The King of Friday Night (1985)

Director:

Andrew Gosling

Stars:

Geoffrey Bowes, Darren Kaulback, Frank Mackay

Cast

Credited cast:
Geoffrey Bowes
Darren Kaulback	...	Extra
Frank Mackay
Eric Peterson
Alec Willows

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

flashback | reunion | success | nova scotia canada | fictional band | 

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Canadian Graffitti?

A musical set during the 1950s, THE KING OF Friday NIGHT is an odd, uncommon little Canadian feature which documents the beginnings and gradual success of a fictitious band called THE MONARCHS, and the various difficulties and interpersonal dramas of the bandmembers.

There's a very distinct 1980s looking reflection of the 50s here, an aesthetic quality incidental to the time when it was made(think "kidney shaped"...malt shops...drive-ins...pony tails...all the trendiness of that decade which became a thing of high camp rhapsody during the 80s). There's more than just a glimmer of influence here, namely GREASE and EDDIE AND THE CRUISERS, and the music numbers are quite blah(lots of that finger-snappy doo-wop style which is also exemplary of 80s/fifties nostalgia). Sporadic moments of quirky special effects and color-tinted black-and-white add a peculiar surrealism to the goings-on, and their inclusion implies that this was hoping to become a cult film(this is before it became evident that you cannot deliberately "make" a cult film with success...it is nearly always an obvious contrivance).

The main thing about this one that I find so odd is the digital filming. Usually, pictures of the camcorder variety are essentially backyard home movies which somehow find limited distribution through dodgy companies...this, however, is surprisingly professionally appointed despite the clearly microscopic budget. Don't get me wrong, however...it's not very good, but it does have a cute sort of ambitious charm. Clearly a lot of heart went into it, and for me, that *alone* made it endearing enough to watch(and if you love classic cars, this flick has some real beauties).

Nice try, guys. 4/10