Midnight Madness
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: David Damas, David Naughton, Debra Clinger, Michael J. Fox, Stephen FurstDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Running Time: 112 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-05-15
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Movie Reviews of Midnight Madness
Movie Review: One of my favorite movies
Summary: 5 Stars
Any time I sit down to watch this movie, I am always reminded of the first time that I saw it. It was 1986, I was in the Army, stationed at Fort Devens during my AIT, and not having a television of my own, I was in the communal television room watching HBO with some of the other guys. We were sitting around watching television that day when Midnight Madness came on, and from the very beginning, I was hooked. As I said, at that time I didn't have a television or a vcr of my own, but still, I went out and bought a blank tape, and the next time Midnight Madness was on, I recorded myself a copy on the vcr in the communal room until I did get my own. I still have that copy of the movie, and now I'm the proud owner of my own copy of it on dvd. For me, just hearing the opening strands of the Midnight Madness song at the beginning of the movie, and seeing the two cute girls rollerskating are enough to bring a smile to my face. I think back to that first time that I saw the movie, and I have to sit down and watch it all over again. The basic premise of the movie is this: the two girls you see at the beginning of the movie are delivering five invitations inviting five decidedly different people to compete in a game, called "the greal allnighter". Once the five captains have accepted the invitation and formed teams, they scour the city, solving clues, leading them from one location to the next, guiding them towards a final goal, whichever team arriving there first being the winner. Of course there are many subplots involved in this: backstabbing amongst the teams, romance brewing, family strife, and other things.Watching the five teams trying to figure out the clues is all a good part of the fun, and the main charm behind the movie, as well as the interaction among the individual members of the teams, and the teams themselves. Adam's team is the most clean cut of them all, being the only team who doesn't really cheat, and the one that I root for, but Harold's team is the most entertaining. Harold, played by Stephen Furst, is a fat slob whose father bullies him into playing the game because he's found out that Adam is playing it. Harold's team consists of a gang of misfits, who cheat at every turn, and cause Adam's team all kinds of problems, but it's hilarious to see it all played out.
Wesley, played by the original ubernerd Eddie Deezen, leads one of the other teams, and it's good fun to see his squad of nerds riding around on their mopeds, hamming it up. The last two teams, the jock team, led by Lavitas, and the all girl team, lead by Donna, are probably the least interesting of all of them, but three teams really wouldn't have been enough, so they serve their purpose.
I'm not sure why I really like this movie so much, it's not all that original, but still, it never fails to bring a smile to my face, and after all, what more is a movie supposed to do but entertain us. From the music, through the clothing, to the tour of the Pabst Blue Ribbon beer plant, I just love everything about this movie. It was only ever the second movie I had come across that I could watch over a dozen times without getting bored of seeing it. So, I highly recommend this movie, and if you haven't seen it yet, why not? Hurry out and rent or buy this movie for yourself, you won't regret it.
FYI, just in case you happened to be wondering what the first move was that I was able to watch over a dozen times without getting bored of it, I have just four words for you: "Grease" is the word.
Summary of Midnight Madness
Nothing dates a movie quite as much as a roller-skating blonde in white shorts and a tube top. Midnight Madness opens with exactly that and quickly follows with a scene in which a student counselor reassures a romantically nervous freshman with the line, "Flynch, you could be a real Burt Reynolds, I know you could." Ah, nostalgia. Made on the cusp of the '80s, after Animal House but before Porky's, Disney's college comedy gained a considerable following, thanks to countless screenings on HBO during the Reagan administration. Like all the best cult movies, it's awful, but compelling nonetheless. This is a film in which all the nerds look alike, the jocks have names such as Armpit, and you get to see fat twins shake their abundant disco booties. The plot revolves around an all-night scavenger hunt, with five teams of competing students racing around Los Angeles solving clues and getting into all sorts of amusing scrapes, including a visit to the Pabst brewery that will have you humming ancient advertising songs for days. David Naughton, who went on to star in An American Werewolf in London, is our hero, but the real fun comes from Stephen Furst as the mean and chubby rich kid and the legendary über-nerd Eddie Deezen as Wesley. Michael J. Fox makes his film debut as Naughton's troubled but feisty kid brother, and the eagle-eyed viewer may even spot Paul Reubens in a tiny role. Being a Disney film that was released before Porky's made shower scenes an integral part of campus comedies, this is a curiously innocent movie--just watch how long it takes the teams to decipher the clue, "Look between the two giant melons." Nevertheless, Midnight Madness is 112 minutes of undemanding, cheesy fun for anyone who remembers the last days of disco. It makes Animal House look like Chekhov, but watch it with a group of friends, and perhaps a little Pabst Blue Ribbon, and you'll have a hoot. --Simon Leake
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