Reviews

And it was an effective TV movie, because I remember it 36 years later. I wonder if it's available on DVD somewhere. I wonder if it would stand up. What worked was the creepiness of a killer sun, especially to a small child. Also what worked was the idea of finding bodies lying around, though I won't spoil what the condition of the bodies were. Also, while I can't remember the acting, exactly, I see the quality of the lead female and the solidness on TV of Peter Graves. I don't know why this movie stuck with me, but I think 80% of it is the fact that I was 5 years old and the title sounds like a line from the child rhyme, "Here's the church and here's the steeple...."

I can't remember laughing this hard since Jay & Silent Bob Strikes Back. Billy Bob Thornton's interactions with the "troubled" kid he befriends is at times almost unwatchable. His cruelty and disregard for others is so harsh--as harsh as his own disregard for himself... and yet you find yourself laughing your behind off. This, of course, is what makes the laughs so great. Thornton is such a loose cannon with a foul mouth--I can't tell you how unsympathetic his character is, you just have to see it for yourself--that when he is teamed up with the little clueless, unflappable, messed up kid that can't even understand when he should be upset by Thornton's character, it's PURE GOLD: "Marcus, get this kid out of here, he's freaking me out." Great supporting performances by elfish actor Tony Cox, the late great John Ritter, and that Gilmore Girls chick. Again, if you are not easily offended, check this one out. Look for Ajay Naidu as the Hindustani Troublemaker--his last line is a great reference to the also great Office Space. Funniest interaction: when Bad Santa takes the kid home near the beginning and they have a conversation about whether or not someone dropped the kid on his head. I almost spit up on myself.

The first time I saw the Tao of Steve, I was beginning a relationship with a woman. I have just celebrated a 2nd anniversary with this same woman and I have also just viewed the Tao of Steve again. On my first viewing, I was let down by the movie. At that point, the underlying sentiment of the movie seemed too obvious and predictable to me. I was in the midst of wooing a woman and I am also a person that can associate with the main character--overweight, overeducated, and under-achieving. I felt like I was watching a chick flick disguised as an Indie-style vindication of post-modern coolness... Well, time has passed and I have seen the light at the end of the tunnel. (Remember how Altered States ended with a "love is the only thing worth living/fighting for" bullcrap? I feel differently now about that movie as well.) I think a lot of guys like Donal's character use their intelligence and understanding of "coolness" in their social life when it really only functions in poker game banter and party small talk. All the philosophy in the world won't make you feel loved. Relationship with God not withstanding, I feel like this movie serves as a signpost for people like myself. And therefore, it is a successful piece of contemplation wrapped in the banter of your favorite drinking buddy.

It was bound to all come together in a single movie for Kevin Smith. It's an adult level comedy like I haven't seen before. Congrats to Kevin Smith for creating a world in his head that actually works for people with brains.