Out of It (1969)

Director:

Paul Williams

Writer:

Paul Williams (writer)

Release Date:

December 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

See a Brain and a Brawn battle for the affection of a bird in the back seat of a 1962 Buick!

Plot Keywords:

Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet | Long Island New York | Directorial Debut | Driving | High School Football

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Barry Gordon	...	Paul
Jon Voight	...	Russ
Lada Edmund Jr.	...	Christine
Gretchen Corbett	...	Barbara
Peter Grad	...	Steve
Martin Gray
Oliver Berry
Leonard Gelber
Richard Coyler
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jeri Archer	...	Movie Symbol
Oliver Berg	...	Father
Shirley Budike	...	Mother
Frank Campanella	...	Coach
Arthur French	...	Policeman
Michael V. Gazzo	...	Vinnie's friend
William Jay	...	Policeman
Thomas Lightburn	...	Frank
Joseph Rigano	...	Vinnie
Blanche Zelinka	...	Paul's first date

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:M (original rating) | USA:PG (re-rating)

Filming Locations:

Long Island, New York, USA

Company:

Pressman-Williams Productions

Movie Connections:

References Fahrenheit 451 (1966)

Soundtrack:

Electric Days and Flower Nights

Enjoyable

It's a hot Long Island summer in the 1960s. The kids from the local suburban high school spend most of the summer frolicking at the beach before heading back for their senior year. Nerdy bookworm Paul (Barry Gordon) and tough jock Russ (Jon Voight) compete fiercely for the beautiful, popular Christine (played by ex-"Hullabaloo" dancer Lada Edmund Jr.) Over the course of the summer, the intellectual, fantasy-prone Paul discovers that life and love can't be learned through books but must be experienced first-hand.

The acting by Voight and Gordon is quite good, considering the relative inexperience of both actors at the time. Gretchen Corbett, who plays Paul's on-again/off-again love interest Barbara, also does a fine job. But the real treat here is the first-rate performance of Edmund, who is absolutely gorgeous and who shows surprising talent and depth.

While a cinematic classic this ain't, "Out of It" is fun nonetheless. The music and script clearly are dated (teen-agers drink beer in public, and one character actually says "Let's make it" as a prelude to passion!), and the story jumps around a bit. But the camera work is good, and people who root for the underdog will absolutely love Paul, who learns lessons any of us folks who think too much would find useful. The shots of real-looking people on the beach (complete with cellulite and beer bellies) make this flick all the more enjoyable.