Rude Awakening

Very funny and very sad in the truths questioned. Eric Roberts is a doll. Cheech Marin is hysterical and my favorite, Mrs. Stool. She had me in tears. Why haven't we seen more of this actress? It's a good, fun time that throws out food for thought.

I cannot understand why this movie is not rated higher. I have seen this movie several times and it gets funnier and better each time. It is unique and if you are a Baby Boomer that attended university during the 70's, it will bring back some beautiful and nostalgic memories of period of youthful innocence and curiosity that so quickly came and then disappeared. It was an age of new thoughts and philosophies that were lost to our Boomer generation during the oncoming greed and corruption that arose in the selfish "Yuppie" 80's. If you have not seen it ... I recommend you watch it with someone who lived through this time period. Further, if you have seen it before and failed to take it in and appreciate its a unique capturing of a special time in our Boomer generation, try it a second time and perhaps you will get it...because it is definitely there and worth a second chance.

A very good example that it's not enough to have a great actor (in this case, Eric Roberts), to get a very good movie. You also have to have a great story. And, in this case, the story is stupid, banal, boring. We have a handful of some good actors, Julie Hagerty, Robert Carradine, Cindy Williams, Andrea Martin, Buck Henry, Cliff De Young, who worked hard: in vain, the result, a failed film. With such a cast, I thought I would see a particularly good movie: great disappointment! Watching this you'll probably fall asleep and you'll have a dull and boring awaking.

This appeared at a convenient point in time for pop culture self-examination through the movies; the narrative intent is that we can review the 1980s through the lens of 1960s thinking.

It starts off with a 'reprogramming' of a dropout via LSD and movie indoctrination. This could have been something clever...instead it deteriorates by hallucinating through "Up In Smoke" and Leone westerns.

The 'ideal world' is depicted as "Woodstock", with the main characters stolen out of "Easy Rider". They take an excursion through "Salvador" and "The Mosquito Coast".

The whole thing, production-wise, staggers about in a manner as clumsy as "Where the Buffalo Roam" and "Animal House". It resolves through "Deer Hunter", "Stripes" and the Beatles' 'Revolution'.

The point of all this is to tear down the detached, colorless, sexless, 'boozh-wa' 1980s and reindoctrinate the audience to 'the truth' with the 'romantic' drug of the movie. An audience is assembled in the movie to first provoke (in us)the intended feeling of 'guilt', and the second time to sublimate into 'activism'.

As I wrote earlier, it's just not clever. The problem is, it doesn't know how to target the comedic center. Everything ends up as a target, including Roberts because he doesn't know how to play this in a smart way -- there's no winking at the viewer. The producers thought this was 'affirming', oblivious to the joke on themselves.

Hey, this movie was on HBO in the eighties...thats when I got it on tape. Then the years went by...and eventually I lost my cable connection somewhere around 1998...funny, but I never saw this movie on cable since. I luckily had it on tape and it "grew" on me...I just kept remembering it, and laughing.... I am so glad I had it on tape...cuz I don't think it ever came back...but it is a delight. If you like Cheech and Chong then you know you like "stupid" comedy...yup I like it...I like them....LOL

This movie is a classic in my opinion....there is stuff here under the surface that is important....check it out! The movie lays out some down home ideas of brotherhood and peace that the world needs! (my world needs them!) Love to All! Peace, bro!