There are few movies that capture the frenetic, exciting, “anything is possible” feeling of summer vacation better than the Savage Steve Holland classic, One Crazy Summer. John Cusack, Demi Moore, and a whole bevy of weird and wonderful character actors star in this charmingly silly movie about the joys of summer: love, friendship and Godzilla costumes.
One Crazy Summer tells the story of Hoops McCann (John Cusack), an aspiring animator and, despite his name, terrible athlete. His friend, George Calamari (Joel Murray), invites Hoops to spend the summer with him after their high school graduation at his grandmother’s home in Nantucket. Hoops is reluctant as he needs time to complete his application film to the Rhode Island School of Design: an animated love story. Unfortunately for Hoops, he has no real experience with love, a fact that soon changes when he runs into Cassandra Eldridge (Demi Moore) a young, rebellious singer, who catches his fancy.
His situation complicates however, when he discovers that Cassandra’s house in Nantucket is about to be demolished by the Beckersteads, a nasty, real-estate obsessed family, to make room for another of their Lobster Log restaurant. Hoops and a motley gang of misfits, including the Stork Brothers, Egg and Clay (Bobcat Goldthwait and Tom Villard), and a nervous army brat, Ack Ack Raymond (Curtis Armstrong), must join together to save Cassandra’s house and Hoop’s film.
They Weren’t Kidding When They Called It Crazy
One Crazy Summer is almost impossible to describe as the story is so light and thin. The film itself isn’t particularly concerned with logic and will gladly sacrifice plot consistently for a gag. But that’s ultimately part of its charm; there’s a real “let’s put on a show!” attitude to the movie and every actors’ enthusiasm is infectious. The film gleefully bounces from one gag to another and if one of them doesn’t work, another is coming up in a few seconds. Words can’t really describe why jokes like Bobcat Goldthwait running around in a Godzilla costume or Joel Murray buried up to his head in sand are funny, but their utter sincerity sells them.
Of all the entertaining performances in the film, Bobcat Goldthwait undoubtedly steals the show with his frantic, barely coherent performance as the good-natured and crazy Egg Stork. In theory, his performance shouldn’t be funny at all as it initially seems grotesque and manic, but his intrinsic sweetness makes him an endearing and hilarious character. “Sweet,” in fact, is the perfect word to describe the film, as all the characters are charmingly affable, and mean-spiritedness is in short order.
A wild movie like this needs strong central performances to ground it, and One Crazy Summer has the perfect pair in the form of John Cusack and Demi Moore. John Cusack plays the role of Hoops with a quiet irony, as he seems perfectly aware that he’s in a ridiculous movie but doesn’t mind, and Demi Moore projects a real warmth and appeal as Cassandra. You can easily see why Hoops would do anything to help her.
Special mention should be given to the film’s cartoon sequences, which are excerpts from Hoops’s application film. There’s a wild energy to the animation and they perfectly capture the tone of the movie; the actual film isn’t much saner than its animated segments! And on a fun note, the animation was produced by David Silverman, Bill Kopp, and Wes Archer, who would later go on to animate the first iteration of The Simpsons for The Tracey Ullman Show.
A Crazy Summer Comes to an End
What makes One Crazy Summer work is that it understands and reflects the spirit of summer vacation. Hanging out with these characters feels like hanging out with one's friends. The film’s shaggy plot is a perfect filmic representation of those loose, wandering days of vacation and even the film’s goofy, cartoonish sense of humor reminds the audience of cracking jokes with their friends. Watching the film is like remembering the summers of days-gone-by.
There’s a bittersweet feeling to the movie’s finale; the movie ends on a triumphant note but it’s an ending all the same. These weird characters the viewer has gotten to know and grown to love are about to disappear and the fun will finally come to a close. Much like summer, the viewer is left only with his or her memories and a happy feeling knowing that he or she has had a great time. Few movies quite capture that experience, and One Crazy Summer is one of the best.
One Crazy Summer
- Director: Savage Steve Holland
- Starring John Cusack, Demi Moore, Bobcat Goldthwait
- Studio: Warner Bros., 1986
- Running Time: 89 minutes
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