Foolin' Around

This little seen film, which I caught for the first time over twenty years ago, is a wonderful throwback to 1930's screwball comedy in more ways than one. Young hick (Busey) starts college at the University of Minnesota, and falls in love with debutante O'Toole, despite her mother's intentions to marry her to society dolt Calvin. What ensues are a series of pratfalls and slapstick bits that, while not terribly deep, are nonetheless quite funny. More importantly, Busey and O'Toole are so damn likeable, you really do want them to fall in love.

But, like all great 1930s comedies, what makes the film sparkle is not the lead performances (in the 30s, these were usually played by likeable ingenues without much depth), but by the character actors who formed the background for the story. This film is no different in that the film is practically stolen from the leads by three splendid supporting performances -- Cloris Leachman as O'Toole's society-conscious mother, Eddie Albert as O'Toole's crusty grandfather and Busey's boss, and especially Tony Randall as Leachman's butler. Randall's performance deserves special note because his stiff demeanor is beautifully contrasted with his profane and off-color dialogue (the final words we hear from him, behind closed doors, almost made me fall off my chair laughing).

While no masterpiece, this is a wonderful picture to watch if you'd like a brief look at a long lost style of filmmaking.

If you scout around a little bit here on IMDb you'll find Siskel and Ebert hating this film with vigor. They're really wrong IMO. The movie is worth watching. I'm not saying it's a comedy classic--there's a fair bit of dumb crap to wade through, and the last 10 minutes are weak--but its best moments are fun and interesting. For example, Eddie Albert's scene at the construction site with Gary Busey, at 1:14:00, is honest and powerful, yeah a bit melodramatic, but the actors keep it mostly real. Notice how Albert deliberately drops an apple, to show the height they're at, and then has another one ready to eat.

Annette O'Toole and Busey have definite chemistry. O'Toole is the making of the picture. This is some of her best work. She captures something essential about a young woman having trouble deciding about her future. I'm surprised that both Siskel and Ebert fail to see the quality of her performance. (The filmmakers missed a great shot by not adequately lighting her face when she invites Busey into the back of the van. The cinematographer, Philip Lathrop, should be docked a week's pay for that.)

Look for William H. Macy early in a small role; the scene is important because Busey needs to prove his mettle and his slight craziness, and does so. I laughed out loud at Tony Randall's work. Eddie Albert, who grew up in Minnesota, played two interesting Minnesota business leader types in his career: here and in "The Heartbreak Kid," 1972 version. (If you know the Twin Cities at all, "Foolin' Around" and "The Heartbreak Kid" are must-sees. The former is free on YouTube.)

"Foolin' Around" is one of those films that harkens back to 1930s screwball comedy, and that knows enough not to take itself too seriously. Likewise, it knows one of the key lessons of such comedies -- get likeable leads together with wonderful supporting actors to make the genre work.

Busey (one of my favorite actors when he's on his game) plays a good ol' boy who's going to the University of Minnesota who falls in love with fellow coed O'Toole. Despite the fact that she's ostensibly spoken for (with obnoxious boor Calvin), a romance blooms between the two of them, not the least because her grandfather (Eddie Albert, in an extremely fun character performance) sees in Busey a lot of the same blue collar roots and values that brought him to the top. Busey is wonderfully likeable (as he usually is) as is O'Toole, but it is Albert, Cloris Leachman (as O'Toole's status-conscious mother) and Tony Randall (hilarious as their stiff-as-a-board butler) that really get into the screwball spirit. Randall's efforts to keep track of a mysteriously disappearing and reappearing bag and his (off-screen) sex scene with Leachman are among the many highlights in this film.

On a one-to-ten scale, this film definitely hits a 7 1/2.

I saw this on cable around 1982, and have fondly remembered it ever since. Very funny! My sister and I cracked up the whole time watching the average-Joe, Gary Busey, try to win the love of rich-girl, Annette O'Toole, and the crazy antics involving the butler. The butler (Tony Randall) was so funny in this movie! Unfortunately, it is not currently available on DVD/video. I sure hope it is re-released soon.

The fact that this little gem of a movie isn't on DVD in an age when every bad film ever made had met it's digital home is a crime against cinephiles everywhere. I loved this movie as a kid and still have it on VHS but it is very worn and needs to have a DVD upgrade very soon.

You have an all-star cast, a whip-smart script and one of the most underrated performances of Tony Randall's career. What more are you people waiting for.

If you get a chance and happen to come across a VHS copy at your local video store, do yourself a favor and pick it up. It is well worth your time, for Tony Randall if nothing else.