Candy Mountain

I've seen a few no-budget films before, but "Candy Mountain" really takes the cake. It feels like it was filmed on weekends and vacations with friends and relatives, and no one was paid anything. That might not be entirely true, but it's the impression I got. I watched the movie for Tom Waits, who doesn't have a big part, but is entertaining. Kevin J. O'Connor is good as Julius. All the various cameos are amusing, surely more so if you have a personal familiarity with the actors/musicians. It's a distinctly Canadian story, even though it hints at originating in the states.

The director, Robert Frank, leaves one with the distinct impression that he doesn't know how to make a compelling movie. It's well-intentioned enough, but lethargic as hell. When Julius wakes up to drag himself through another long day, you start to feel about the same as the viewer. If the photography was better, or maybe the silences had more depth and power, it wouldn't seem so sloppy. The pace is maddeningly slow. I got... a bit out of it, I guess. But it's really just not that great. At best, it convinces you that it's real. As for anything beyond that, well, never mind.

I liked it so much I actually bought the video and still watch it occasionally. The wonderful cameos make the whole thing worthwhile. Dr John is a riot and I especially love the scene with Robert Blossoms and Leon Redbone where they lock the main character up in jail. Robert Blossoms "you mean he interrupted the flow of money???!!" Then they sing. Leon Redbone is always amazing. I never heard of Blossoms but he was great. Hilarious, but great. And Tom Waits can't help but be interesting. That amazing woman singer, too. Holy cow. I could listen to her over and over. I watch this movie while skipping forward to the good parts. There's a lot of dead weight, but ignore that.

As a music fanatic I obviously loved this movie. But had it not been for Dr. John, Waits, Redbone and Johansen etc. I would most likely not have given it the time of day.

Got to love it though!

It scores a 7 for the cast, effort and humour.

Greetings again from the darkness. The pedigree alone makes this cult favorite one to check out now that it's been digitally restored. Co-director Robert Frank was a renowned Swiss-American photographer and filmmaker, while co-director and screenwriter Ruby Wurlitzer was behind another popular cult flick from years earlier, TWO-LANE BLACKTOP (1971). The re-release is set to coincide with what would have been Mr. Frank's one hundredth birthday (he passed in 2019 at age 94).

The story begins in NYC when not-so-talented musician Julius (Kevin J O'Connor) overhears a successful recording artist (David Johansen of New York Dolls) talking about his desire to buy up guitars handmade by the reclusive and legendary Elmore Silk. Julius, being the hustler and scammer that he is, claims to know Elmore Silk and offers to track him down. It's all part of his latest scheme to become rich and famous without actually doing anything.

What follows is an oddball road trip of wrong turns, where Julius crosses paths with other ne'er do wells who each take advantage of him in some way. You might say Julius is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, yet he is persistent and continues his trek into Canada where, after being kidnapped, he locates Elmore Silk (Harris Yulin) and the guitars. Of course, the movie isn't really about the guitars. It's really about Julius's trek and his desire to break out of the lifelong doldrums. What he doesn't realize (though we do) is that even if he gets a big break, he'll likely find a way to mess it up.

The real fun with this movie comes in spotting the faces of known actors and musicians. In addition to O'Connor and Yulin, you'll see a young Laurie Metcalf (Oscar nominated for LADY BIRD, 2017), Tantoo Cardinal (KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, 2023), French legend Bulle Ogier (THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISE, 1972), Rockets Redglare (bodyguard for the Sex Pistols), and Robert Blossom (Kevin's scary neighbor in HOME ALONE). As for musicians, in addition to Johansen (also known as Buster Poindexter and for driving Bill Murray's cab in SCROOGED), you'll spot Joe Strummer of The Clash, the great Tom Waits, Arto Lindsay, Dr John, and Leon Redbone.

Kevin J O'Connor hasn't acted on screen in a few years, but his unconventional looks have graced multiple high-profile films: PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED (1986), STEEL MAGNOLIAS (1989), AMISTAD (1997), GODS AND MONSTERS (1998), VAN HELSING (2004), THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007), and THE MASTER (2012). It's an impressive career for a guy who rarely plays 'normal'. Nostalgia also plays a part here as we see a sign at a service station flaunting 79 cents per gallon gas. Julius spends some time hitchhiking, which was common for the time, and his foray into Canada goes against the reputation of a country filled with polite and friendly folks. It helps make sense of the film's best quote, "It always seems colder when you're leaving some place." The remastered version open in select theaters on October 25, 2024.

Although filled with some dead air, and the plot just drags on, Candy Mountain can be seen as a mid '80's curio filled with New Wave 80's rock stars (Buster Poindexter! Tom Waits!) and curious cameos (Rita Mcneill???). After being tempted by musical bigshot Poindexter, a struggling musician, (played by Kevin O'Connor, looking all the world like Billie Joe Armstrong) agrees to find a long-thought-dead musician. Off on the road he goes, meeting some wacky people along the way! The acting here is OK, with some on the histronics side. But O'Connor seems to keep things on an even keel. But the problem is, the movie goes on FAR too long, and one senses that even O'Connor was getting tired of the whole thing. Worth a look if you could find it for the curio factor though.