Taking Off (1971)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers:

Jean-Claude Carrière (writer)
Milos Forman (writer)

Release Date:

17 May 1971 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music

Plot:

Unable to deal with her parents, Jeannie Tyne runs away from home. Larry and Lyne Tyne search for her...

Plot Keywords:

Rooftop | Hotel | Dancing | Singing | Auto Theft

Awards:

Nominated for 6 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Lynn Carlin	...	Lynn Tyne
Buck Henry	...	Larry Tyne
Georgia Engel	...	Margot
Tony Harvey	...	Tony
Audra Lindley	...	Ann Lockston
Paul Benedict	...	Ben Lockston
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Schiavelli
David Gittler	...	Jamie
Ike Turner	...	Himself (as The Ike and Tina Turner Revue)
Tina Turner	...	Herself (as The Ike and Tina Turner Revue)
Linnea Heacock	...	Jeannie Tyne
Rae Allen	...	Mrs. Divito
Frank Berle	...	Committee Man
Philip Bruns	...	Policeman (as Phillip Bruns)
Gail Busman	...	Nancy Lockston

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:Btl | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Inspired by The Beatles song "She's Leaving Home".

Soundtrack:

Love

A Forgotten Gem

Thoroughly Entertaining little gem that takes a look at the early 70's American culture through a newcomers eyes in this Milos Forman's first American feature. The comedy bounces playfully from the wry, to the absurd, to even the satirical without ever losing it's charm.

The film basically pertains to parents Henry and Carlin, who find that their daughter has run away. Instead of focusing on the teen, as most films tend to do, it instead looks at the parents. It shows that the adolescent years can be just as awkward for the parents as it is for the teen. That parenting can be just as much a journey as growing up is and yes even forty-somethings have a need to runaway and find themselves too.

The film matches it's unique perspective with some highly unique bits. You get to see parents smoking pot for the first time ( to see what the kids go through) to even having them play a wild game of strip poker. There is also several amusing cut ins of auditioning singers, which is where the daughter runs away too. One of the singers is a real sweet young thing that sings a real sweet sounding melody, which is just packed with the "F" word. You have to hear it to really appreciate it.

Both actors who play the parents do quite well. Balding, spectacled Henry fits the mold as the overworked, henpecked father/husband quite well. Yet he still shows some isolated moments of highly unexpected rebellion. Carlin, as the mother,conveys a nice characterization as a overwrought mother who wants to communicate with her daughter, but has no idea how.

The 15 year old daughter is actually the one we learn the least about, which is actually to the films benefit. This isn't just Henry's and Carlins daughter, it's everybody's daughter. Complete with all the trials and tribulations that every parent goes through with their teen. In fact the films most definitive moment is probably the freeze-frame shot of disdain on the daughters face as her parents try to entertain her and her boyfriend with a song from 'their' generation. It's the type of look that truly defines the parent teenager relationship no matter if it's today, tomorrow, or a hundred years from now. It's this type of universality that may make it accessible to today's parents and teens despite a otherwise very heavy emphasis on early 70's period flavor.