Fandango (1985)

Five college buddies from the University of Texas circa 1971 embark on a final road trip odyssey across the Mexican border before facing up to uncertain futures, in Vietnam and otherwise.

Director:

Kevin Reynolds

Writer:

Kevin Reynolds

Stars:

Kevin Costner, Judd Nelson, Sam Robards

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Costner	...	Gardner Barnes
Judd Nelson	...	Phil Hicks
Sam Robards	...	Kenneth Waggener
Chuck Bush	...	Dorman
Brian Cesak	...	Lester Griffin
Marvin J. McIntyre	...	Truman Sparks
Suzy Amis	...	The Girl
Glenne Headly	...	Trelis
Pepe Serna	...	Gas Station Mechanic
Elizabeth Daily	...	Judy
Robyn Rose	...	Lorna
Stanley Grover	...	Phil's Dad
Jane A. Johnston	...	Phil's Mom
Don Brunner	...	Heckler #1
Michael Conn	...	Heckler #2

Storyline

It's 1971 at the University of Texas, Austin. College buddies, facing graduation, marriage, and the draft, skip out of their own graduation party and head to the Mexican border for some adventure, a buried secret, and one last go-around at "the privileges of youth".

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Plot Keywords:

based on short film | college | texas | trip | vomiting | 

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Taglines:

It's the privilege of youth.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 January 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Фанданго

Filming Locations:

Alpine, Texas, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$50,437, 27 January 1985, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$91,666

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Amblin Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In his book Adventures of a No Name Actor , Marco Perella says he filmed scenes for a dream in which he played a clown/jester character but his scenes were edited out.

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Goofs

In the beginning of the film, when Gardner is throwing darts at a picture, the darts change their order from one shot to another.

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Quotes

Kenneth Waggener: Looking at a road map - "That's dirt son, there's no highway through here. The dotted line means dirt."
Gardner: giggling - "I thought it meant shortcut"

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Connections

Referenced in Robin Hood: The Myth, the Man, the Movie (1991)

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Soundtracks

Spheres (7th Movement)
Written by Keith Jarrett (uncredited)
Performed by Keith Jarrett
Courtesy of ECM Records

User Reviews

Fantastic coming-of-age road movie

Five friends (the self-named "groovers") go on one final fandango before graduating college and going on to life, war, marriage, etc. Their destination is the Texas desert where they plan to dig up Dom, the friend they buried on the night their group was formed.

The film is a wonderful mix of poignant life lessons and slapstick hilarity. The crew consists of slacker Gardner, life-troubled kenneth, weenie extraordinaire Phil, overweight divinity student Dorman, and unconscious Lester (the fifth groover). As they wind their way through the Texas scrub on their last adventure, each of them faces the approaching life after college in his own way, reacting to his fears and the failings of his friends in the draft years of the Vietnam War.

An unknown Kevin Costner pulls off the role of Gardner Barnes with an easy perfection that would convince you there must be something of Gardner in him. He's utterly convincing as the footloose rascal on a mission to evade life.

The other performances are respectable, including that of Judd Nelson in the role of uptight ROTC cadet Phil Hicks who despises the moral ambiguity of the other characters while starving for their affection.

Though this movie is not a well-known blockbuster, it holds up well against others of the same genre. Definitely worth the price of a rental, and with the February 2005 DVD release, a good addition to your collection. Good music, good humor, and great fun.