Hometown U.S.A. (1979) User Reviews

Harmless but dull

[JohnSeal · 4/10 · 1 January 2005]

This Southern fried take on the coming of age in the fab 50s genre popularized by American Graffiti will keep your attention---barely. The film relies on a generous selection of rock and roll classics to help prop up its extremely thin story, but commits a major faux pas in the very first scene: as protagonist Rodent (geeky beyond belief Gary Springer) announces the story's 1958 setting, what should blare over the opening credits but Betty Everett's sublime 1964 hit The Shoop Shoop Song. As one would expect from a '70s era slice of Happy Days nostalgia, the film wavers considerably in its attention to period detail, though the location work and cars are excellent and co-star Brian Kerwin has the correct James Dean coif. Nothing terribly special, Hometown USA is yet another spin around the block with some dimbulb lads with plans for a night of illicit sex.

Not much to it.

[BrettErikJohnson · 2/10 · 31 August 2002]

This is certainly one of the bigger pieces of fluff to come out of the '70s. A 20-something year old high school "kid" is considered to be a total loser. He takes a brand new Chevy convertible from an acquaintance without asking permission. Now he's becoming friends with the cool guys and catching the eyes of some ladies. That's it. Harmless but usually quite boring. 2/10

American Graffiti Rip-Off Has Its Moments.

[Flixer1957 · 7/10 · 27 March 2010]

Directed by "Jethro Bodine" and written by Jesse Vint of MACON COUNTY LINE fame, this winner hit the Hudson Valley drive-ins on a double-bill with BUCKSTONE COUNTY PRISON. It's debatable which flick is sillier; at least HOMETOWN USA is goofy on purpose.

The lead character is pudgy, frizz-haired high-school nerd Rodney "The Rodent," who sometimes talks into the camera. The fun begins when he takes his sister's boyfriend's convertible and tries to cruise with the big dudes. He winds up an unwilling chauffeur for TJ Swackhammer, the local James Dean imitator, and tough-guy Recil Calhoun. Calhoun has a giant slingshot in his Chevy pick-up and launches flour-bombs at the local Mean Cop. Other stock characters include stuffy strait-laced parents; a stacked teenaged nympho; bikers; leggy car-hops; doofy derelicts and one under-aged girl who's tougher than the boys. Sally Kirkland plays one of several 26-year-"old" women on the prowl. Pat Delaney is Rodney's Dream Girl who turns into a nightmare. There are lots of insults and zingers; Jesse Vint reprises the "hard man is good to find" line that got so many chuckles in BOBBIE JO AND THE OUTLAW. A lot of the jokes and situations are so dumb you can't help but crack up; others are legitimately funny. The actors portraying the high-schoolers are older than their characters which only adds to the hilarity. All this, with a great oldies soundtrack and more 1957 automobiles than you can shake a stick at.

Or lob a flour-bomb at. That giant slingshot was COOL! I've gotta get me one of them...