The great River Phoenix stars in the teen comedy A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon. New to Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.
The Films
River Phoenix plays a recent high school graduate who has one night to figure it all out before his future is before him. This is more than one Phoenix movie plot, but it’s not the one you’re thinking of. A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardonis the lighter teen dramadey starring Phoenix as the title character.
Jimmy (Phoenix) is a just-graduated teenager with big dreams of being a poet and writer and having that happily ever after with the one girl (Meredith Sallenger) who hasn’t slept with him. The only problem is that one of his consequences conned him out of $120 (this is the early 1960s) for an abortion she never needed. That money was supposed to be for that happily ever after, and now, with his parents forcing him to go to a business college rather than the liberal arts college he wants, Jimmy has concocted other plans. Mainly following that girl off to Hawaii. If he can put it all together, mainly the $120, in one night, he can have it all. If only Jimmy doesn’t get in the way of Jimmy.
There is a film somewhere in writer/director William Richert’s adaptation of his own novel that’s a complex portrait of a ne’er-do-well teen over the course of a night, realizing the damage he’s doing to those around him. This isn’t that film. This feels like a Ferris Bueller Day off clone set to a doo-wop soundtrack to entice the boomers to a sex romp ala Porky’s. The problem is that the film does not deliver on either of those promises. It does not have the charm of Bueller and the raunch of the latter Bob Clark cult classic. There are complexities that appear but are never fully realized, edited down to the bone, taking the souls out of the entire film.
It is sad to report that Phoenix’s performance never materializes into the verbose characters that his short career showcased. For the entire runtime, there’s a smarminess that permeates all of Jimmy’s actions that feels one-dimensional. The film doubles down on the uneasy feeling with Phoenix’s voice-over narration that seems to attempt to justify his actions. There is never really a realistic turn or moment you believe that Jimmy has found the maturity he says he has.
What makes this all heartbreaking is that every single female performance and performer is wonderful. From the brilliance of Meredith Salenger to Ione Skye to Anne Magnuson, the actors who portray the women in Jimmy’s life are great. So much so, they add to the problem of Jimmy being just an awful human being. No matter how much immaturity plays a role in it. Salenger, Skye, and Magnuson manage in their own ways to hint at or show fully realized women who suffer through Jimmy’s tantrums, speeches, and general awful behavior.
A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon is a missed opportunity made all the more tragic because it stars a generational talent we lost all too soon.
The Transfers
The transfer is a solid presentation of the film. The image is sharp without any artifacts or defects.
The Extras
They include the following;
NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Paul Anthony Nelson and Perri Cummings
Theatrical Trailer
The all-new Audio Commentary by Film Historians Paul Anthony Nelson and Perri Cummings begins with introductions before diving into the film. Some of the details include a discussion of River Phoenix’s career up until this point and how the film is his first starring role after a series of amazing supporting roles; the original voice-over by the director; a history of the Beat Poetry movement, which the character Jimmy is a part of; the career and history of co-star Matthew Perry; the career and history of star River Phoenix; the career of director William Richert including the troubles he had with other films and studios; the career of actor Meredith Salenger; a larger discussion of the post-Rat Pack generation of actors that included all of the actors that appeared in this film; a discussion of the coming of age film of the 1980s, including a discussion of the era they take place in (e.g., the 50s and 60s); the career of actor Ione Skye; a larger discussion of the various teen comedy genres and how this film relates to those genres and also examples of those genres; a discussion of the novel that the film is based on including a lot of the more complex and darker themes and scenes not include the film; a larger discussion of the various actors that appear in the film; a larger discussion of the various below-the-line crew that worked on this film; a larger discussion of the post-production troubles the film had with Fox, who purchases the film from Island; and much more.
River Phoenix fans rejoice, another of the late actor’s films has made its way to Blu-ray. Kino Lorber continues to amass a truly interesting curated label of wide-ranging titles.
Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray Edition of A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon is out March 10th.
The great River Phoenix stars in the teen comedy A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon. New to Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.
The Films
River Phoenix plays a recent high school graduate who has one night to figure it all out before his future is before him. This is more than one Phoenix movie plot, but it’s not the one you’re thinking of. A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardonis the lighter teen dramadey starring Phoenix as the title character.
Jimmy (Phoenix) is a just-graduated teenager with big dreams of being a poet and writer and having that happily ever after with the one girl (Meredith Sallenger) who hasn’t slept with him. The only problem is that one of his consequences conned him out of $120 (this is the early 1960s) for an abortion she never needed. That money was supposed to be for that happily ever after, and now, with his parents forcing him to go to a business college rather than the liberal arts college he wants, Jimmy has concocted other plans. Mainly following that girl off to Hawaii. If he can put it all together, mainly the $120, in one night, he can have it all. If only Jimmy doesn’t get in the way of Jimmy.
There is a film somewhere in writer/director William Richert’s adaptation of his own novel that’s a complex portrait of a ne’er-do-well teen over the course of a night, realizing the damage he’s doing to those around him. This isn’t that film. This feels like a Ferris Bueller Day off clone set to a doo-wop soundtrack to entice the boomers to a sex romp ala Porky’s. The problem is that the film does not deliver on either of those promises. It does not have the charm of Bueller and the raunch of the latter Bob Clark cult classic. There are complexities that appear but are never fully realized, edited down to the bone, taking the souls out of the entire film.
It is sad to report that Phoenix’s performance never materializes into the verbose characters that his short career showcased. For the entire runtime, there’s a smarminess that permeates all of Jimmy’s actions that feels one-dimensional. The film doubles down on the uneasy feeling with Phoenix’s voice-over narration that seems to attempt to justify his actions. There is never really a realistic turn or moment you believe that Jimmy has found the maturity he says he has.
What makes this all heartbreaking is that every single female performance and performer is wonderful. From the brilliance of Meredith Salenger to Ione Skye to Anne Magnuson, the actors who portray the women in Jimmy’s life are great. So much so, they add to the problem of Jimmy being just an awful human being. No matter how much immaturity plays a role in it. Salenger, Skye, and Magnuson manage in their own ways to hint at or show fully realized women who suffer through Jimmy’s tantrums, speeches, and general awful behavior.
A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon is a missed opportunity made all the more tragic because it stars a generational talent we lost all too soon.
The Transfers
The transfer is a solid presentation of the film. The image is sharp without any artifacts or defects.
The Extras
They include the following;
The all-new Audio Commentary by Film Historians Paul Anthony Nelson and Perri Cummings begins with introductions before diving into the film. Some of the details include a discussion of River Phoenix’s career up until this point and how the film is his first starring role after a series of amazing supporting roles; the original voice-over by the director; a history of the Beat Poetry movement, which the character Jimmy is a part of; the career and history of co-star Matthew Perry; the career and history of star River Phoenix; the career of director William Richert including the troubles he had with other films and studios; the career of actor Meredith Salenger; a larger discussion of the post-Rat Pack generation of actors that included all of the actors that appeared in this film; a discussion of the coming of age film of the 1980s, including a discussion of the era they take place in (e.g., the 50s and 60s); the career of actor Ione Skye; a larger discussion of the various teen comedy genres and how this film relates to those genres and also examples of those genres; a discussion of the novel that the film is based on including a lot of the more complex and darker themes and scenes not include the film; a larger discussion of the various actors that appear in the film; a larger discussion of the various below-the-line crew that worked on this film; a larger discussion of the post-production troubles the film had with Fox, who purchases the film from Island; and much more.
Rounding out the special features are trailers for A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1:33); Sneakers (2:54); The Wild Life (2:00); Gotcha! (1:35); The Secret of My Success (2:09); The Allnighter (1:07); Secret Admirer (1:33); Winter Kills(3:20);
The Final Thought
River Phoenix fans rejoice, another of the late actor’s films has made its way to Blu-ray. Kino Lorber continues to amass a truly interesting curated label of wide-ranging titles.
Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray Edition of A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon is out March 10th.
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