Goin' to Chicago (1991)

Director:

Paul Leder

Writer:

Paul Leder (writer)

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Cleavon Little	...	Edward Sr.
Viveca Lindfors	...	Helen
Gary Kroeger	...	Aaron
Eileen Seeley	...	Elinor
Guy Killum	...	Edward Jr.
Penny Johnson	...	Darlene
Lydie Denier	...	Aline
Laurette Ben-Nathan	...	English Nurse
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
J.D. Lewis	...	Aaron

Also Known As:

Hearts of Fire (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Company:

Poor Robert Productions

Trivia:

Cleavon Little's last film.

Trite with a capital T

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The only reason I'm going up to two is the smattering of gratuitous breasts in this movie. Otherwise, I'd surely have to go down to one star out of ten. The plot revolves around Aaron (Gary Kroeger, veteran of some of SNL's lesser years in the 80's) & Elinor (Eileen Seeley), a couple of politically active teachers and lovers, who decide to take their sabbaticals together in order to go to New Hampshire in 1968 to campaign for Gene McCarthy. On the eve of their departure, Aaron informs Elinor that he won't be going to New Hampshire at all, instead opting to "drop out" in Europe for a while, smoking hash, getting wasted and banging hot chicks. Sounds good to me! Elinor is, understandably, distressed by his sudden apathy towards all things progressive, but goes to New Hampshire anyways, with Edward, Jr. (Guy Killum), whose father is played by the late great Cleavon Little (given top billing on the tape box, even though he has only a supporting role.) While Elinor and Eddie continue to make history in NH, Aaron is busy getting his freak on, and is almost too high to notice that Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy have been assassinated. Eventually all of his partying lands Aaron in the hospital, where he learns that his grandmother Helen (Viveca Lindfors) in dying. He gets back to the States just in time to share one of the most nauseatingly saccharine deathbed scenes in the history of cinema and have a change of heart and get back into politics. The movie actually ends with a bunch of people, white and black, holding hands and singing "We Shall Overcome." I mean, give me a break.

Subtlety is not, seemingly, in the film-making vocabulary of Mr. Paul Leder, the director, who takes a step away in this picture from his usual exploitation fare. Instead of any degree of insinuation, the film prefers to smack you over the head with its points, as one might do with a club, or baseball bat. Aside from a couple of pairs of boobs, there's nothing, and all of the actors involved should have known better and stayed away from this boring crap.