One Crazy Summer (1986)

2 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Goons of June

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

I've always wondered whether Savage Steve Holland (Better Off Dead, How I Got Into College, etc.) could ever have become some kind of nutball auteur, throwing in his bits of animated lunacy along with his quasi-surreal comedy storylines. But the truth is that by the time his movies get to the third act, anything truly "savage" goes out the window. This sunny comedy starts well, with "Hoops" (John Cusack), a high school grad who dreams of getting a basketball scholarship, even though he's a lousy shot. His real talent is animated cartoons, and we occasionally see stories of a luckless, loveless rhino taunted by cute bunnies. On the verge of a dull summer job, he opts instead to join his friend George (Joel Murray, Bill's little brother) in Nantucket. On the ferry, he meets a sexy, hippie singer, Cassandra (Demi Moore -- who sings a truly awful song called "Don't Look Back"). Goofy things happen for a while until Hoops and his pals decide to take on some rich bastards by competing in a boat race. Some of the early imagery -- one of my favorites is the dead Christmas tree strapped to the roof of George's car -- seems to suggest that anything is possible in this "crazy" universe, but the wrap-up is just so aggravatingly bland. 1980s regulars Curtis Armstrong and Bobcat Goldthwait are among the supporting cast, and Kimberly Foster plays the cute blonde who tries to seduce Hoops away from his singer. Honeymoon Suite performs the forgotten end credits song, "What Does It Take."