Van Nuys Blvd.

I appreciate that having been born in 1946, I don't really have the right to review this film. My period is 1968/69, some ten years before this and boy does it show! Here, the car has already become God once more, the dancing looks more like aerobics and the music! Well, I got through prog rock and even punk but this disco sound was beyond me. Amazing though just how early the 'eighties' began because this really looks absolutely on the button for the eighties and yet was presumably made no later than 1978 if it came out in '79. As others have mentioned no plot to speak of, lots of very cute naked bodies, but, for me, too much motoring, too much fairground riding and too much of that music. For anyone ten years younger, however, probably absolutely essential viewing.

I came across this movie when it was playing on BRAVO, and since they don't show commercials I had no time to get distracted by something else. It's not a particularly good movie, but fun, and something about it kept me watching until 3 in the morning. Probably because I missed the beginning, so I never figured out which guy was the hick, as mentioned on the satelleite summary. That and Cynthia Wood. Wow she looks sweet in this movie. Writer/Director Sachs somehow manages to attach a subplot to no plot. It's an interesting 'slice of life' film that rates high on kitch, low on substance.

This is a nostalgic movie about cruising your car on a popular strip in the late 1970's. This particular strip is Van Nuys Blvd., north of Los Angeles, California. Cruising Van Nuys Blvd. was a cultural phenomenon that didn't last long - only a couple of years. As cruising takes hold of a local culture, each community creates new laws and police find creative ways to discourage young people from congregating. When people on the streets outnumber the total available police force, local residence get scared - even if there has been no significant rise in crime.

I was a part of a cruising culture in the mid to late 1990's on Lindbergh Blvd. in Saint Louis, Missouri. From Hooters Restaurant to Ronnie's Movie Theater, the 4 mile strip was packed with bumper-to-bumper automobiles, Thursday through Saturday nights. At the peak of the local cruising popularity, heavy traffic could be seen every night, and weekends brought people from all over the country. Vendors would set up in parking lots and sell cool stuff - no permits, but no police available to enforce permit laws. Street lights were useless on weekends after dark - the steady, slow moving traffic would rarely completely stop for a red light. Public fights and public sex were commonplace. Bass speakers blared, low riders with ground effects lights lit up the pavement, and it seemed like a lawless carnival for a teenager. It was an amazing time and place. I took it for granted because I was young; I couldn't appreciate how lucky I was to be a part of it, or how quickly it would all be over.

Most of the reviews of 'Van Nuys Blvd.' (1979) complain that there is no plot. I guess I can understand that complaint, but they don't understand cruising. Sometimes when you go cruising, nothing happens. Sometimes, it seems like a boring night of driving in a circle, until you take one more lap and meet the right girl. Sometimes, you get chased by cops. And, sometimes it just feels like being stuck in traffic.

So, yeah, this movie might leave some people feeling like it was a pointless waste of 90 minutes... like aimlessly driving around with no destination... But, maybe it was supposed to feel that way. As for me, I can dig it.

RealReview Posting Scoring Criteria: Acting - 0.5/1; Casting - 1/1; Directing - 1/1; Story - 0.5/1; Writing/Screenplay - 0.5/1;

Total Base Score = 3.5

Modifiers (+ or -): Authentic Location Shooting: 0.5 (It really isn't anywhere special, but it feels very authentic.);

Music Score/Soundtrack: 0.5 (I downloaded the title track. Seriously, I did.);

Cultural Significance: 0.5 (This film captures a moment in time, that will be relevant to a niche group of cruisers for as long as automobiles are driven by young people.);

Total RealReview Rating: 5

I grew up in Citrus Heights, California. started driving in 81, and if you're from anywhere near there and you would know about the cruise at the Sunrise mall and then Birdcage walk. The cruise started around 74-75 at the Sunrise mall, they (police and barriers) shut that down and it moved to the birdcage walk, from Sunrise Boulevard to Greenback lane, down Birdcage walk road in front of tower records and down by Toys "R" Us, I remember hearing on the news that an estimated 5000 cars were involved in the slow cruise. But lot of neighbors and stores complainEd and then there was a shooting at Burger King, so the cops shut it down in 1988-89. Most of the attendees just enjoyed the slow cruise, the chatting with friends. making new friends, but there are always those a-holes that ruin it for everybody. Watching this movie sort of brought back memories of that, for the most part, it shows the antics of three couples who met during the cruise on Van Nuys Blvd. it's kind of a time capsule for the people that lived during this time, sadly our kids and their kids will never know what a slow cruise is like. Unless you make it to Reno, Nevada for hot August nights. But even that does not have the same feel. Been there, done that.

This movie has nothing but scenes stitched together BUT it's oddly fun and charming if only because its so aimless. Lots of nudity and clips of amusement parks and disco dancing make this a real treat for late 70's fans.