There Goes My Baby (1994)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Floyd Mutrux

Writer (WGA):

Floyd Mutrux (written by)

Release Date:

2 September 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

It was the summer of '65. Rock 'n' roll was alive. And the future of this country went looking for America.

Plot:

In the summer of 1965, strict high-school Westwood's senior class in its privileged white suburb of L.A...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Watts Riots | War Protestor | 1960s | Hope

Cast

Dermot Mulroney	...	Pirate
Rick Schroder	...	Stick
Kelli Williams	...	Sunshine
Noah Wyle	...	Finnegan
Jill Schoelen	...	Babette
Kristin Minter	...	Tracy
Lucy Deakins	...	Mary Beth
Kenneth Ransom	...	Calvin (as Kenny Ransom)
Seymour Cassel	...	Pop
Paul Gleason	...	Mr. Burton (as Paul Xavier Gleason)
Frederick Coffin	...	Mr. Maran
Janet MacLachlan	...	Lottie
Andrew Robinson	...	Frank
Humble Harve Miller	...	The Beard
Shon Greenblatt	...	Morrisey

Also Known As:

The Last Days of Paradise (USA) (alternative title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

99 min | Germany:110 min | Australia:94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M | Spain:13 | USA:R

Company:

Nelson Entertainment

Trivia:

Filmed in 1990, but wasn't released until four years later due to Orion Pictures' bankruptcy.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Set in 1965, a poster for "The Endless Summer" can be seen in Stick's bedroom. "The Endless Summer" wasn't released until 1966.

Movie Connections:

References "I Love Lucy" (1951)

Soundtrack:

There Goes My Baby

Saturday Night @ the movies w/"There Goes My Baby"

So,much like Steve-O who just posted his review today,I just last night (3/31)@ 11pm watched this film. Unlike Steve,I like it quite a bit more.

Although I will agree that,yes,we've gone down this memory lane before at the movies and truthfully I'd never even heard of it. It was pretty entertaining but this particular plot was done on a stronger level in the TV movie "The 60's" a few years back and as mentioned "American Graffitti". Still,I think it could be a good introductory film for young people to watch as a way to teach them about this era.

A great plot idea to set it around the closing of the favorite high-school hang out,complete with one of those fun but at times annoying DJ's (The Beard),who used to talk in rhyme! Places like "Pops" stand as a symbol of the innocence of the previous era that was soon to be lost.

Now,Rick Schroder is a good actor,not great like say Johnny Depp or (I can finally say without laughing)Leonardo DeCaprio. He's almost first billed but doesn't do as much as I though he would. His emotional breakdown at "Pops" was done quite well along with the scene with his character's father.

Pirate is he school's delinquent who is always at odds with Principal Maran (they call him moron of course). The actor who plays the principal is okay but should have played it a bit stronger. Pirate,for being a delinquent,sure is a quiet one...at least until later.

The early days of Vietnam protest and the Watts riots are recreated very well also but are not as graphic,as done in other films. I found it a bit odd to put "Turn-Turn-Turn" by The Byrds over the riot scenes. Could they not find an appropriate song by an African-American act?? I could say the song might be lyrically relevant but musically,it's too light for such scenes.

In the middle of this a young man named Morrisey burns his draft card and is,roughed up by the police and then later hangs himself. The scene that comes later of Pirate and crew (no joke intended)burning the statue in front of their school,is truly the strongest scene in the whole film. I would say the Watts riots as first,but again,The Byrds song kind of waters that scene down.

The young ladies in this movie are good at portraying the females of the time,who are the last generation to grow up with "finish school,find a man,get married & have kids". The actresses do an admirable job and the emotions from them really felt genuine to me.

The music is great of course because,hey,these are classics. Although some have been used countless times before in movies.

Overall it's not a bad little film but I do once again agree,it could have been so much more for a movie depicting the beginnings,of the most turbulent of times,in our country's history. By the way,this movie was filmed & then shelved in 1990.

8 stars because...again..a stronger sense of the mood of times,as they were,would have made it a 10 star. (END)