I first saw this movie in College, 2 years after it came out (1991). At the time I thought it was delightfully subversive and funny.
All these years I have considered the film a dark comedy, and something of a classic.
But after just now seeing it on DVD, my opinion of the film has changed dramatically. For some reason I just didn't find it remotely funny anymore. I thought the dialog was stilted and unnatural, with too much of an emphasis on 'witty' lines and not enough emphasis on conversational flow between characters. Elements like set design, costumes and cinematography were horribly dated looking and cheap. And worst of all, I just thought the whole concept of the film was no longer surreal enough to be darkly funny. I just couldn't get past the fact that JD, the Christian Slater character, was just a psychotic killer unworthy of any real sympathy -- it was obvious we were meant to think of him as a semi-lovable rebel.
It seems like young people are still discovering this film, and maybe that is the age group that can still find the film fun, but if you are a 30-something who fondly remembers this film, you might want to give it another viewing, because if you are like me, you will find that it definately does not live up to its reputation.
All these years I have considered the film a dark comedy, and something of a classic.
But after just now seeing it on DVD, my opinion of the film has changed dramatically. For some reason I just didn't find it remotely funny anymore. I thought the dialog was stilted and unnatural, with too much of an emphasis on 'witty' lines and not enough emphasis on conversational flow between characters. Elements like set design, costumes and cinematography were horribly dated looking and cheap. And worst of all, I just thought the whole concept of the film was no longer surreal enough to be darkly funny. I just couldn't get past the fact that JD, the Christian Slater character, was just a psychotic killer unworthy of any real sympathy -- it was obvious we were meant to think of him as a semi-lovable rebel.
It seems like young people are still discovering this film, and maybe that is the age group that can still find the film fun, but if you are a 30-something who fondly remembers this film, you might want to give it another viewing, because if you are like me, you will find that it definately does not live up to its reputation.