One Crazy Summer (1986)

Director:

Savage Steve Holland

Writer:

Savage Steve Holland (written by)

Release Date:

8 August 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

They're out of school, out on Nantucket, and out of their minds. With this crowd, anything can happen!

Plot:

An aspiring teenage cartoonist and his friends come to the aid of a singer trying to save her family property from developers.

Plot Keywords:

Brat Pack | Kidnap | Male Female Relationship | Eviction | Quirky

Cast

John Cusack	...	Hoops McCann
Linda Warren	...	Mrs. McCann
Joel Murray	...	George Calamari
Grenville Cuyler	...	Graduation Orator
Kristen Goelz	...	Squid Calamari
Sky	...	Boscoe
Laura Waterbury	...	Crossing Guard
Jennifer Yahoodik	...	Andrea
Rachel C. Telegen	...	Brunhelda
Demi Moore	...	Cassandra
John Matuszak	...	Stain
Paul M. Lane	...	Biker #1 (as Paul Lane)
Don Ruffin	...	Biker #2
Gary Littlejohn	...	Biker #3
Pat McGoarty	...	Biker #4 (as Pat Mc Goarty)

Also Known As:

Greetings from Nantucket (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:PG (Approved No. 28173) | Iceland:L | Canada:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

A&M Films

Trivia:

Savage Steve Holland did the animation for the film. He was upset Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert roasted his earlier John Cusack film, Better Off Dead... (1985). Two bunnies that get blown up at the end of the movie bear a strong (and not accidental) resemblance to the movie critics.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Given the angle, trajectory, and distance, George's car would have never made it on board the ferry to Nantucket.

Quotes:

[Reading the obituaries]
George Calamari: Hey, Hoops, you ever notice how people die in alphabetical order?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Ten (2007)

Soundtrack:

In My Room

Very likeable and amusing

I have to admit that these days, I can't stand Demi Moore. It seemed almost as soon as I 'discovered' her (and developed a squirmy adolescent crush on her) via this film, her career went stellar, the films got worse and she turned into just another boring megastar. Life sometimes really sucks. But ONE CRAZY SUMMER doesn't suck. It's a very amusing and eminently likeable teen comedy that doesn't stoop to bad taste gags or gross-out schtick for its laughs (Farrelly brothers, take note) and relies on its very eighties feelgood charm to win you over. I watched this one over and over again on VHS when I was a kid, and I must've driven my parents and friends insane with my constant cries of "Chilli dog!", "This is a love story, not a Rambo bloodbath!", "Hi Cookie! I'm Egg...gemini!" and all those other little bits of treasurable dialogue. The cartoon sequences are brilliant, nicely subversive in a Ralph Bakshi - Robert Crumb way, and the cast are perfect. Bobcat Goldthwait really turns the spastic nerd persona up HIGH here, and one of the most killingly funny moments in his career occurs when someone playfully throws a beachball at his head, only for him to yelp "That really smarts, that went in my eye!" Trust me, it's so funny. I want to go to Nantucket Island some day and find a cute rock chick who prefers shy cartoonists to buff studs with hot cars and have a bunch of zany adventures with some wacky friends, but until I do, I'll just watch ONE CRAZY SUMMER again. Enjoy!