first, a few warnings: 1 - do not go into this film looking for Joan Collins' sex amazingness. frankly, what year is this and why am i watching movies with Joan Collins' middle aged hoping for steamy steamy? 2 - who cares when this movie was released. it is sincerely a product of its time (1979) and just because it couldn't find a distributor until 1982 is more the fault of the people dumb enough not to green light this sucker into theatres. 3 - prepare to be blown away if cultural artifacts that nail their subject matter are at all yr thing.
okay. let's be honest. we're watching a teen movie from the late seventies hoping that it'll be good. and my god, it is great.
judging by the cover and the things i had heard about this film i was expecting sort of a lower rent My Tutor (an amazing film released by one of the all time greats, Crown Internation) but instead what I got was a lovely, less pat and trite, smarter, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. That film was more showy and less involved with the concerns of young people growing up and trying to find their place in the world while dealing with all the perfect teen concerns: VD, Sex, Fame, Love, Sex, Ambition, Sex, and hangin' out. But it is all done with a subtle hand that never blatantly exploits any of the feelings of its characters. Although it does exploit sexual fantasies par excellance but who can honestly complain about nudity? I mean, the rock star fantasy had with girls undressing the lead singer of the super rock star high school group? If I went to a show like that they would automatically be my new favourite band.
It captures the era in LA absolutely marvelously. The kind prostitutes, the teenage dreams of fame that seem so easy to achieve, the sassy venereal disease clinic nurses, the feathered los angeles surfer hair, the aching for it bored suburban moms, and the theatres showing Ecstasy Girls(!!!).
Homework is like no other film, book, or song (maybe not song, but oh they're so short aren't they?) in encapsulating a certain time, place, and feeling. If you're up for some escapism, into a simpler more gentle time, then check this'n out.
Also, the outdated sexual awareness 16mm that they show in class is easily worth the price of admission. Who knew that slang for gonorrhea comprises of such terms as "Gleen" and "Old Joe" as well as many other bits of insanity that I'm sad I've never had in my vocabulary.
In case my excitement over this movie wasn't apparent enough, consider it so. God love this film and can someone please tell me why James Beshears never made another film? Sheesh. Must have been those wretched eighties. Haha.
okay. let's be honest. we're watching a teen movie from the late seventies hoping that it'll be good. and my god, it is great.
judging by the cover and the things i had heard about this film i was expecting sort of a lower rent My Tutor (an amazing film released by one of the all time greats, Crown Internation) but instead what I got was a lovely, less pat and trite, smarter, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. That film was more showy and less involved with the concerns of young people growing up and trying to find their place in the world while dealing with all the perfect teen concerns: VD, Sex, Fame, Love, Sex, Ambition, Sex, and hangin' out. But it is all done with a subtle hand that never blatantly exploits any of the feelings of its characters. Although it does exploit sexual fantasies par excellance but who can honestly complain about nudity? I mean, the rock star fantasy had with girls undressing the lead singer of the super rock star high school group? If I went to a show like that they would automatically be my new favourite band.
It captures the era in LA absolutely marvelously. The kind prostitutes, the teenage dreams of fame that seem so easy to achieve, the sassy venereal disease clinic nurses, the feathered los angeles surfer hair, the aching for it bored suburban moms, and the theatres showing Ecstasy Girls(!!!).
Homework is like no other film, book, or song (maybe not song, but oh they're so short aren't they?) in encapsulating a certain time, place, and feeling. If you're up for some escapism, into a simpler more gentle time, then check this'n out.
Also, the outdated sexual awareness 16mm that they show in class is easily worth the price of admission. Who knew that slang for gonorrhea comprises of such terms as "Gleen" and "Old Joe" as well as many other bits of insanity that I'm sad I've never had in my vocabulary.
In case my excitement over this movie wasn't apparent enough, consider it so. God love this film and can someone please tell me why James Beshears never made another film? Sheesh. Must have been those wretched eighties. Haha.