Verano del 76

My wife and I saw this movie on cable TV shortly after it came out and shortly before it disappeared into oblivion, and since we both were little kids in the 70s we both found the movie to be pretty funny. It has its share of really bad jokes (like people slipping on a picture of bananas), but it's not supposed to be intellectual humor. It's supposed to be a campy, cheesy movie that (fondly) makes fun of a decade that contains a lot to make fun of. And it certainly succeeds on that level.

The movie was clearly a very low budget affair, yet the film makers managed to nail little details like the red, white and blue-painted fire hydrant outside the main character's home (there was one of those across the street from the house I grew up in). Everyone involved in the movie seems to have done their homework, but are having fun with it and not taking it too seriously.

I recently discovered that this movie has finally come out on DVD, and at a bargain basement price, so I ordered a copy. My 14 year old daughter watched it with me and loved it - she described it as "stupidly beautiful" and immediately put the soundtrack on her iPod.

So if you're feeling nostalgic for the 70s and think you'd like a low-budget comedy that doesn't pretend to be masterpiece theater, look no further. On the other hand, if 80 minutes of disco music, cameo roles and jokes about bongs and pop rocks doesn't sound like your cup of tea, then avoid.

I saw this one evening with my boss who had done a lot of feature work. His one comment was this; "This just shows that you can make any kind of film you want if you have the right connections." The gist here being that he didn't like it, and thought the film was sorely lacking on a number of levels.

I agreed with him.

Having lived through the 70s, as had my former manager, we were hoping for a bit of a send-up and otherwise a humorous tribute to what one stand-up comic described as a "cultural depression". Tassles on banana seat bikes, flared out bell bottom genes and slacks, paisley print shirts, apple caps, gas lines, disco, and, of course, exploding Pintos. But it was not to be.

Instead of commentary on why the nation (and the then "Western Free World") veered in that direction, we were given superficial exposition to the cultural tidbits of 1976. They're like minor vignettes for a variety show done during the post-sexual revolution.

The promised exploration and exposition of 1976 America (as it loosely related to the nations founding in 1776 ... part of the gag) is lost. There's no emotional connection whatsoever, just a loose and feebly scripted "homage" to the peculiarities and trends of the time. It's as if the script was written by a first or second year film student. The story lacks a larger theme and deeper emotional focus.

Still, it's worth a smirk to look at one time. My boss wasn't too pleased that I had dragged him to see a midnight showing after work (especially since we had a 7AM call time the next morning ... but I digress), but I have to admit that my curiosity of seeing the film had been satisfied. And although I agree with my former employer's comment, and have ripped the film apart in this review, I did, in a very not-so-serious way, enjoy it for what it was. Still, it's not a film I'd add to my DVD collection.

Watch at your own risk.

I'd love to be able to say that 'Spirit of 76' is a forgotten comedy classic that desperately needs to be re-evaluated in these post-'Wayne's World'/'Austin Powers'/'That 70s Show' times, but sadly it really isn't all that funny. Still, I own a copy and watch it occasionally and get a few laughs out of it, so it isn't TOTALLY useless.

People who will enjoy it the most will be Redd Kross fans, as the fabulous McDonald brothers co-star. Perhaps the movie would have been better if they'd contributed to the script as well? They certainly know the territory better than most!

Anyway, you've got some silly clothes, a few obvious digs at the fads of the era, some enjoyable disco and metal on the soundtrack, and best of all a really eclectic supporting cast (Devo!). Maybe that's enough. Sometimes you just need some dumb fun...

I never got to experience the 70's myself (I was born in '84), but this movie really makes me long for that bygone era. The first time I saw this film, I was just a kid, maybe 5 or 6, and I loved it from the start. Now that I'm older, I realize this movie is about the campiest thing I've ever seen, but it's still just as fun to watch. The platform shoes, 8-track cassettes, AMC Pacers, and bicentennial bongs will all serve to transport you into that beloved decade of excess and extravagance. This movie is packed with nutty, over-the-top characters who serve as caricatures for all of the diverse lifeforms the 70's produced. Smarmy science fare nerds, early mallrats, happy stoners, middle-aged yuppies seeking self-improvement, and those poor, restless creatures perpetually afflicted with Boogie Fever. This is a movie John Waters could have and should have had a hand in. A clever, skewed portrait of life in the 70's. Gee, I REALLY missed out on a lot!!!

Whoever came up with this concept deserves an award of some kind. Time travelers from the future need to visit 1776 to learn vital information about the founding of the nation. Unfortunately, something goes wrong, and the explorers wind up in 1976 instead -- without realizing it! Something didn't quite make it in the implementation, though. Maybe it is the obviously rock-bottom budget. Throughout the movie, you are acutely aware that you are watching a movie set with a few Gremlins and Pintos parked here and there. Also, the decision to cast some 70's heartthrobs (Cassidy and Garrett) as major characters was interesting, but these guys are not exactly Academy Award material, if you know what I mean. However, there are some pretty entertaining scenes, including Rob Reiner as the insane leader of an "est"-like cult.