Fandango

source: Fandango

Brilliantly acted road trip movie that uses understated humor to showcase the youth of the characters, while tackling the issue of the Vietnam draft. In this highly underrated film, five college friends set off on a road trip through Texas in the early 1970's. Two of them just received their draft letters and one of them has already enlisted. With only a few bucks, they decide to drive to Mexico to dig up a bottle of wine called Dom. Along the way they run out of money and must depend on the kindness of strangers, resulting in some of the funniest and most moving scenes of the movie. These five friends come to the realization that they they can't be carefree forever.Although the trip was meant as a way to run from their responsibility, they ultimately end up facing and embracing it. This one of Judd Nelson's best performances and also not typical of the roles he later was cast in. One of Kevin Costner's early films, and one of his best. The only unfortunate fact about this film is that it is severely under-appreciated.

If you like movies about a man in turmoil, acted by a man with little expression, then this is your movie. Keanu Reeves could take lessons from Costner about how to shout and keep your voice at a conversational volume. If you're one of those people who finds deep meaning in anything Costner says, then boy, oh boy, will you be happy with this poorly written American Graffiti knockoff about 5 guys who choose to be losers for no apparent reason. On a positive note, the aging post-hippies are right: the music is exceptional. Costner, once again, in a movie about a man with conflicted emotions. What a stretch!

I first saw Fandango in 1990 on BBC2 by chance and as I knew I would be out part of the night I also recorded it. In the end I never went out but it was fate that I got to see and also record one of my favorite films of all time. How this film has never made it to DVD or video release is beyond me, but hey who am I. I'm not American and I never went to Vietnam but this film really hit a cord with me especially at a time when the world was going to war with Iraq and people genuinely thought that if it turned into a holy war we would eventually get drafted. I thought this was by far one of Kevin costners best roles as the cocky Gardner Barns who genuinely cared about his friends and what might happen to them, so before they go off to war they go and find a bottle of champagne who they have christened DOM which is their last link with youth and the good times they shared. It is a very subtle and poignant film and the characterization is played superbly. There are some extremely funny moments in this film especially the sky diving scene together mixed with very thoughtful and endearing moments one in particular when Phil shakes Doormans hand and they say goodbye to each other for the last time. All this along with a wonderful sound track by Pat Matheny and Lyle Mays made this a film I cannot speak highly enough of. Go and see it and also by all Pat Mathenys work which I have. Incidentally everyone who I have ever shown this film to have thoroughly enjoyed it and asked where they can get it, alas I could not help with their request.

I have to agree with another user comment that (i) this is one of the few Kevin Costner performances that one is able to stomach and (ii) the sky-diving scene is a classic, but as for the rest of this "B-grade" drivel.. the less said the better. College failures go on a mega-tour of Texas in order to avoid a wedding, avoid the draft, tell their mate what a "wheenie" he is and find & trash a bottle of hot Dom Perignon! This is funny??? The soundtrack is good??? Saturday Night's Allright For Fightin' is about the only decent track in it. Not a good effort!

I stumbled across this movie years ago while flipping thru the channels late one night, and instantly fell in love with it. It's easily one of the best movies of the genre; there's an emotional resonance here that's hard to come by in any movie, let alone one that *appears* to be a standard coming-of-age/buddy/road-trip flick. It's also (in my humble opinion) probably Kevin Costner's finest piece of work next to 'Dances With Wolves'. Costner's role as Gardner is one that seems perfectly suited to him; I can imagine anyone else being able to pull it off. The soundtrack is *perfect*, especially the wedding sequence - besides being a great flick, this movie turned me on to Pat Metheny! The soundtrack, unfortunately, was never released, although I liked the movie enough to assemble the tracks individually. This is one of those rare movies that leaves one with a nice afterglow, even after many viewings....much like 'Diner' or 'American Graffiti'. I've seen 'Fandango' way too many times to count, and am on my second or third VHS copy - I'm hoping this comes out on DVD sometime soon....

This is the best Road Movie of the 80s. By that I mean better than Midnight Run, Wild at Heart, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Rain Man and all the other films that belong to that quintessential 80s genre. I love it - Spielberg financed it on the strength of Kevin Reynolds' first feature, Proof, but apparently he was disappointed with the results. Maybe that is because in Fandango there is a lack of Spielbergian sentimentality that has dominated everything he has made post-Jaws. Here, Reynolds counters every up with a down. From the explosive opening in which the group hit the road in Phil's cadillac for a day of revelry in the arid Texas outback (which is perfectly set to Elton John's Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting) I was hooked. The rest of the film is a hangover by comparison, sure, because the opening is so powerful. But the opening is misleading - Fandango is a downbeat film. Reynold's captures the perfect tone for his work by using the dead Texas scenery that is so reminiscent of Malick's Badlands and Hooper's Chainsaw Massacre. In Fandango, which is set in the early 70s, the ghost Vietnam is never far away. Reynolds refuses to let the group forget about War - there is always a sense of the 'last chance' about their odyssey. Everything from the massacre site they visit to the dilapitated set used for the filming of the James Dean classic 'Giant' that they sleep in speaks of death and decay. See the brilliant scene in the Cemetery where they shoot fireworks at each other for further evidence of this. In this respect, Reynolds pays homage to another film I love - The Deer Hunter. This is most obvious in the group's name - The Groovers - which is also shared by the Pennsylvanian Steel Workers of Hunter. Both films have a similar theme - friends who are torn apart by Vietnam. Fandango is an underrated classic - I urge you to see this film - if only to prove Spielberg wrong.

Quite simply the best film I've ever seen and as someone mentioned earlier, the `perfect' film. I've never known a film to captivate me to such a degree, and by the time Kevin Costner holds aloft his farewell beer at the end, you feel as though you're saying goodbye to a lifelong friend. There are so many scenes throughout which seem so uncannily familiar that its almost eerie, yet so comforting to watch. In those final few minutes, you're treated to some of the most beautiful scores that you could possibly wish to hear, a handshake that could tell a thousand words, and a stunning landscape which is the final destination for a group of friends who make the perfect combination. This will always be more than just a film to me. It's a key to unlock all those wondrous emotions that you once experienced many moons ago.

You know, there are movies that you can watch once and forget about, and there are movies that you can watch once, and never forget! This is definitely one of those movies and I personal can't watch it enough! It's one of my favorite movies and makes me feel better about anything that's going on in my life and the world. It's a great cinematic adventure that allows us to all experience the thrill of going somewhere with little expectations. I can think of movies like Stand By Me, The Big Lebowski & others that are considered "Classics" and throw this one in there. It definitely holds it's own and it's about time it's being released on DVD. My tape is almost worn out so this will be a great addition to my collection! I recommend this movie to anyone who just needs to "get away" from things. Instead of taking a vacation, watch this~ A great movie that is extremely underrated, a classic of the time and a film that will remain a classic and cult favorite forever. Enjoy it always!

I first saw this movie as a young, nine or ten year-old impressionable kid, so there are some sentimental attachments to this. This movie is very clever. As a comedy, it's amazing; some of the ideas (the parachute scene, for example) are absolutely genius. On top of all this is an amazing soundtrack, in which each song fits each scene eerily beautifully. When I first saw this movie I had just started guitar lessons and was leaning toward hard rock. This movie turned me on to some other heavy, tear-jerker type songs in "It's too late" (Carole King) and "Can't find my way home" by Blind Faith. Beautiful stuff. One of the few Elton John songs I like, "Saturday night's alright" as well as "Spooky" are perfectly placed. But nothing is placed as perfect as Pat Metheney's "It's for you". Now, I was a hard rocker and had only heard of Metheney when I saw this. This tune is so beautiful and haunting on it's own, and where it is in the movie, I almost dare you not to cry. Someone I know thought the movie was also sad, so it'ts unique. I would still classify it as a comedy more than anything. Funny stuff.