birth.movies.death. june 2014 issue 12

BIRTH.MOVIES.DEATH. / APRIL 2014

HOLY LETTER FROM THE EDITOR!

CONTENTS

THE MOVIES

WHAT MAKES A DUO DYNAMIC?

An Entirely Too Literal Examination of the Friendship Between Bill and Ted

BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID: Not A Bromance, But A Romance

Henry and INDIANA JONES: Like Crusading Father, Like Crusading Son

Lord & Miller: The Directing Duo Behind 22 JUMP STREETs Best Friends

drafthouse.com badassdigest.com birthmoviesdeath.com drafthousefilms.com fantasticfest.com mondotees.com

Editor-in-ChiefDevin Faraci Managing EditorMeredith Borders Associate PublisherHenri Mazza Art DirectorJoseph A. Ziemba Graphic DesignersStephen Sosa, Zach Short Copy EditorGeorge Bragdon Contributing WritersMeredith Borders, Mandy Curtis, Devin Faraci, Sara Freeman, Greg MacLennan, Henri Mazza, Evan Saathoff, Noah Segan Public Relations InquiriesBrandy Fons | [email protected] All content 2013 Alamo Drafthouse

We Ride Together, We Die Together: Bad Boys for Life

The Indefinable West And Fields In MY LITTLE CHICKADEE

Brothers Gotta Hug: David Spade And Chris Farley In TOMMY BOY

For the full cinema schedule go to drafthouse.com or ifc.com

DYNAMIC DUOS MONTH AT

SUNDAY NIGHTS

June Is

And On TV

DEvIN FARACIBadass Digest Editor in Chief

@devincf

Read more at badassdigest.com

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You cant always go it alone. Sometimes you need a buddy at your side to pick you up when you fall and keep you grounded when you get too full of yourself. A pal, a sidekick, a partner. A Robin to your Batman.

This month 22 JUMP STREET reunites partners Jenko and Schmidt on the big screen, and that inspired us to examine some of our favorite on-screen dynamic duos. Well, except for THE Dynamic Duo. That was maybe a bit too on the nose for us.

This issue you can read about the special love shared by Butch and Sundance. You can join an argument about whether or not E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL is actually a buddy movie. You can look back at the unique pairing of Mae West

and W.C. Fields in MY LITTLE CHICKADEE. Or perhaps you want to find out how shit got real in BAD BOYS II, or go in-depth into the father/son dynamics of INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE. You might also visit the Circle K, because were spending some time analyzing the friendship of Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Ted Theodore Logan.

Whichever article catches your fancy, dont keep it to yourself! Share it with a pal! Take a copy of this very magazine and send it to a friend who doesnt have an Alamo Drafthouse nearby. Or direct them to BadassDigest.com, where well be discussing these articles with the best buddies of all, strangers on the internet. 6

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BAD BOYS IIDir. Michael Bay, 2003, R, 147 min

There are the Michael Bay detractors out there, and then there are the people who know what they are talking about. BAD BOYS II is what happens when an amazing '90s director has lost his way, then decides he needs to find his footing in a major capacity. And just how does one do that? You recruit the likes of Big Willie Style and Martin "I Like It When You Call Me Big Momma" Lawrence and rekindle the magical fire of the buddy cop movie you once made, but turning the INSANE DESTRUCTO meter to 11. You will see every dollar of this films budget completely destroyed on screen; you will see guns blazing, cameras swinging and lizards exploding. This is Michael Bays CITIZEN KANE and it demands your attention.

IF you can find a more exciting event than this, you are probably signed up to be set on fire before jumping out of a plane and diving into a pool full of cocaine. And by all means, if you are doing that, then I understand if you miss this event, but if your excuse is ANYTHING ELSE... you are a fool.

We ride together, we die together. Bad boys for life. (Greg MacLennan)

DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS Dir. Frank Oz, 1988, PG, 110 min

"I've got culture coming out of my ass."

Beaumont sur Mer is a tranquil little town along the French Mediterranean coast where Michael Caine's con man Lawrence preys on the kindness of women to afford himself quite the elaborate lifestyle. That is until small-time grifter Freddie (Steve Martin) rolls through the place and forces Lawrence to share the secrets of his high-class ways. What follows is an out-con the con back and forth that's both intelligent and absolutely idiotic at the same time.

This is vintage Steve Martin at his best, swinging from one-liners to pratfalls at the drop of a hat

(ZING!) and Michael Caine is like a white British Will Smith for me. I'd watch this man act in pretty much anything because he goes down like a warm comforting glass of milk before bedtime, and his comedic talents have gone severely underappreciated over the years. But we can't just exhibit this magnificent film on the big screen, OH NO!! We must partake in absolute decadence -- and that's where Alamo Beverage Director Bill Norris comes in. He will be designing custom cocktails for the show themed with the movie. Try one and have a good time, or bask in the opulent glory of them all and make a friend drive you home. SERIOUSLY, trust Bill Norris, this is a man who has mixed things I hate into concoctions I still dream of. (Greg MacLennan)

E.T. THE EXTRATERRESTRIALDir: Steven Spielberg, 1982, PG, 115 min

There are a handful of precious, important films that have undeniably shaped countless childhoods. Steven Spielbergs childlike view of an alien encounter is one of them. E.T. THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL has already touched the heart of generations of young moviegoers and its just over three decades old.

We all know the story: Elliot, a lonely kid living in suburban California, whose room is chock full of the toys he plays with to cope with his lack of actual friends, comes across a shy alien in his backyard. At first both are scared, but soon Elliot recognizes the creatures gentle nature and befriends him. Quickly the two develop a strong bond of friendship and Elliot decides to hide the alien, whom he calls E.T., from his mother.

One of the most imaginative, heartfelt, unpretentious science fiction films ever made, E.T. makes the bold choice of telling a direct story in a simple way. Screenwriter Melissa Mathison uses restraint in her narrative that gives the film such a direct emotional impact and Spielberg, who famously decided to shoot almost every shot at the level of a child, embraces her gentle approach. And then theres John Williams

Inspired by Jenko and Schmidt in 22 JUMP STREET, the Alamo Drafthouse presents a month of pals, partners, sidekicks and the most dynamic of duos we could find in film. For tickets, showtimes, formats, and a full list of titles, visit drafthouse.com.

Screening In June At The Alamo Drafthouse

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beyond classic score and Henry Thomas iconic lead performance. And E.T. himself: brought to life by a practical combination of ingenuity and technology.

While most sci-fi films since its release have been bogged down by CGI, E.T. remains a brilliant example that all the computer wizardry in the world means nothing if you dont connect on an emotional level. E.T. will always live in the hearts of moviegoers, both young and old, because it makes us care -- and care deeply. (R.J. LaForce)

BILL AND TEDS EXCELLENT ADvENTURE Dir. Stephen Herek, 1989, PG, 90 min

History is about to be rewritten by two guys who can't spell...

Two lobotomized friends kidnap historical luminaries for the worlds most epic phone booth stuffing!

Bill S. Preston, Esq. (Alex Winter) and Ted Theodore Logan (that other guy) are seniors on the verge of failing history. Their only hope is to deliver an impressive final report on how people from the past would view the world today. Their success is also the only hope for the citizens of the future, who rely on the music of Bill and Teds band Wyld Stallyns to fuel their idyllic society. Thats why Rufus (George Carlin) is sent back in time to help the guys pass history and keep the band together. Using Rufus phone booth time machine, the boys assemble a dream team of historical figures to speak at their presentation.

BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE is a masterpiece of 80s Hollywood insanity that went on to spawn one of the most triumphant sequels of all! Its gonna be like every wild night from EVERY century EVERALL at ONCE! ZZANG!!! (Zack Carlson & Greg MacLennan)

INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE Dir. Steven Spielberg, 1989, PG-13, 127 min

The man with the hat is back. And this time, he's bringing his dad.

If you learned anything from RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, it's that Nazis are bad dudes, and, after a pulse-pounding prologue that gives us a compressed YOUNG ADVENTURES OF INDIANA JONES, they are right back at it. This time, our swastika-wearing baddies are after the famed cup of Christ, and it's up to Indy and his dad to save the day.When Indy's father goes mysteriously missing, a rich art collector puts our whip-snapping, fedora-wearing hero on the case. Following in his father's

footsteps, Indy reveals a sinister plot and must save his father from a Nazi kidnapping while avoiding the tempestuous allure of an extremely blue-eyed, blond-haired lady.

This movie is pure action-adventure and will have your heart skipping several beats as Indy and his dad trot the globe and narrowly avoid death at every turn as they leap from tanks to planes to impossible battles before coming face-to-face with one of the most powerful legends in human history. When it comes to absolute excitement in a movie theater this summer... please choose wisely. (Greg MacLennan)

MY LITTLE CHICKADEE Dir. Edward F. Cline, 1940, Approved, 83 min

In one of the greatest pairings in comedy history, cranky, drunken misanthrope W.C. Fields meets his match in the sassy Mae West. These two comedic forces collide in a rampage of Old West hijinks and outrageous double-entendres. This is the sort of timeless pleasure that exists for one reason only... to make people happy.

Mae West is Flower Belle Lee, a self-reliant woman who is abducted by the mysterious Masked Bandit during a stagecoach holdup. After an illicit night spent with the bandit, Flower Belle is run out of town and sent to Greasewood City where she can become "married and respectable." She meets flimflam man Cuthbert J. Twillie (Fields) on the train and immediately falls in love with his money. Many elaborate set pieces and plot twists later, Flower Belle is knee deep in men and Twillie's on the gallows. "I'd like to see Paris before I die," he laments. "Philadelphia will do!"

West superbly delivers her sexual burlesque humor full of double-entendres, swagger and wisecracks; while Fields masterfully runs through his arsenal of witty ad libs and drunken scam artist routines. Apart from some unforgivable racism against Native Americans, this movie is true fun.

The script is credited to Mae West and W.C. Fields, though it almost all comes from West. Despite a contentious personal relationship, Fields agrees that West captured his character better than perhaps any other writer. The film's at its funniest when the two leads are set free to do their schtick. "If a thing is worth having, it's worth cheating for!" (Tommy Swenson)

ROMY AND MICHELES HIGH SCHOOL REUNIONDir. David Mirkin, 1997, R, 92 min

ROMY AND MICHELE'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION pretty much ruined my own ten year

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reunion. Sure, I laughed with old friends, waxed nostalgic about old times and made fun of the cheerleaders who've had the same hair since 1997, but did I make a grand re-entrance in a shiny mini dress with "Venus" pumping in the background? No. Did I tell off the A Group, get complimented by a fashion editor at Vogue and then perform an incredible dance number with a millionaire to "Time After Time"? NO I DID NOT. Did I then leave in a helicopter while the entire high school class waved me good-bye to the beat of "Heaven Is a Place on Earth"? UM, ONLY IN MY SWEET, SWEET DREAMS.

In addition to teaching me that I really need to request more '80s music at the next reunion, Romy and Michele showed me the importance of being myself. (And also, that it's a really bad idea to pretend you invented Post-It notes.) To show these fabulous ladies the appreciation they deserve, Girlie Night is partnering up with the Action Pack to give you the full quote-along experience, complete with props like Gummi Bears (for your diet) and subtitles for all of your favorite lines. Make sure to wear your shiniest outfit, and come ready to bust out those interpretive dancing skills as we cheer on a duo so dynamic, they managed to take their own yearbook photo together. (Sarah Pitre)

TOMMY BOYDir: Peter Segal, PG-13, 1995, 97 min

It's been almost twenty years since Chris Farley passed away, and yet I find myself still quoting him on an almost daily basis. Whether I'm opening my fridge ("You could put a six pack of b... soda in here") or reaching for a dinner roll ("You're naughty!"), the spirit of Chris Farley remains alive and well in my vernacular. Sure, I've seen other comedies since TOMMY BOY was first released in 1995, but none of them have managed to oust the words of Tommy Callahan Jr., adorably idiotic man child, from the top of my vocabulary. And then there's the deliciously deadpan wit of David Spade, who plays Richard, Tommy's coworker and reluctant babysitter. If mockery is a science, then Richard's jibes at Tommy ("Did I catch a niner in there? Were you calling from a walkie talkie?") should have earned him the Nobel Prize. Together, Spade and Farley made up one of the most hilarious duos in the history of cinema, and we'll celebrate them at this special Action Pack screening by quoting along with all of our favorite lines, i.e. basically the entire movie. Join us for a night of cow tipping, maniac dancing and deer that aren't quite dead. And fat guys, don't forget your little coats! (Sarah Pitre)

WAYNES WORLDDir: Penelope Spheeris, 1992, PG-13, 94 min

"It's Wayne's World! It's Wayne's World! PARTY TIME! ...EXCELLENT!"

You'll laugh, you'll cry... you'll hurl. You know the story -- two slacker friends have a local cable access show that gets picked up for professional broadcast and things get awesome.... NOT! Wayne falls for the majorly babelicious bass-playing Tia Carrere, while the slimy Rob Lowe tries to steal her away. Meanwhile, Garth sha-wings his way into the arms of a truly Foxy Lady, and then there are all sorts of different endings!

At this special Action Pack Quote-Along presentation of the film, we're going to have Wayne's World hats available for everyone, plus Red Vines just like the kind Wayne and Garth eat from in the car, and tiny paper cups just in case you need to spew! We'll have subtitles on screen along with the movie so you can quote all of your favorite lines out loud in time with the film, and of course we'll also have titles to help you sing-along to "Bohemian Rhapsody" and all of the other amazing music in the movie. You'll have so much fun you'll think you're not worthy, so Party On! (Henri Mazza)

BILL AND TEDS BOGUS JOURNEYDir. Peter Hewitt, 1991, PG, 93 min

Once... they made history. Now... they are history.

With the time-space continuum conquered, Bill S. Preston, Esq. (Alex Winter) and Ted "Theodore" Logan (Keanu Reeves) will take on death incarnate and even Satan himself when the evil De Nomolos decides to travel back in time to erase the most righteous duo in the history of the world in this rampaging ruckus of aliens, evil Easter bunnies, good robot usses... and non-good robot usses!

Its a radically mangulating excursion through the myriad impossibilities of 20th Century comedy and arguably the greatest sequel to any film ever. So get your excellently huge Martian butts over to the Alamo and prepare yourself for excellence. BANGARANG! (Greg MacLennan) 6

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BIRTH.MOVIES.DEATH. / NOVEMBER 2013


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DEvIN FARACIBadass Digest Editor in Chief


@devincf

WHAT MAKES A DUO DYNAMIC?

HENRI:

Yo D,Am I the only one that doesn't understand how we're supposed to come up with content for BMD's June issue that talks about E.T.? The theme for that issue is "Dynamic Duos" and there isn't really a duo in that movie, you know?

I mean, yeah, there's Elliott and E.T., but they don't go on some rollicking adventure together like Bill and Ted or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid or the Bosom Buddies. They just kind of hang out and like each other, until its time for E.T. to leave.

Im thinking this is gonna be tough. Thoughts?

DEVIN:

Huh. I never thought about Elliott and E.T. as anything but a duo. They're definitely on an adventure together, even if it's largely E.T.'s adventure. And Elliott learns and grows along the way, coming to terms with a lot of the personal stuff that's bothering him as he learns to say goodbye to his buddy.

Maybe that's what's holding you up -- I don't think a Dynamic Duo has to be forever. This isn't marriage, and even Batman has gone through a bunch of Robins in his time. A lot of the best duos -- Martin and Lewis, Abbott and Costello, Kramer and Kramer -- eventually go their separate ways. Maybe Butch and Sundance died together, but John McClane and Zeus Carver bid each other adieu at the end of DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE. And you would probably accept those guys as a duo, right?

H: Yeah, it's not about marriage at all. It's about two people teaming up together to have a mutual adventure.

John McClane and Zeus team up and fight Simon Gruber together. But I wouldn't think of them as a duo if Zeus just hid in McClane's closet eating Reese's Pieces, then got kidnapped by government agents

wielding some high-powered walkie-talkies, then just got on a spaceship and said, "Laters!"

And it doesn't matter which Robin is hanging out with Batman, they both work together to fight the Joker. Yeah, sometimes that means the Joker kills Robin, and then Batman needs to find a new underage boy to hang out with, but each one still makes that team a duo.Actually that's the exact word for it, and what's missing from Elliott and E.T. -- team. A team is a group of people working together toward a common goal. The Avengers team up to fight Loki. The Knicks team up to fight some other group of guys who play basketball. You can have five friends on a basketball court hanging out, but if they aren't all united and working together to move the ball into the same basket they're not a team.

Okay, yes, those guys could be a team that's practicing together, but then they're still working for a goal that's just a little further out, so let's not go down that rabbit hole.

But I think it's that issue of teamwork that I'm hung up on. To me, a duo is a team of two people.

E.T. and Elliott help each other out, but they're each there helping the other in separate ways, and working toward different goals. Elliott helps E.T. phone home, and E.T. helps Elliott learn about himself and grow up or something. They act as agents of change, and they have a great relationship, but a dynamic duo? Nah. E.T. is more of a super-powered pet than anything else.Toto may come along for Dorothys adventure in Oz, but the two of them arent really a dynamic duo.

D: I see where you're coming from, which makes it doubly sad that you're so wrong.

See, E.T. and Elliott work together more closely than any of those other duos. No team works as closelyas Elliott and E.T. do. They don't just support one another, they don't just help each other out on their different journeys -- they actually share a psychic

HENRI MAzzABirth.Movies.Death. Associate Publisher

@henrimazza

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connection that puts them so closely together that when E.T. drinks, Elliott gets drunk. Elliott has his first kiss because E.T. is watching THE QUIET MAN!

But it's even deeper than that. The connection is so strong the two begin to die in tandem. E.T. and Elliott sicken together, and it isn't until their link is severed that Elliott can pull through. But Elliott still sticks with his friend and helps him; throughout the movie E.T. has been helping Elliott deal with his family problems, but at the end the ball -- to use that metaphor -- is in Elliott's court, and he has to get E.T. to the rendezvous spot so he can go home.

The best duos aren't working toward some specific goal or plan, they're there for each other. And that's what Elliott and E.T. are doing -- supporting one another. But even better than that, I love that the film realizes duos can't be forever. Elliott and E.T. need to be apart to continue their growth (and survival). It's a touchingly adult view of the way people come into our lives and touch us before moving on. That's the ultimate goal they were working towards, even if they didn't know it.

H: They're working together toward the common goal of no longer working together? Your argument makes no sense on this one, buddy.

And I want to know who these other "best duos" are who aren't working toward some specific goal or plan, because I bet they're all just "great friends." Great friends are great, too, and to be clear I do love me some E.T.! But a film about a dynamic duo? I'm still not sure.

Because being there for each other, being connected, sharing a bond and loving each other in spite of your differences or the multiple galaxies between your home worlds... none of those things can make two beings into a dynamic duo. That term was coined by the narrator on the BATMAN TV show, yeah? I'm just assuming that's the case, and maybe I'm way off on that, but if it is then that has to provide some framework for defining the term and setting it apart from "buddies."

If you're not working together toward a common goal you at least need to be two friends whose names are always said together, because you're almost interchangeable with each other.

Here are some of the most dynamic duos ever:Batman and RobinBill and TedButch Cassidy and the Sundance KidBonnie and ClydeLaverne and ShirleyThelma and Louise

You know something else they all have in common? BOTH OF THEIR NAMES ARE IN THE TITLE OF THEIR MOVIES. That doesn't always mean it's a movie featuring a dynamic duo, but it's a good step in the right direction.

We're talking about the film E.T.: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, not E.T. & ELLIOTT.

MAC AND ME got that right, I guess, so that makes MAC AND ME a real duo, but E.T. and Elliott? They're just co-dependent best friends who hang out a little bit.

Of course, MAC AND ME is terrible, and E.T. is wonderful, and I love that it creates a more realistic type of relationship and everything you had to say about the way people come into our lives and then we continue to move on. That's everything that's beautiful and amazing about life and movies and art and the world. But a dynamic duo? Nope.

D: I came very close to throwing in the towel here. I almost bowed before your rhetoric. But then I started thinking about your point on titles. Yeah, many of the great duos have both their names in the title of their movie. And then I realized why the characters are named what they are, why E.T. was chosen as the name for the little alien:

Elliott is in E.T. E(lliot)T. Those names weren't accidents and they reflect that each character is an integral part of each other. That means calling it ELLIOTT & E.T. would have been incredibly redundant, and separating the two with an ampersand would have downplayed what a truly dynamic duo they are.

Also, it's worth noting that at least half of the duos you mention as superior to E.T. and Elliott led each other to their deaths (more than half if we're counting my LAVERNE & SHIRLEY non-canon fanfic), so perhaps it's time for you to re-examine what you're looking for in a partnership.

H: Okay, okay, fine. Ill concede the point that E.T. and Elliott are a duo. But only if we can use this entire back and forth as an excuse to get you to post your LAVERNE & SHIRLEY fanfic on Badass Digest later this month, because Ive always wanted to know how they were going to die. 6


An Entirely Too Literal Examination of the Friendship Between Bill and Ted


EvAN SAATHOFFBadass Digest News Editor

@sam_strange


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It's no wonder Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Ted "Theodore" Logan make such great pals. They have nothing but openness and enthusiasm for everyone they meet. But even more than that, they are almost the exact same -- to borrow their terminology -- dude.

We can imagine Wayne and Garth going their separate ways. Cheech and Chong have personalities that are distinct enough that solo adventures also do not seem like much of a stretch. Even Beavis and Butthead have their own characteristics. But separate Bill from Ted and their characters lose all definition. Not since Bob and Doug McKenzie have two parts of a duo depended so heavily on one another for entertainment value.

But Bob and Doug were brothers. What's Bill and Ted's story? How does their relationship function? Are there any particular traits we can attribute more to one than the other? How does the mysterious and fickle Missy... I mean Mom fit into all of this? Such queries provide the aim for this completely superfluous and boneheaded academic exploration.

In a figurative sense, Bill and Ted appear to share the same brain. Naturally, it is not possible for two separate humans to share the same brain organ. But one can be forgiven for using the phrase here as it seems true in all but the most physical sense. Bill and Ted do not

dress identically. They did not arrive from the same genetic pool (Or do they? -- foolheaded speculation to come). And yet they display near identical personalities including an overabundance of altruism, underdeveloped learning abilities and shared cultural priorities. Most famously, they possess a remarkable ability to intuit each other's thoughts and speak in unison without apparent preparation. Even more bizarre, they are capable of emitting harmonious guitar phrases from their hands merely by wiggling their fingers at the same time.

Bill and Ted come from different households, raised by fathers with very different parenting styles. Bill's dad seems intellectual and easygoing, but also less interested in Bill's affairs. Ted's dad rules with an iron-fisted discipline. Tellingly, neither Ted nor Bill has a mother in his life. Perhaps their similarities come from having the same mother. This conjecture may sound farfetched, but we do witness their fathers swapping Bill and Teds former classmate, Missy, from one film to the next, so the theory does contain some precedence. Assuming they had the same mother and noting her absence whether by death or abandonment, we begin to understand the complexity and emotional importance of Bill and Ted's unity, especially in the face of such lacking domestic male role models.


But they were not always together. And some things do separate them. For instance, Ted has a little brother, Deacon, whose social life appears quite typical compared to Ted's. When the duo experience their own personal Hells in BILL AND TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY, they share one (military school) but suffer their next in solitude. Bill flashes back to his scary grandmother's birthday kiss, while Ted deals with guilt (manifested in a maniacal Easter Bunny) over stealing candy from Deacon. The experiences which shaped who they are were not shared.

Furthermore, careful viewers will note some distinctions in Bill and Ted's personalities. In EXCELLENT ADVENTURE, we find Bill much more cautious in general than Ted (though Ted does seem to take over this trait somewhat in BOGUS JOURNEY). EXCELLENT ADVENTURE also establishes Ted as the duo's expert when it comes to ladies.

But beyond that, we find very little difference in the two men. However they grew up, they have no hesitation living together as adults. And even when it comes to outside domestic affairs, they appear unified, as seen when Bill and Ted propose to the Medieval Babes in privacy yet give almost identical speeches, both of which end with "Will you marry us?"

This extreme unity goes even further than that. Throughout their adventures and journeys, we see multiple forms of Bill and Ted -- evil robot form, good robot form and future form. All display the same level of equality. Note that when Bill and Ted meet their future selves in EXCELLENT ADVENTURE, they become more like quadruplets than a pair of twins. Interestingly, the series' only actual set of twins, the extraterrestrial scientist, Station, can merge its two haves into a greater whole when necessary. Bill and Ted do not have this power. They instead expand outward, remaking the world in their image through the power of music, extreme positivity and strangely large vocabularies.

But I am not certain they are friends. Their pathological dependency on one another suggests something far less voluntary. To see what true friendship looks like in the Bill and Ted universe, look no further than the bromance which blossoms between Billy the Kid and Socrates, two abducted travelers who could not be more different and yet manage to find harmony with each other. Perhaps they represent the first manifestation of the way that proximity to Bill and Ted's abnormally close relationship makes friends of us all. 6

BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID: Not A Bromance, But A RomanceNOAH SEGANBadass Digest Contributor


@kidblue

I fucking love you, man, he said, pale blue eyes glistening in the hot Bolivian sun. Butch reached over and pushed the shaggy blonde bangs from his partners forehead. The Sundance Kid wistfully sighed, his grin curling the bottom of his mustache, and leaned in to finally requite one of cinemas greatest romances.

With a dearth of available fan fiction, This Author had to improvise.

Flickering home movies. Fingers tapping keys with a simple tune, note-by-note. Bucolic family

memories. Wholesome. American. Director George Roy Hill introduces us to BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID in a sepia-toned character study, as if were watching an antique, a comfortable patina. We seem to be a little short on brotherly love around here, says Butch as he sidles up next to The Kid in those first few minutes. Hes come to his partners rescue, with a simple statement that reflects the entire ethos of the flick. While much is made of the duos rapport, their snappy one-liners, William Goldmans screenplay, also known as The Best Script Ever, Butch and Sundance have a relationship that is classically familial, a marriage.

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Those romantic, matrimonial values of trust and honesty are the foundation of the outlaws story. We quickly learn that this relationship is special, personal, a one-on-one, exclusive deal. They dont even have faith in their own gang, who also recognize (in their dimwitted way) that theyre feckless, no competition for Butch and The Kids partnership. As the two escape the posse hunting them, it cant be a coincidence that they end up on a single horse, the fruition of Conrad Halls consistent and deliberate two-shots in his Oscar-winning lensing. Theyre not just a couple -- theyre an example of surpassing the clichd codependence of the Real World and genuinely progressing. Theyre moving, escaping, evolving in their little microcosm. Most importantly, theyre doing it together. Their relationship is healthy in that its built on mutual respect and camaraderie, even if it is eventually a little more than a little self-destructive. Thats not their fault; its the damn square world that wont accept them robbing banks and shooting people. They learn about one another, their real names, that The Kid is from New Jersey, and they are surprised. They dont just love one another, theyre in love with one another, maintaining the constant and consistent fascination and awe that we all want to feel, that even the most jaded of us know is True Love.

Well, bros, when you are genuinely in love, youll go anywhere with your mate, including a small South American country at the turn of the last century. Sure, youll take the chick that darns your darn socks, but yall are sharing her anyways. Not that shes truly holding a candle to your expectations, which your boy is surely meeting. When The Kid says, I'm not picky. As long as she's smart, pretty, and sweet, and gentle, and tender, and refined, and lovely, and carefree, what hes really saying is, Nobody can come close to you, Butch. Nobody. When things get a little too heavy down South, your gal-pal can jam, no hard feelings, rather unceremoniously. Youll just continue to kick it with your man. Sure, the relationship is tragic, but only because we all want to see it work out. If we thought these two were just a couple criminals jerking themselves off, thatd be an entirely different film. Itd probably be popular, too. To acknowledge that their relationship is devoid of sex is to marginalize it, but to use the term bromance is also pejorative. To call Butch and Sundance a bromance is to ignore the truth that some things are more important than sex. When you find any of those, please let me know. For better or worse, its the physically intimate relationship with Etta that has the least value and weight of all the major associations in the film.

As far as buddy movies go, Butch and The Kid dont fall into many of the traps thatve been set. They dont hate each other or have diametric opposition, conflicts

depended on by films like 48 HOURS and LETHAL WEAPON. They dont rail on major social norms, as in THELMA & LOUISE and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. Unlike other films in the genre, we never question the health of their relationship, the positive influence they have on one another or their mutual support. Theyd be simply lost without one another, as opposed to eschewing love for self-preservation. Spoiler alert: Thats why even through that end hail of bullets, the frame freezes, as if we could simply not fathom the plucky and ingenious way the duo is getting out of this one. Its as if the filmmakers are telling us that even theyre not cool or talented or skilled enough to figure out where this awesome couple goes next. To show their actual demise would be telling the audience that love itself is dead.

Like most great films, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID offers an aspirational fantasy for us. The audience places themselves in the flick, in those iconic, handsome roles. Of course, wed all like to be that beautiful, that good-bad-but-aint-evil, that lucky. But none of those things could affect us as profoundly as this kind of bond, this brand of loyalty and love. The true attraction we have to them is their true love. Thats the magic, just as it is in reality. Mixed up in the wit and the adventure is a relationship that is purely unadulterated and encouraging. When we quip and quote, when we pow-pow with our fingers and tip our hats, what we are truly saying is, I want a guy like that. 6


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Henry and INDIANA JONES: Like Crusading Father, Like Crusading Son

Ask pretty much any psychologist* and theyll tell you: Conflict is vital to any good relationship. When you hear about couples who dont fight, at least every now and then, your automatic reaction should be to throw them a bit of side-eye. Couples who say they dont fight are either lying to themselves or aliens. (Although I suppose they could be both...)

The power of conflict in relationships doesnt just apply to significant others, however; it can also apply to parents and children. But unlike conflict in, say, a marriage, fights in familial relationships often stem from the fact that the parent and child are too similar for anyones good -- especially each others.

Take the father-son duo of Henry Walton Jones Sr. and Henry Walton Indiana Jones Jr. As the stars of INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE, Henry and Indy are the ultimate in dysfunctional relatives, in part because theyre practically the same man.

But thats what makes them so freaking fantastic.

When the movie starts, Henry is nothing but a voice and a diary. Hes not literally on film, but hes already a major player. When he finally, physically, shows up -- 45 minutes into the movie -- its like a hole has been filled. Indy (who is, of course, a commanding presence in his own right) is suddenly humbled. His immediate reaction to his fathers hitting him on the head with a vase after mistaking him for a Nazi is a cowed Yes, sir. In this moment, Indy is a 13-year-old boy again, being forced to pause and count to twenty in Greek.

Its quite apparent, from the initial scenes with Young Indy at the start of the movie, that Henrys not the most attentive of fathers. It can be assumed that he pretty much always put his studies, particularly his search for the Holy Grail, before Indy, and he often

treated Indy more like a student than a son. When Indy comments on Henrys epic search for the Grail, Henry calls it a race against evil; Indy responds, This is an obsession, Dad! But Henrys obsessive tendencies have obviously been passed down to his son; the whole beginning of THE LAST CRUSADE and Indys decades-long quest to bring the Cross of Coronado to a museum is proof of that.

As the two make their way out of Castle Brunwald, and the bickering escalates, the similarities between father and son become more and more apparent, culminating in the fact that they even have the same taste in questionable women. (Side note: As I was quite young the first time I watched this movie, I dont think I quite understood the level of ick factor involved in both Henry and Indy having slept with Elsa Schneider but boy, do I ever now.)

Other things they have in common: Profession -- Henry is a professor of medieval

literature; Indy is a professor of archeology. Hatred of the Nazis -- Naturally. Fear of vermin -- Henrys not a fan of rats; Indy

hates snakes. Stubbornness -- There are too many examples of

this to point out just one. Ingenuity -- Indys always finding his way out

of predicaments by the seat of his pants; Henry squirts ink into a Nazis eyes while fighting his way out of the tank.

A penchant for hats -- Indy wears a fedora; Henry prefers a somewhat more old-fashioned trilby.

But above all -- and yeah, it sounds totally schmaltzy, but bear with me -- they share love. Henry and Indy might fight, incessantly, but their loyalty runs deep and true. Who does Henry mail his journal to when hes worried that it will fall into the wrong hands? Indy. As

MANDY CURTISForever Young Adult Contributor


@mandyannecurtis

soon as Indy hears that his father is missing, he sets off on an adventure thats sure to be fraught with danger, but he does so without question.

When Henry thinks Indy has fallen to his death in the tank battle with the Nazis, Henry is distraught. Oh God, Ive lost him, he says. And Ive never told him anything. And when Henrys shot in the entrance of the temple, Indy finds the inspiration to risk life and limb and brave unknown booby traps to bring him a drink from the Grail. Henry and Indy are two of a kind and though, on the surface, it seems they cant stand being in the same room together for more than a few minutes, the idea of one existing without the other is unthinkable.

*On second thought, just take my word for it. 6

Lord & Miller: The Directing Duo Behind 22 JUMP STREET's Best Friends

Its fitting that Phil Lord and Chris Miller are taking 21 JUMP STREET duo Schmidt and Jenko to college in the sequel (22 JUMP STREET, natch), because thats where the directing team first met. As students at Dartmouth, Lord and Miller found a mutual understanding in lighting peoples hair on fire.

We had a mutual friend who said, I know someone just as crazy as you are, and introduced us, and we became friends, Miller told Dartbeat, the daily blog for Dartmouth students. The moment we really became friends was when I lived upstairs from Phils freshman year girlfriend, and I was playing a game called, Lets see how close we can get a lighter to Heathers hair without her noticing while she was playing Tetris on her computer. I won and her hair caught on fire, and then Phil was upset because her hair smelled bad, and so then we became friends.

Besides lighting Lords girlfriends hair on fire, Miller also convinced his friend to take an animation class with him. The animated shorts they made at Dartmouth -- MAN BITES BREAKFAST for Lord and SLEAZY GOES TO FRANCE for Miller -- made some small splashes on the festival circuit. The two decided that they wanted to get into the entertainment industry, and that they would support each other -- but they didnt intend to be a team. It was Disney that brought them together by accident. They flew out to LA together to take meetings at the studio and the person who set up the meeting thought they were coming in as a team. And so they became one.

Everybody now knows Lord and Miller from their movie work, but they first got serious attention with their animated show CLONE HIGH. After a few years at Disney developing cartoons and writing for sitcoms, they birthed a show that would define a lot of their weird, anarchist style. CLONE HIGH is set in a high school run by a shadowy government organization, and the students are all clones of famous historical figures. The show ran on MTV for a season until a hunger strike put an end to it.

See, one of the clones on the show was Gandhi, and when some people in India found out about how the teen clone of Gandhi behaved on the show they got very, very angry. They were very upset that he wore an earring and ate junk food and went to parties, Miller told Grantland in an interview earlier this year. So 150 politicians and Gandhis grandson sat in a hunger strike at the MTV India offices, right when the head of Viacom, Tom Freston, was visiting, and he was trapped in the building. And they basically threatened that theyd revoke MTVs broadcasting license in India if they didnt take the show off the air. And then the show went off the air. So I guess not any publicity is good publicity.

The next big step in their career came in 2006, when they pitched Sony a big screen animated adaptation of the classic kids book CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS. And it was all going well until they were fired from the project. Sony brought on new directors, but after a few months they were also fired. And in an almost unprecedented move, Sony brought back Lord and Miller.

This was not a very well managed movie, Lord joked at a TED Talk in 2012. But that poor management paid off, as CLOUDY was an enormous hit. A decade after graduating, the team had made it big. And they immediately zigged. Their follow-up to the smash-hit childrens film was to be a foul-mouthed, R-rated adaptation of the 1980s teen TV show 21 JUMP STREET.

And then that was a hit. The mainstream now saw what CLONE HIGH fans had known for years: Lord and Miller are the real deal, and they have a knack for taking what should be a bad idea -- a kids book without a good plot! A movie adaptation of a cheesy TV show! -- and making it terrific. Which is why when it was announced they would be making a movie based on LEGO toys nobody batted an eye. With any other directors THE LEGO MOVIE would be a joke. With Lord and Miller it ended up being one of the best films of the year.

Lord summed up their approach in an interview with Badass Digest: Our goal is always to do the smart version of the movie, to be more clever than people are expecting.

This month theyre trying to be more clever than youre expecting with a sequel. In the past our expectations were easy to subvert because they were low, but with 22 JUMP STREET the hilarious original film sets our expectations very high. Lord and Miller understand whats at the heart of the first movie, though, and theyre certain to bring it back for the sequel. Talking to ScreenRant, Chris Miller explained how Jenko and Schmidt ultimately reflect Lord and Miller:

[What inspired 21 JUMP STREET was] our own buddy relationship where we have a professional relationship and a friendship and theres conflict but we really care about each other. 6


We Ride Together, We Die Together: Bad Boys for LifeGREG MACLENNANAlamo Drafthouse Film Programmer/Lead Video Editor


@alamogreg


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Now, this is a story all about howTheir lives got flipped-turned upside downAnd I'd like to take a minuteJust sit still, youI'll tell you how it all became the best movie, BAD BOYS II

Once upon a time there was a stand-up comedian named Martin Lawrence. Hed done a couple of HOUSE PARTY movies and even made it big with his own TV show, but, when it came to making that big screen leap, the spotlight had always eluded him. Until BAD BOYS, Martin Lawrence was just kind of that funny guy from that thing.

Enter Will Smith, who had made some big waves in supporting roles, like SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION, and managed to blow up his own profile with the cultural phenomenon that was THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR. But he, too, had yet to take his on-screen charisma to that next level.

BAD BOYS was originally intended to star Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz. (Let that live inside your mind for a moment.) But when the script was passed around to the hands of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, who wanted a young, hip video director by the name of Michael Bay to direct it, EVERYTHING CHANGED.

After initial tests proved Lovitz and Carvey were definitely not the right bad boys for the job, Michael Everything Bigger is Better Bay threw all of that out the window of a speeding Porsche... that exploded into gigantic fireballs. At this point, Lawrence became attached, namely due to his success with his TV show, and the producers approached Arsenio Hall to star alongside him. Once Hall passed, Bay knew he had to find a leading man. And, the thing about Michael Bay is, he can make a leading man out of just about anyone given they have a certain level of character and charisma. Think about it; Nicolas Cage and Ben Affleck were just charming actors with little to no action experience and, for better or worse, after starring in a Michael Bay movie they went on to have a good 10 more years in the genre. Bay had seen star potential in Will Smith, and he knew he could make him an action hero.

Bay snatched up Lawrence and Smith and set out to create one of the best action films of the 90s. Bay himself wasnt a fan of the script and frequently collaborated with his two leads to improvise scenes and dialogue. Smith and Lawrence, being of comedic roots, easily embraced the challenge and managed to channel all their personalities into the film. Bay even credits the rise of Smiths superstardom to one moment on the set when they were debating his attire for a gun battle. Bay insisted Smith wear a shirt. Smith insisted he wear it unbuttoned. And the rest is history

Bay knew Lawrence and Smith could be stars, but what he didnt count on was how undeniable their chemistry would be once they were on screen together. Sure BAD BOYS didnt reinvent the wheel when it came to storytelling, but it took that same ol wheel and spun it at 200 mph with the help of a cocksure lone cop and an ever-pessimistic familyman. There was magic in their banter and a playfulness to their action alley-oops that made us know these two needed each other.

In 1995, the movie was released to mixed reviews. But after that slow-standing shot spiraled around our heroes while a glimmer of light danced over their shoulders as SHIT GOT REAL, two new heroes had arrived, and its box office success was all but guaranteed.

Where do you go from there, though? Anyone can rise to the top, but only heroes can rise again. Martin Lawrence would go on to wear many a fat suit and say as many fart jokes as he could as he chased Eddie Murphy down that drain of despair, while Will Smith fully owned his newfound onscreen persona and went on to make movies like INDEPENDENCE DAY, MEN IN BLACK and ENEMY OF THE STATE, carefully balancing his hero status with his endlessly likeable charm.

For years, the world was asking why these two dynamic actors never tapped back into their chemistry that effortlessly flowed off the screen, and, for years, scripts were retooled and schedules were desperately trying to align. Then, just like Halley's Comet, a miracle came back around in 2003, and Bay, Smith and Lawrence were back at it again.

BAD BOYS II, one of the most maligned yet incredible achievements of action cinema to ever grace the silver screen, blasted into theatres and set eyeballs ablaze with its excess. From the opening credits of Michael Bays name appearing alongside a burning cross to an exploding lizard on the beaches of Cuba, Bay knew exactly what critics hated about his first film and what audiences around the globe had always loved: excessive violence, incredible action sequences and two hopelessly charismatic leads taking you on the cinematic journey of a lifetime.

While BAD BOYS II could be debated among film fans for years, the drawing power of Smith and Lawrence cannot. These men are indelible units to one of the greatest on-screen duos of all time. BAD BOYS II more than doubled the gross of the original, and our two heroes now stand tall amongst the legends of Riggs and Murtaugh, Cates and Hammond, Starsky and Hutch, and Tubbs and Crockett.

They are Mike and Marcus, and they ride together, and theyll die together. Theyre bad boys for life. 6

SARA FREEMANThe Vulgar Cinema

@celluloidangel


The Indefinable West And Fields In MY LITTLE CHICKADEE

You cant really define Mae West and W.C. Fields, at least not in the way you can most old movie stars. Its not difficult to explain what makes Cary Grant appealing. Ditto John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe, because they were magnetic, timeless figures of their era. Fields, though he started in and made some wonderful silent dramas and comedies (SALLY OF THE SAWDUST, TILLIES PUNCTURED ROMANCE), wasnt an adorable, hard-luck jokester in pre-talkies like Chaplin, or a debonair quipster like William Powell in sound pictures. West was sexy like Monroe and Jean Harlow before her, but Wests cleverness and control over her presentation set her apart from most other starlets of the time. No, the best way to learn about Fields and West is to study how the duo said their lines and moved their bodies.

Mae West was a minimalist. Before she started making movies, West was in vaudeville and on Broadway. She wrote, produced and directed much of her own material for both the stage and screen. Shortly after releasing her first movie, NIGHT AFTER NIGHT, in 1932, she became the reigning queen of double-entendres and naughty humor. Her first two hits, SHE DONE HIM WRONG and IM NO ANGEL, made her later films a huge target for the infamous Hays Censorship Office and, consequently, also made her the richest woman in America. Because of censorship, West tried to say as much (or imply as much) as she could with the fewest and vaguest words possible. During conversation scenes, her quick, monotone delivery almost sounds like saucy Morse code. Small talk is actually small in the Mae West universe. As curvy as a Coke bottle (rumor has it her enviable shape inspired the product packaging), West maneuvered through her movies like a slow-moving bullet, her skin like a hot iron skillet. She never moves much, aside from batting those wispy eyelashes and occasionally sashaying across the screen, but she had

a way of making her short, voluptuous body take up the entire frame when she did. Cinema was the perfect showcase for all of Wests talents.

Mr. Fields, on the other hand, could never be considered minimal on any level. He was a maximalist. Not unlike the stereotypical drunkard sitting at the bar, Fields could wax poetic all the live-long day. Part Popeye, part J. Wellington Wimpy and part 19th century scallywag, Fields mutters and sputters his lines like a sour, bleating goat. Hes cinemas inebriated, lovable uncle-grandpa. Though Fields was only modestly tall (59) and was neither fit nor fat, he always seems to stick out like a sore thumb in whatever scene hes in. Theres a certain musicality and grace to Fields mumblings and bumblings that make him incredibly funny. Like jazz music, his thoughts and mannerisms (and, hell, even his narrative structures) seem to stray from one random and amazing bit to the next. He was a comedian who always lived in the moment and thrived on absurdity.

Which brings us to MY LITTLE CHICKADEE. In 1940, Universal approached West about starring in a comedy western in order to capitalize on the success of 1939s DESTRY RIDES AGAIN with James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich. She signed on, wrote the screenplay, and Fields came aboard shortly thereafter. The movie is an awkward little oater, but compulsively watchable. The strange combination of Fields barely intelligible delivery mixed with Mae Wests striking precision makes the entire affair feel jagged and surreal. West stars as Flower Belle Lee, a loose woman of low morals who falls for a local thief called the Masked Bandit (Joseph Calleia) after he raids her stagecoach (zing!). She gets kicked out of town because of her, you know, loose morals, and marries Fields Cuthbert J. Twillie under the false impression that he could be


her sugar daddy. I want readers to quickly visualize Fields with the words Sugar Daddy over his head. This plot point is almost immediately discarded after their alleged marriage, a moment in the film which underscores the inherent meaninglessness of most plot points, but also makes way for the funny as quickly as possible. Fields somehow stumbles his way into becoming the town Sheriff, a title every bit as symbolic as their sham marriage, while West continues to carry on with the Masked Bandit behind his and every other gentlemen callers' backs.

Their distinct comedic voices pull the movie in every manner of direction, never settling on a consistent tone or arc. This is not a weakness of the film, but a strength. Rarely in cinema do we get the opportunity to witness such strange movie stars commingling in a way that doesnt water down their charisma. Instead, MY LITTLE CHICKADEE preserves what makes

the two stars special and gives us the opportunity to watch them together. Fields usually worked with either women who played much older, henpecking female characters (Cora Witherspoon in THE BANK DICK) or kind young ladies (Gloria Jean in NEVER GIVE A SUCKER AN EVEN BREAK). He wasnt interested in trying to make his characters look better or more attractive through romancing a beautiful ingnue. He was too secure in his comedic manhood for that. West, on the other hand, was frequently cast alongside very handsome young men (she even made a star out of Cary Grant!) because she was a super sexy dame who was also incredibly confident in all of her abilities. She was definitely all-woman, and more hilarious and admirable for it. Though watching them flirt and canoodle in MY LITTLE CHICKADEE is almost like watching a bulldog try to make it with a French poodle, West and Fields were truly a pair to remember. So, why dont you go out and see it sometime? 6


TABLE OF CONTENTS


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Brothers Gotta Hug: David Spade And Chris Farley In TOMMY BOYMEREDITH BORDERSBadass Digest Managing Editor


@xymarla


The first moment we see a chubby 12-year-old Tommy Boy (Chris Farley) slamming into a glass door, we know this kids going to need a friend.

See, Tommys all heart (and stomach). Hes brainless, sure, but more to the point, hes guileless. He navigates life with an easy, open nature, and it leaves him vulnerable to conmen and tricksters, like his new step-mom Beverly (Bo Derek) and step-brother Paul (Rob Lowe), who are only joining his family in order to swindle his dad Big Tom (Brian Dennehy) and waltz off with his money. Big Toms death clears the way for their scam, leaving only the endlessly trusting Tommy to stand between Beverly and Paul and their big payoff. Tommy may be surrounded by people who love him -- its hard not to love the big lug -- but he doesnt have a lot of people looking out for him.

Enter Richard (David Spade), who has the opposite problem. Richards got smarts to share, but hes not very likeable. A potential customer might put it best when he says, Youre a smug, unhappy little man, and you treat people like they were idiots. Richards great at looking out for number one, because he has to be -- no one else is going to do it.

It should come as no surprise, then, that Richard and Tommy make a hell of a team. Together, they make one perfect salesman: knowhow and charisma, experience and exuberance. When Big Toms business, Callahan Auto Parts, is on the chopping block and only a nation-wide sales spree will save the day, neither Tommy nor Richard could have rescued the company -- and the entire town relying on its success -- alone. But as Richards poor Belvedere GTX grows increasingly battered on their cross-country road trip, Tommy and Richard turn into an incredible sales team and somewhere along the road, they become friends.

What works so well about the comedic pairing of Farley and Spade? Theres the obvious odd couple dynamic: Spades biting cynicism paired with Farleys senseless sweetness, his fastidiousness matched with Farleys chaos and his tiny build next to Farleys boulder of a body. But I think the answer is simpler: the two were friends in real life, and the love they have for each other colors each scene, giving their exchanges weight and resonance. Spade discussed TOMMY BOY in an interview to PLAYBOY, saying, It's the most proud I've been of anything, and people want to talk about it all the time. It hit on all levels. It was basically about me and Chris being friends.

One of the most famous gags in TOMMY BOY is lifted directly from their friendship: that of Chris Farley wearing Spades jacket and singing Fat guy in a little coat. Its the kind of joke that lasts -- people will quote this bit until the end of time. Its a dumb little detail that sticks because its real.

On GOOD DAY LIVE, Spade said of his late friend: When we shared an office, he would sit behind me and he didn't write or read, so he would be bored. He'd stand behind me and go, 'David, turn around.' I'd go, 'Dude, I'm busy.' He goes, 'Come on.' I'd go, 'If this is fat guy in a little coat, it's not funny. It's played out.' He goes, 'It's not. It's a whole different thing I got going.' Then he'd have my Levi jacket on and go, 'Fat guy in a little coat! Don't you give up on it!

Its the sort of pointless, weird interchange shared only by the very best of friends -- or siblings. Its what works between Tommy and Richard, what makes their relationship feel real and important, even if its in one of the silliest movies of the 90s, a decade that was rich in silly movies.

When Tommy first hears that he has a new step-brother, hes thrilled. I've always dreamed about having a brother! Tommys been an only child his whole life and he lost his mother when he was young. Hes so excited at the prospect of expanding his tiny family (tiny in number, not in stature), that it doesnt occur to him that Paul might be sort of evil and that he might despise Tommy.

But the thing is, Tommy does have a brother: in Richard. As Richard and Tommy fight (like brothers, it should be noted), Richard says, Youre not your dad I learned everything I know from him. I didnt have a father, and he looked out for me. But you! He was your real dad and you just took it for granted. Richard and Tommy share a dad, and they share a consuming interest in keeping the family business afloat. They may not share DNA, but theyre brothers, all right.

And like brothers, they mock each other and bicker and compete, but they also see something in each other that no one else sees. Tommy sees the fun in Richard, the guy willing to wail along to The Carpenters Superstar, tears running down his face (or to Eres Tu, or Its the End of the World or Come On, Eileen). And he knows Richard -- that smug, unhappy little man who thinks everyones an idiot -- can be a great teacher if hell just give Tommy a shot. You know what, Richard? You dont know me as good as you think you do. I care about stuff. Im getting better at this sales thing. Well, Im not, but I could if you help me.

And Richard eventually does give Tommy a shot, seeing in him what no one else, not Big Toms colleagues or Tommys frat bros, or maybe even Big Tom himself, has ever seen: real talent. When Tommy woos a crotchety waitress into bringing him chicken wings even though the kitchens closed, we see Richards eyes widen. You got the wings cause youre relaxed. You had confidence. And thats what it takes to sell. Confidence. Your dad had that. When Tommy counters that his dad was smart and he isnt, Richard replies, Very true. But


theres two types of smarts: book smarts, which waved bye-bye to you long ago, and theres street-smarts. The ability to read people. And you know how to do that, just like your dad.

And just like that, the moment that Richard begins to believe in Tommy, Tommy becomes the salesman Richard knows he can be. Were treated to a montage of the two making sales, a medley of customers saying yes to mirror the no montage from the beginning of their trip.

By the end of the movie, Richard and Tommy trust each other completely. They rely on one another and theyre inseparable no longer by force but by choice. They fight Beverly and Paul and imaginary bees and Ray Zalinsky, The Auto Parts King who wants to buy their business (Dan Aykroyd); they save the company and save the day. Then Richard tells Tommy,

When we first started out, I just thought youd walk through this like you walked through everything else. But you didnt. So your dad wouldve been proud of you.

And you got a friend out of it. Now, I know it doesnt matter cause you have so many but, wellI dont.

And thats what makes Tommy and Richard such an ineffable team, a duo for the ages. Theyre each precisely what the other needs: brains for Tommys heart, some levity for Richards intellect. But what they both need more than anything, as they grieve the death of the man they both loved, is family, and thats who they become to each other. 6

Blanton Museum of Art / The University of Texas at Austin / Austin, TX 78712 / 512.471.7324 / www.blantonmuseum.org

This exhibition is organized by the Blanton Museum of Art, with support from the Department of Art and Art History, The University of Texas at Austin.

Funding for the exhibition is provided in part by William and Bettye Nowlin.

Left: Moche culture, Peru, 200-800 CE, Stirrup spout bottle of blind figure, ceramic, 8 710 in. high, photo by Mark Menjivar, courtesy Landmarks, The University of Texas at Austin

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