I saw at the bottom of the page, that "if you like this title we also recommend American Graffiti". So true, so true. Of course, it can't be compared to "graffiti", but it's a movie with many laughs and adorable characters.
I saw this movie last night, maybe for the tenth time or something. I had a good time as always. Then of course, I am a very nostalgic person and if your favorite movie is "Matrix" or "Minority report" you might not like it.
The title is a little confusing since there aren't that many dance scenes, but I honestly don't care. I'm just looking for a temporary time machine with the course aimed for 1963. Besides, the dancing moments of the movie are quite enough.
Shag takes off with four friends going away to Myrtle beach for a weekend of total fun. Luanne is the proper one who is almost always upset or embarrassed, and she kind of takes the "leader" role, since they are all going in her car and staying at her fathers (the senator's) house, (where you can't sit on the furniture's, use the phone or drink the senator's bourbon). Pudge is a nice girl who has held everything back all her life, but no more! She is also the one who is responsible for the most "shagging" in the movie. Melaina (Fonda) is the wild one who dreams of a career in Hollywood since she is "neither marrying Harvey nor going to college". Carson (Cates) is the sweet and unexperienced girl who IS marrying Harvey. Also, when the movie begins, she thinks that they are going someplace else. But the girls have other plans and they are determined to take Carson for a weekend that she will never forget. One last fling together. A plot like this CAN'T go wrong.
Anyway, by the end of the movie they are all different people, and they have learned that things are not always as they seem. You have control of your own destiny. Carson meets Buzz (the lines that these two people have are unbeatable), Luanne gives the audience a real "necking-surprise" and Melaina finally meets Jimmy Valentine who she considers to be her key to a life of luxury in Hollywood. ( I laugh every time Jimmy does his "move"). The story which I like the best though, is the love that develops between Pudge and the "navy" boy Chip. They are just so good people and the conversations between them so sweet and innocent. You really feel happy for them. It would be a crime not making them a couple.
This movie has a great ending. The kind which makes you wonder what happens to the people in the film. You actually care about them.
The acting is terrific. Bridget Fonda gets a lot of room and maybe it's because her character is the most interesting one. This was before she became a star. I think Phoebe Cates is one of the most underrated actresses ever. Just think about it, how she effects an audience. When she opens her mouth you can't look away. It's like she is born to make these parts. She isn't acting. She IS her characters. " Yes, I am wild. I guess I've been wild all of my life, without even knowing it". One of many great lines in this movie.
The one thing that always impresses me in these movies is the setting. They actually make it look like in 1963. The cars, the clothes, the colors, the buildings. It's incredible.
If you like these kind of movies, and haven't seen this one, you should be ashamed of yourself! Grade: 8/10
