Grandview, U.S.A. (1984)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

Randal Kleiser

Writer:

Ken Hixon (writer)

Release Date:

3 August 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Where dreams have a funny way of coming true.

Plot:

Life in the small town of Grandview, Illinois is one that is just like any other city or town. Tim Pearson...

Plot Keywords:

Demolition Derby | Bondage | Bulldozer | Country Name In Title | Bare Chested Male Bondage

Cast

Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Michelle 'Mike' Cody
C. Thomas Howell	...	Tim Pearson
Patrick Swayze	...	Ernie 'Slam' Webster
Troy Donahue	...	Donny Vinton
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Candy Webster
William Windom	...	Bob Cody
Carole Cook	...	Betty Welles
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Mr. Clark
Ramon Bieri	...	Mr. Pearson
Elizabeth Gorcey	...	Bonnie Clark
John Philbin	...	Cowboy
John Cusack	...	Johnny Maine
Joan Cusack	...	Mary Maine
Camilla Hawk	...	Mrs. Pearson
Melissa Domke	...	Susan Pearson

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:18A | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Fairbury, Illinois, USA

Company:

CBS Entertainment Production

Trivia:

While filming in Pontiac, Illinois, the night the demolition derby scene was shot was very cold. Since it was supposed to be summertime, the extras hired to sit in the grandstand were dressed in shorts and shirts. To stay warm they would bundle up in coats and hats and just before the camera would roll, they would throw off the coats and sit on them.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: During the dream scene, while walking with his parents, the shadow of a boom mic is visible on the ground toward the left side of the screen.

Quotes:

Tim Pearson: [Tim is riding in the tow truck with Slam cause Slam is towing Tim's dad's Cadillac] Man, I feel so stupid.
Ernie 'Slam' Webster: Boy, you just discover the oldest sexual position in the book.
Tim Pearson: What?
Ernie 'Slam' Webster: The Foolish position.
Ernie 'Slam' Webster: [Slam pulls the tow truck to a bowling alley and says to Tim] You just got to remember, your brains are between your ears and not your legs.
Mickey: [Mickey, the bowling alley owner comes out of the alley and Talks to Slam, he also notices Tim with the mud on him] Slam, things are a little rough out at the speedrome tonight, huh?
[...]

Movie Connections:

References Star Wars (1977)

Soundtrack:

Der Kommissar

Endless mediocrity

Even with a nice midwestern setting and a truly honest effort to make a film that most people could relate to on some level, this movie just comes up way short. I just stopped caring about these characters about halfway in, and I spent the remainder of the film waiting for the predictable ending to take place. It's not that this is a bad film, but I would call it generic, and it has a basic storyline that would be familiar to most movie-goers. I'm quite certain that you can easily find a better film than this next time you're looking to kill some time with a movie.