Fandango (1985)

It seems that someone like Kevin Costner has, by this point, became a name so ubiquitous with movie stardom that you really don't ever feel the need to trace his career journey. He's one of those people you get the impression came out of the womb fully formed as Kevin Costner and someone happened to start filming him at some point in his mesmerisingly handsome life. However, like everyone else on planet earth, Kev also had to toil his way up the proverbial ladder until reaching that crucial moment in all successful people's lives - the big break. 

While Kevin Reynolds' 1985 indie road trip gem, Fandango, can't accurately be described as that, you could possibly describe it as the big break before the big break. Indeed, legend has it that Brian DePalma saw this film and decided to hire Costner for the star-making role of Elliot Ness in 1987s 'The Untouchables'. The rest, as they say, is history. 

Based on director Reynolds' time at Baylor University, Fandango is a low-budget little number about a group of frat boys looking to have one last sojourn before the perils of adulthood take over their souls. Because the film is set in 1971 there is another looming presence throughout the film, and that is the Vietnam War. The prospect of the draft, and the grim reality of that situation, hangs heavy as they try to enjoy their last road trip as carefree youths. 

Although there are technically five lead characters, two of them are almost entirely mute throughout the entire film. One of them perpetually passed out in a drunken stupor, and the other just sort of a big oaf that doesn't do much. Until he does, obviously. So that really leaves us with three characters of any sort of meaning. Judd Nelson plays the token geek of the crew, Phil, and is initially a major weak point of the film. We all get that a good adventure full of bad ideas isn't half as fun unless there is a square on board reminding everyone of the foolhardiness of their choices. That said, after about 45 minutes of relentless whinging, you really start to question a) why these people hang out with him at all and b) why he chooses to hang out with these people. Regardless, Phil is the only one from a well to do background, he's the only one who's avoided the draft (no coincidence I'm sure) and has a personal journey of his own by the end. So it's not all bad.  

The other two, complete with classic American names that also somehow sound like publicly traded law firms - Gardner Barnes (played by Costner) and Kenneth Waggener (Sam Robards) - haven't been so lucky. Costner, being the coolest of the bunch, seems to take the impending draft with ease and panache, although that begins to change the longer the film goes on. Waggener has run out on the love of his life and is seemingly in much more disarray about the whole thing. So already we're seeing that this isn't your average teen sex comedy, there is a lot more going on here. 

In truth, from there not much happens, but in the best way possible. Shot in the endless plains of West Texas, there is an otherworldly feel to their trip. There is not too much in the way of civilization for the boys to encounter so the real journey becomes one of self-discovery than anything else. In that sense you could class this very much as a 'hang-out movie', wherein it's not about a 'plot' per se, but more the evocation of a feeling. By this measure, the film is a big success. Although certainly more stylized than something like 'Y Tu Mama Tambien' (2001) there is a similar easy, natural ambience to the filmmaking and you can very much see the influence of this film in the subsequent years after it's release. You really do get the sense that you are hanging out with these people on this trip and the way it's shot is a lesson in creating a texture of warmth that few films manage to capture. Costner, of course, is Costner so he is a sweepingly dreamy, relentlessly cool, romantic old sod, even though he's probably something like 28 at the time of filming. But where this film really shines is in it's depictions of the personal relationships between the three main leads. As is typical with friendships built on fun and youthful exuberance, there comes a time where the test of 'are these people really my friends or do I just like to get drunk with them?' becomes apparent and this film works it's magic almost exclusively in that zone. You even end up liking Phil by the end, which is something of a miracle. 

If you're at all interested in seeing how Kevin Costner came to be then this film is highly worth the effort. To take it a step further, if you're interested in a lesson in how to make something very simple and very meaningful, then this film should probably be required viewing. It's a soulful, strange and unique film that really creeps up on you by the end - a wee tap on the shoulder that almost whispers 'hey, bro, it's okay if you want to cry'. So crank open a Lone Star, kick your feet up and enjoy those misty-eyed memories of when you too had no responsibilities and your whole life ahead of you. Cheers. 

★★★★☆

JB.