B-MOVIE OF THE MONTH - THE DEATH OF RITCHIE (TV 1977)

Looks like a lot of fun to me, I don't know. Seriously and for those that don't know, The Death Of Ritchie is one of the most iconic TV movies of the entire '70's decade. I was roughly 15 when it aired and i can tell you that both Robby Benson and teens taking drugs were very hot topics at the time. The film is based on a true story where a father who couldn't control his teen's behavior from drug abuse was forced to take the law into his own hands. The father here is good ole Ben Gazzara and he is at his Gazzara best with a ferocious intensity, his scenes with Benson as father and son a perfect chemistry. At the time more emphasis was on Benson as a model but his performance here is really amazing. Streams free on Tubi, Freevee, Roku and Plex, if this was being rated on the standard scale I would give it five stars, 'nuff said. 2.75 stars/2.75

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

TOMMY'S 11th ANNUAL PICK-FIVE GREAT SUMMER MOVIES #2 - LIAM JAMES IS AN AWKWARD TEEN HANGING OUT AT SAM ROCKWELL'S WATER PARK IN "THE WAY WAY BACK" (2013)

 

A gentle easy-going coming-of-age story from the producers of Little Miss Sunshine. Liam James is a misguided teen who doesn't care for his mom's egomaniacal boyfriend (Steve Carrell in an underrated performance, one of my favorites.) Forced to spend the summer in Cape Cod our protagonist finds solace by working at a local water park run by none other than Sam Rockwell. As the summer plays out he advances at the park and finds real friendship in Rockwell and finds love with a next door neighbor's teen daughter (Annasophia Robb) while trying to deal with various dramas in his dysfunctional family. 

Toni Collette is fantastic as usual, she plays the mom and as you would expect with the above-the-line names here the entire cast is superb. Rockwell can do any genre but I've always felt his comedic side (demonstrated so well in his breakout performance in Box Of Moonlight) still remains a little untapped and unmined, he can be a real natural comic. The Water Wizz park location is the main backdrop for everything and it's nice they film so much of it there. Can't say enough about this one plus suitable for the whole darn family....bring your own dysfunction.   3.25 stars/5


The incredible Allison Janney plays the next door neighbor who's recently fallen off the wagon.

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