbins, Jack Black, Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller, Fred Armisen, and Vince Vaughn were among the random array of unusual characters.

Tying in the theme of unusual characters is the next movie I saw, “Napoleon Dynamite.” The entire premise of the movie “Napoleon Dynamite” focused on a downright weird high school student, Napoleon Dynamite and the bizarre people around him. Almost all the characters in Napoleon Dynamite are soft spoken, subdued and delightfully idiosyncratic, and the story line is somewhat mundane. Napoleon Dynamite, an atypical high school nerd, befriends a new student, Pedro, who wants to run for class president, but has a slim chance of beating the popular girl (played by Hailey Duff). The humor in “Napoleon Dynamite” is dry and extremely odd, but the comedy is still there. Even if Dungeons-and-Dragons-loving high school nerds aren’t in your list of favorite things to watch, you might still want to see this movie. It’s unique.

The last movie I saw this summer was “Little Black Book.” Give me a chance to explain myself before jumping to conclusions. I was tricked into seeing this movie. My friends wanted one last sentimental crappy movie experience before we all left for college. I was dragged into the theater by rabid wolverines. Okay, I really have no excuse. This movie was perhaps the worst movie I’ve ever seen in my entire life. It has wrought from my youth ninety-seven minutes that I will never get back. I don’t even want to waste your time talking about the contrived plot and horrible corn-ball dialogue. I don’t believe everyone will hate this movie, however. Lobotomy patients might enjoy it.

Looking back over this summer and all the movies I watched for laughs, suspense, or just to pass time, I realize I didn’t once see a movie by myself. Going to the movies was only an excuse to spend time with other people, and honestly, I could have been utilizing my time better. I’ve concluded that wasting time talking to your friends before you leave for school is better than wasting time watching movies with your friends. You’ll miss all the amiable banter, and chances are you’ll remember your conversations more than the lines of some cheesy movie. But I still can’t wait to see “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.”

The last movie I saw this summer was “Little Black Book.” Give me a chance to explain myself before jumping to conclusions. I was tricked into seeing this movie. My friends wanted one last sentimental crappy movie experience before we all left for college. I was dragged into the theater by rabid wolverines. Okay, I really have no excuse. This movie was perhaps the worst movie I’ve ever seen in my entire life. It has wrought from my youth ninety-seven minutes that I will never get back. I don’t even want to waste your time talking about the contrived plot and horrible corn-ball dialogue. I don’t believe everyone will hate this movie, however. Lobotomy patients might enjoy it.

Looking back over this summer and all the movies I watched for laughs, suspense, or just to pass time, I realize I didn’t once see a movie by myself. Going to the movies was only an excuse to spend time with other people, and honestly, I could have been utilizing my time better. I’ve concluded that wasting time talking to your friends before you leave for school is better than wasting time watching movies with your friends. You’ll miss all the amiable banter, and chances are you’ll remember your conversations more than the lines of some cheesy movie. But I still can’t wait to see “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.”

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This entry was posted on Friday, August 27th, 2004 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Freshman Press. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.