Oxford Blues

Before seeing it, you might paint this movie off as another sex comedy or typical Rob Lowe comedy. I first saw this film in early 2012, 26 years after it's release, and honestly, I could of kicked myself for not seeing it sooner. This movie is more than what you expect, as you think it's just gonna be another comedy, where Rob Lowe is just gonna take the mickey out of this fraternity, what have you but boy, I was blindsided. Lowe plays a sexy selfish hustler, Nick D' Angelo, who cons his way into Oxford, as falling head over heels, with the beautiful Pays, who has proved herself to be a really good actress. Her character, Lady Victoria, is to wed, fine upstanding scholar (Julian Sands) who of course, envious Lowe rages war with. He makes friends with a young nerdy student, a familiar Scum face from years back, and another American girl, Sheedy, who of course, falls for the rejecting Lowe. Lowe is fun to watch, where it's his character which sells the movie, as he really learn's life's hard lessons, that it's give and take, and by the end, becomes a much better person. Why it's not Lowe's best performance, where some will find him inadequate, he does give the character enough clout and pep, and does make us acknowledge, deep down, he's not a happy and fulfilled guy, and Pays is the answer to his problems, his void. With Sheedy's character, I thought she was quite good, but where she fitted into the film, seemed as just some actress that was tagging or wasn't utilized properly in this. Better performances came from Bruce Payne who invites Nick, a fantastic rower onto the rowing team, after an impressive and ballsy move, where too Cary Elwes was hardly recognizable, and using an English accent, I could not believe this very versatile actor was him, as he plays a nasty pasty, and not one of Lowe's favorite admirers. Michael Gough, and Alan Howard (The Cook, The Thief) and some more of the faculty players, give the best performances, the late Gough, a splendid English actor, of course shining, while Howard was really good too. Peter "May'be you prefer a Black Russian?" Jason, with a meagre, if almost non existent part, at the start, as Lowe's father, was very memorable. I cannot believe this has a 5.2 rating. I've seen the movie a couple of times, and I love it, every time, I see it. It's more than just a Brat Pack, teen, "get your pants off" comedy, and this film may very well surprise you. It deserves higher praise, and warrants definite viewing. Go Oxford.

Back in the day, Rob Lowe was devoid of talent (as were many of the notorious Brat Pack members) but had that certain something that made people (mostly teens) want more. He was a very marketable commodity at the time, so what better role to give him than something that has already been done (i.e. little money spent writing, pre-production as possible before his fame expires as we all remember it did in the form of a threesome with two underage girls).

He can't act like Meryl Streep but he can deliver lines adequately and professionally; he is not so horrible that it is not watchable, and the story line is cute. Overall not an oscar winner but watchable. Some of his Brat Pack friends had big hits with their solo movies such as Ally Sheedy in Short Circuit, Emilio Estevez in Young Guns, etc.

This film in my opinion shows Rob Lowe for teenager fans. The rest lacks of script, hooks, actings, even the history is plain and uninspired. The nice guy travel to England to know the girl of his dreams and the British despised him (In Oxford) but he succeed. Also the British characters are boring, tedious, predictable. I don't want to spoil but it's only a film to remember the eighties and Rob Lowe and Ally Sheedy (Maybe the strongest point). The rest can't be much more accomplished and has some real flaws... specially on the script aspect. The scenes of rowing towards the river and competitions are the best of this movie. Only for fundamentalists of Rob.

What most impresses me about this movie and a few others from the 80's

like Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire is how they lack all the brash,

rude and obnoxiousness found in movies today! The young generation of

that time ( and every young person has thier time) didn't fill the

screen with crude language and remarks degrading to each other. In this

movie they still had enough good sense to not curse like uneducated

heathens! Seems like all the movies today just seem to fill the screen with one

F**k and a$$hole and sheeet and every other imaginable word you could

use just to see how many they can say in 90 minutes! It surely is a time gone by and perhaps we do live in a world that is

more realistic and streetwise, but it sure isn't going to make the world

a better place throwing obsceneties it in our face all the time! Oxford Blues was refreshing because it had some class even though it was

a simple plot and a simple movie. And Rob Lowe was one heck of a goodlooking

Nick De Angelo (Rob Lowe) is a self-possessed valet in Las Vegas. With the help of an older woman and a lucky night in the casino, he gets enough money to chase after Lady Victoria Wingate (Amanda Pays) in Oxford. He gets accepted at Oriel College but Victoria is already involved with rower Colin Gilchrist Fisher (Julian Sands). The rowers are at the top of the social hierarchy. The brash Nick steals a boat and leaps into a race coming in second to Colin. Nick joins a team coxed by Jersey girl Rona (Ally Sheedy).

Brash Nick is fun and compelling. However, he goes overboard at times like when he first meets Rona. She doesn't deserve it and it makes him look like a bully. I love Rob Lowe but Nick can be off-putting at times. Some of the British villains are too cartoonish. The worst part is that Amanda Pays is too much of an ice queen. It's one of her early roles and she is terribly stiff. It would have been a better rom-com if Nick goes off with Rona instead. Rob Lowe has plenty of charisma but that isn't enough to save this.