FANDANGO: Blu-ray (Warner Bros./Amblin, 1985) Warner Archive

I will make a gritty little confession here. I am not a fan of Fandango, director, Kevin Reynold’s 1985 coming-of-age farce with a serious underlay, derived from his previous USC film school ‘student movie’, Proof - itself, a crude parody of Greek life at his alma mater, Baylor University. As Reynold’s father was the president of Baylor, Reynolds, instead cast his aspersions about youthful decadence and folly upon the University of Texas. And yet, what is here just seems disingenuous to most collectively-shared experiences from college – the crass frat house kegger that kicks off our extended ‘road trip’ and marks the epitaph or last hurrah before the sobering realities of adulthood set in, is much more the penitent homage to 1978’s Animal House.  And, at age 30, Fandango’s, Kevin Costner, in his first role of ‘distinction’, is far too old to convince as the wayward/drunken realist, Gardner Barnes.  Never having seen ‘Proof’, I cannot imagine what about it could have so impressed Steven Spielberg, enough to launch his necessary funding of Reynolds to more fully explore its themes with this major studio release. While Costner already had The Gunrunner in the can, the picture – shot in 1983, did not surface theatrically until 1989. So, for all intent and purposes, Fandango is Costner’s ‘coming out party’. He is at least truthful – if not youthful – in the role, serving as an anchoring force for the rest of the cast, who periodically dangle and cling to the gospel according to Gardner Barnes with far too much investment than the character demands.

Our story begins at a Texas U frat party in 1971. Gardner Barnes throws darts at a picture of himself and his ex-girlfriend, Debbie (Suzy Amis) before going downstairs to rejoin the revelers. Gardner is a member of the Groovers, a disjointed troop of horndogs to also include Kenneth Waggener (Sam Robards), whose engagement has recently derailed, and, ROTC geek, Phil Hicks (Judd Nelson) – the conservative of the group, whose ultra-conservative parents (Jane A. Johnston and Stanley Grover) arrive just in time to witness alumni, Lester (Brian Cesak) pass out from strong drink. Indeed, Lester will remain unconscious for most of this movie. Mum and dad are also introduced to the ox-like seminary student, Dorman (Chuck Bush) – a relatively gentle giant. Kenneth announces that, as his student deferment has expired, he will likely be drafted into the Vietnam War, hardly a revelation to Gardner, who received his notice weeks earlier. As their last hurrah the Groovers elect to take Phil’s vintage Cadillac on a road trip, with the intent to visit a notorious roadhouse, then ‘dig up’ someone - or something - called ‘Dom’ near the Rio Grande. Alas, the boys are ill-equipped for their journey. With little money, and even less brains, they manage to run out of gas on a desolate stretch of rattlesnake infested highway. Gardner comes up with a whopper of an idea to hitch their front bumper to an oncoming train, hopefully to drag them to the nearest truck stop. Predictably, all does not go as planned. Dorman successfully lassos the train. But its speed does little more than to separate the entire front fender and grill from the car. Whoops!  With no alternatives, the Groovers push the emasculated Caddy to a seedy little garage in a nearby backwater, picking up two townies, Judy (Elizabeth Daily) and Lorna (Robyn Rose) in the process. The girls take the boys to a cemetery managed my Judy’s dad, for a midnight romp. Think paintball with fireworks. Alas, during their carefree desecration of these tombs, Gardner and Kenneth come upon the grave of a newly deceased Vietnam solider.  Is there a headstone in their very near futures?

Next, the boys make a pilgrimage to Marfa, visiting the rickety scaffolding, once the formidable estate of Bick Benedict, that fictional Texan played by Rock Hudson in 1956’s Giant. As with their previous excursion to the cemetery, this one reeks with the pall of death and decay. The following morning, the boys collect Phil’s car from the garage. Alas, it has been repaired with a front end of a different make and model. Outraged, Phil demands they turn around and go home. But Gardner now cruelly confesses the only reason they let Phil hang with them is out of pity. Accepting any challenge, the Groovers make to prove his mettle, Phil gets conned into getting a ‘free lesson’ with a skydiving instructor, Truman Sparks (Marvin J. McIntyre). As fate would have it, Truman’s laundry gets confused for the parachute. Phil leaps from the plane, but is spared certain death by opening his emergency chute instead – a photo-op that earns him a modicum of respect from his cohorts. Regrettably, the first length of their sojourn is as thwarted when the Groovers come upon the charred remains of the roadhouse. Arriving at the Rio Grande, the boys dig up ‘Dom’ – a magnum of Dom Pérignon Gardner uses to toast their freedom. Incredibly crestfallen, Kenneth deeply regrets having ended his engagement to Debbie. So, Gardner, in his one philanthropic gesture, hires Truman to fly in Debbie from Dallas, setting up a quaint spot for their nuptials. Phil offers his car as a gift to the happy couple. It’s the end of the road – literally, as Lester departs the Groovers to hitch a ride to ‘anywhere’ while Phil and Dorman bid each other a hearty farewell. From his perch, atop a nearby cliff overlooking the reception, Gardner raises a solitary beer as his parting tribute to their friendship. They will likely not see each other again.

Fandango has a few poignant moments – just not enough to recommend it. I wouldn’t say the picture’s cult status is well-deserved either. In fact, much of what is here plays directly to the definition of the picture’s namesake, Fandango… ‘a foolish act’. Costner’s Gardner is waaaay too long in the tooth to be believed as the Groover’s most irresponsible member, plotting an escape to Mexico to avoid the draft, but also, in a weird, desert-set/kite-flying flashback, grappling with memories of the fabulously endowed, blonde minx (also Suzy Amis) he left behind. Refreshing here to see Judd Nelson as the traditionalist nerd, the veritable antithesis of his ‘Bender’ from The Breakfast Club (made and released this same year) – and proof positive of his finely wrought skills as a formidable chameleon of the screen. Reynold’s direction is fairly competent, if transparently constructed around 4 centralized vignettes (the failed bumper hitch, cemetery fireworks, near-fatal jumper stunt, and finally, Waggener’s wedding) between which the most threadbare of connective tissue gets us from points ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘D’. Given its undeniable cult status in more recent times, curiously, Reynolds has somewhat disowned Fandango, claiming to have said everything that needed to be in the actual movie. But the boys here are broad-brushed immoral and bored, stunted adolescents on the cusp of manhood they are thoroughly unprepared to embrace. The picture’s modus operandi is strictly a tale of sobering defeat – with immaturity, inevitably sacrificed. As a basic premise, this works. But there really isn’t a whole lot of narrative meat to be gleaned upon repeat viewing, not even a few moldy potatoes to sink into, especially once Fandango’s bargain buffet sampler has been tasted.

Fandango arrives on Blu-ray via the Warner Archive (WAC). It’s a soft-ish looking 1080p transfer, likely owing more to the movie’s anemic budget and Thomas Del Ruth’s shoot-on-the-fly cinematography. This is described as a new 2K remaster and, while colors are definitely more refined, and age-related artifacts gone, contrast is weaker than anticipated. Blacks are never truly black and whites, during day scenes, lack the sparkle and clarity one generally associates. Film grain is thick, though accurately reproduced. Fandango’s audio has its own issues. The picture was released theatrically in matrixed Dolby Stereo and sported a deep bass, with exceptional ambience. For the DVD release, the movie received a 5.1 ‘upgrade’ that, unfortunately, and for reasons only known to its sound mixers, completely lacked the theatrical sonic resonance. WAC’s new-to-Blu promised much in the way of a restored 2.0 DTS Dolby mix. But instead, it ports over the aforementioned 5.1 in DTS without improving upon the immersive theatrical blend. So, it still sounds unremarkable and very thin.  Save a theatrical trailer, there are NO extras. Bottom line: Fandango is a middling effort that tanked at the box office. On a $7 million budget, it barely earned $91,666! Mercifully, Costner’s career survived this misfire. WAC’s Blu-ray rates about as much fanfare. For those who love this movie, this is the best it has ever looked on home video. Others may choose to pass and not feel they have been deprived of a near-religious/coming of age experience. Judge and buy accordingly.

FILM RATING (out of 5 – 5 being the best)

2

VIDEO/AUDIO

3.5

EXTRAS

0