People like to shit on the '80s all the time. I can't get behind that. I was a kid throughout the decade, and certainly not old enough to be part of any scene, but hell if I didn't think it was one fine decade. Miami Vice, Wang Chung, ThunderCats, the Atari 2600... all 100% certifiably awesome, and they still are to this day. For teen and family movies, the decade just can't be beat.

Take for example One Crazy Summer, a film with the most basic of plots. Hoops (John Cusack) is a dorky kid. He's just graduated high school with hopes of being an animator and he's never been in love. His nickname might imply that he excels at sports but that would be incorrect. It's one of those opposite nicknames. You know, like those 7'2” 342 lb. bikers that are called “Tiny” by friends.

He's got a group of fun-loving friends to hang around with. There's George Calamari (Joel Murray – yes, his brother) who convinces Hoops to go with him to Nantucket for the summer and live with his grandmother. En route, they pick up Cassandra (Demi Moore – in her pre-slut days, when she was simply a more tomboyish Jennifer Connelly) after helping her out of a violent situation with some motorcyclists. When they get to the island they meet up with “The Stork Twins” played by 80's comedy staple Bobcat Goldthwait (Zed; Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment) and Tom Villard (who?). Finally, another 80's star joins in with the fun, Curtis Armstrong (Booger; Revenge Of The Nerds) as “Ack Ack” son of a bizarre Army veteran.

Hoops wants to work on his illustrations, but the beach lifestyle is as distracting as you might expect. He starts developing a crush on two different girls, Cassandra who's a hippie chick musician, and Cookie, who is the eye-candy girlfriend of an asshole jock kid named Teddy (of all the potentially intimidating names…) To add some drama to the mix, Cassandra's grandmother is about to lose her house, and even the money that she makes performing won't be enough for what's needed to buy back the property. The only way that they can save the day is by winning a boat racing contest – a contest that Teddy wins every year. How do they accomplish this? Why, through friendship, luck and overcoming adversity of course. How else?

Does this sound contrived? Does this sound like exceptionally light fare? Does this sound exactly like the plot of Savage Steve Holland's previous collaboration with Cusack, Better Off Dead (sans the suicidal tendencies and with skis replaced with boats)? If you answered “yes” to all of the above questions, you would be correct. But being unoriginal isn't so bad when you're having so much fun doing it; and One Crazy Summer is a really fun time. It's a simple movie, with tons of charm and wit with little vulgarity so it's safe for younger audiences. There are also tons of bad puns and sight gags liberally placed throughout that have no business existing in any real-world scenario. Kids make silly faces and they get permanently stuck in that position. Ack Ack goes to the beach to collect shells... bullet shells. These sorts of situations make up roughly 70% of the film. People who like Airplane! or The Kentucky Fried Movie will have a lot of clean fun here. It's difficult not to love a movie that has Bobcat Goldthwait in a Godzilla costume, terrorizing a model town while a Japanese business man looks on with the biggest shit-eating grin of all time.

If ever there was a director that could make an entire film out of irreverence, Savage Steve Holland was that guy.

The DVD Presentation
Any moderately budgeted film, made in the 80s, which takes place mostly outdoors, will look soft. One Crazy Summer looks slightly better than average. The transfer isn't anything stellar, but it is clean, and presented for the first time in anamorphic widescreen. It certainly looks better than the old VHS release. The audio is also clear and dialog is easily understood - except for Bobcat's but that's as expected. Being a mono track, it isn't going to bring the house down, but it's not that kind of film either. Subtitles are available for just about every goddamned language that matters, including English for the hearing impaired.

And the Extras Are?
Feature-length audio-commentary with actors Curtis Armstrong, Bobcat Goldthwait and writer/director Savage Steve Holland -
Considering the overwhelming jackassery that one might expect Booger and Zed to bring to the table, one would be easily forgiven to think that a commentary without the involvement of the two primary actors would be a dud. Rest assured, though, it isn't. Holland keeps things moving well, and Armstrong and Goldthwait actually have a lot of fun memories and set stories to share. There are some dead spots, but they are fairly brief. I think that anyone who really enjoys the film will get a kick out of this track.

Theatrical Trailer - (1:28)
Bobcat narrates this trailer speaking directly to the audience. It's a cute and silly trailer and perfectly matched with the film.

Cast/Director/Writer Film Highlights -
Text based info that you could get easily (and with more accuracy) from IMDb.com. Pointless.

Sure there isn't a lot of material here, but the commentary track is great and I can't think of anything else that would be necessary.

The Bottom Line
Make no mistake; One Crazy Summer is no substitute for the genius of Savage Steve Holland's previous film, Better Off Dead. It certainly would make a good double-feature with it, though. Best of all, it's perfectly safe, lighthearted fare for the entire family. Watch it with your kids, watch it without your kids, either way, you are practically guaranteed to have a good time.

Fact: If you hate One Crazy Summer, you hate puppies.