Welcome back to Waterloo, kiddies. Not all the dorms are air conditioned so I guess you’re SOL if you were hoping to get anything done.
Clearly, this is my first spring term at UW and I’ve heard that it’s rather pleasant and relaxed. To get y’all in the appropriate mood while your non-loo friends are out doing summer things, I offer this humble selection of movies that I feel captures the spirit of springtime for Waterloo, ranging from hopeful to tragic.
Recess: School’s Out! (2001)
The summer after fourth grade, T. J. Detweiller is left behind as his friends abandon him for their respective summer camps. But who else can he turn to after uncovering a conspiracy of unspeakable proportions?
Ahhh. Based on a beloved, self-aware animated show, this should push a few of the nostalgia buttons out there. If Principal Prickly’s speech in defence of summer vacation and childhood doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, then I’m very sorry about the crappy childhood you had.
Nostalgia aside, it’s fairly entertaining its own right, especially compared with recent efforts aimed at children. Anyone enjoy Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked? Didn’t think so.
Eurotrip (2004)
After a nasty breakup with his girlfriend at high school graduation, a dejected Scotty embarks on an epic cross-continent tour of Europe in search of his attractive German pen pal. Of course, it doesn’t go smoothly.
Oddly innocent and good-hearted for a movie about getting laid, Eurotrip never truly descends into sadism and asks us to laugh at the character’s unsalvageable futures. I wish that I had travelled before getting sucked into a five-year, unceasing cycle of school and work, though I doubt it would have spiralled into the giddy set of coincidences, acquaintances, and deus-ex-hooliganism in which Scotty partook. Also, Scotty got a song written about him. Did I? Nope. Not jealous.
Scotty doesn’t know, so don’t tell Scotty!
Adventureland (2009)
Somewhere in 1980’s Pittsburgh, James is a college graduate in Renaissance Studies who has his vacation plans cut short by a lack of funding. He lands a job at the titular amusement park, where nobody ever wins a Big Ass Panda at the games stalls. Unexpectedly, a fragile rapport develops between him and Em, a fellow games operator who doesn’t fit in with the festive atmosphere of Adventureland either. Sparks fly and trouble ensues.
Adventureland is best described as what happens when you can’t afford Eurotrip. It’s quiet, sweet, and quirky. There is no wild European sex. Sudden disasters have no easy solutions.
It’s a pleasant movie, alright? Watch it if you’ve ever spent a summer working in a cruddy job with vapid coworkers, a well-meaning boss, and/or office romance, while your friends regaled you with tales of Europe. So, if this applies to you (curse you, school/co-op streaming!), you’ll feel a little better after watching this movie.
Stand By Me (1986)
Four guys go hiking in search of the body of a boy who was rumoured to have been hit by a train. Unlike most road movies, the adventurers in Stand By Me brave junkyards and leech-infested swamps on foot, because they’re too young to drive.
Stand By Me occurs during the Labour Day weekend of 1959, which is, in many ways, the end of innocence. For one, the fifties were an age of traditional morals and roles. For another, the Labour Day weekend is the one last hoorah before returning to school. Funny as the anecdotes of Lardass the pie eater and Choppy the ball-biting dog may be when recounted by the adult narrator, there is something sad about watching the four boys coming face to face with death, whether it be in the form of an oncoming train, a fresh body, a gun, or just the simple passage of time.
And yes, the Ben E. King song plays over the end credits.
Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)
Spanish. At a wedding, Julio and Tenoch meet a beautiful woman and attempt to impress her with tales of a mythically beautiful beach named Heaven’s Mouth. When she unexpectedly agrees, they go on a road trip to find a beach called Heaven’s Mouth. Hormone levels are high, but so are socioeconomic tensions in Mexico. Tragedy ensues.
Y Tu Mama Tambien translates to “And yo momma too”, which represents the tone of Julio and Tenoch’s friendship. But dammit. It’s a very funny movie if you know Spanish or are okay with subtitles, but not very happy. In it I could see the fleetingness of the university experience, or the estrangement of old friends, the loss of one’s livelihood, and the transience of life. It’s one of my favourite movies.
If that’s too deep for you, then enjoy the subtitled dick jokes and extensive nudity.
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