In 1997, I remember being 8 years old and when my parents drove me home from school, I always saw this image printed across a wide billboard. It was adjacent to a local car wash that was a mere five minutes from where I lived. I saw it almost every day. Similar things could be said for the Truman Show advertisement (which I have since become fascinated with) that was adjacent to the McDonalds two minutes away in the other direction.
Being an 8 year old, I had no concept of popularity or if this film would actually be worth a damn. I just remember that image greeting me five minutes before I was forced to do homework. In fact, I didn't even see this film until three years ago. At most, Titanic at the time was embodied by Radio Disney (back then AM 710) who played the Oscar-winning theme song, Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" with audio from the film spliced in. If anything, that moment can attribute my desire for alternative audio.
As time went on, I got to know the legacy of Titanic. The billion dollars earned at the box office, the famous James Cameron speech at the Oscars, Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslet's steamy romance. These were the things that eventually lead me to WANT to experience a phenomenon first hand. I wanted to watch a movie reach a billion dollars and become ingrained in the pantheon of popular media. When I got most of that with Avatar, I was upset. Go figure.
So with this week marking the return of Titanic to the big screen (in 3D), I figured that I would take a look back at my experience with nostalgia. Since this film wasn't really one that a bunch of 8 year olds talked about on the playground, this means little to me. However, I just wanted to explore a recent trend, and one that seems to be so blatant this week. Titanic is easily the kingpin of the 'nostalgia' tag, as it is the oldest and most successful of the entries this week.
The other two that I will choose to focus on both have come to the front of news sources everywhere. I'm talking about the return of American Pie series with American Reunion and Will Ferrell announcing Anchorman 2 on Conan this past Wednesday. These two topics will be explored more in depth in this entry and just what I feel it means for the place of media as a creative force.
For some reason, I've always viewed Titanic as this mythic movie that was before my time. Despite being alive, I knew little about the phenomenon besides they somehow made me fall in love with at least one Celine Dion song. Because of the Radio Disney edit, I was also able to familiarize myself with the quotes. "I'll never let go, Jack" comes to mind. I didn't know context. All I had to do was imitate Kate Winslet to get the point across. I also picked up that Britney Spears referenced it in that one song that I heard a lot on the radio. You know... "Oops! I Did It Again."
It was one of those movies that by the time I came to understand what it actually was, it had built the myth around it and was considered one of the great achievements. When I saw it in 2009, all I had was my dinky TV and a distaste for Avatar. I felt underwhelmed to see it be boiled down to just another film. I almost wish I didn't see it so I could still believe the myth.
Somehow since then, I have kind of grown to appreciate director James Cameron as a blockbuster director. It was only last year that I discovered Aliens (very impressive) and the Terminator (mind you, I've seen all except the first before that moment). I understood his legacy and therefore found a new appreciation. It also helped that Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslet also became conceivably good performers in my book.
Yet somehow I didn't know if I was really ready to give the movie my attention when it was announced that it would be released in 3D in April 2012. I didn't exactly have a fond desire to revisit it...
Then the actual trailer arrived.
What was going on? The movie I probably would have never seen again on my dinky TV was suddenly being blasted at me on a big screen before Hugo (in 3D). The familiar dialog popped up and suddenly I found myself just babbling on with it. The passion was there. By the time the song came in, I was just lip syncing it. What was going on? Why was I suddenly being convinced that I wanted to see this movie?
That was the first time I saw it. I would see it many more times since Hugo. Somehow the energy remained and up until now, I've only told one person that it was such a persuasive trailer. Maybe it was too reliant of nostalgia, stating that "You never saw Titanic like THIS" and to relive the experience.
I got the impression after a few times why. I had my own nostalgia. Unlike most people, it wasn't built on actually seeing it on the big screen. It was the belief of the myth that this film was bigger than any of us. I knew that I wouldn't love it, but when I saw those images flash on the big screen, I kind of felt like maybe. Maybe this could be my chance to see what it was like on the big screen. The sound in the trailer, the large images. They immersed me to an embarrassing degree.
The truth is that if I had an option, I would want to see most movies in a dark room full of strangers, reacting naturally. My favorite memories are built around that. I have experienced that nostalgic joy before when I saw Taxi Driver and West Side Story on the big screen in middle-to-packed rooms. These people were enthusiastic and for the most part remain my favorite time watching either of those films.
This is why I have small hope that if I were to ever watch Titanic again, the only way would be on the big screen. I wouldn't buy into the 3D element, though it seems less gimmicky than the previous Avatar rerelease (bare minutes of new footage!) that failed. This is tied into the historical aspect on which the movie is based on.
I cannot speak for anyone else's nostalgia of this, but I believe that any rerelease of credible films is an honorable movement. I don't know about extensive lengths of time, but the work that goes into a Fathom event makes it all the more special: a limited amount of nights to revisit cinema you love in the format it was meant to be shown: the big screen. It needs to immerse you. There are probably 100's of movies I would rewatch again if I could on the big screen. It may get pricey, but I usually leave with a sense of fondness.
Will I see Titanic on the big screen? Odds are not. I am a busy guy and don't have time to slap down money for a three hour movie. However, that doesn't mean I have a faint desire to, if only to try and make me believe the myth I had as an 8 year old.
While not necessarily a rerelease, the title alone suggests that American Reunion is a familiar retread to the characters of the American Pie franchise. Trailers also suggest that this is going to also be a self-referential look back at what made American Pie so great in the first place. The actual pie gag, the webcam, and the book of love that spawned a terrible straight-to-DVD spin-off. For the most part, American Pie remains one of those classic raunchy films that a whole generation adores.
I am a victim of being part of that generation. While I grew out of raunchy comedies as time progressed, I somehow never lost my interest in those first two films. Maybe it was because they were shot in my hometown and I could give you a tour of the various locations. Maybe it was because that there was something there beside having sex with pies. There was a heart somewhere among the sex jokes.
I also suppose that it's because it was one of the first to leave an impression on me. I remember renting it from Blockbuster on VHS when it was first out and sitting through some music videos to get to the actual movie. I even remember renting the sequel and deciding to watch it in halves, stopping when Jim (Jason Biggs) asks Michelle (Allison Hannigan) why she left after they had sex at the end of the first one. For some reason that seemed like a poignant spot to pause. It had little to do with the rest of the plot, so looking back, I feel like an idiot for doing that.
While American Wedding never lived up to the first two, it remains the first movie I saw with fellow American Pie enthusiast (I would easily say he defines enthusiast more than me) Alex Watts of Interwebzicast. I remember being in love with it at the time. Probably off of the basis that I was young and had someone to talk to about it. However, upon reviewing it later, it wasn't the most godawful movie ever, but as my critical eye grew, I can spot why it wasn't as good. However, it should be seen, if just for this:
While I don't watch the movies as much as I used to, I still have a fond place for the first two. They embodied that discovery of rude and crude comedy that was also accessible. I think it also explains why I can't stand Porky's or Revenge of the Nerds. They always felt like another generation's gateway. They never felt like they were speaking to me. I feel that each generation has a raunchy film that introduces them to the crass nature and good luck if the next one gets it. I always felt the one that defined mine was American Pie, if also because the music was also pretty catchy.
There were about four straight-to-DVD spin-offs that followed. You want to know how much I love American Pie? Enough to avoid them and call them bastards from a basket. Those weren't part of the franchise. At best they had Eugene Levy, which wasn't enough to make it worthy of my time. I feel that for those that didn't grow up with those first three movies, they look at the spin-offs and consider them to feature the decline of the American Pie series and makes the upcoming American Reunion really just another bad sequel.
Here's where my nostalgia kicks in. Just like Alex Watts, I am planning on seeing this when it comes out on Friday. I plan to dissect the movie with him. After all, these are characters that I kind of liked and some I haven't seen in 10 years, though in fairness I've seen too much of Eddie Kaye Thomas since I chose to give his TV show Off Centre too much time.
Yet, the reason I feel like maybe this could be a retread is because what's presented in the trailer. It's the familiar gags, and most notably the use of the word 'reunion' in the title. In the trailer, it features gags that fans may recognize from the first film: the tube sock, the sock drawer full of pornography... it's all there. Also, the new jokes feel a little abysmally out of touch. There is a whole segment where they discuss the familiar trope of "Twilight" novels and from a radio ad, it sounds like they're basically saying "Check out a bunch of old people discuss modern pop culture."
My hopes is that the movie is more of a reflection of what the characters have become. To see them basically reprising their 1999 selves seems a little weak. So far it feels like Steven Stifler (Seann William Scott) is the only victim who goes on about how much better high school was. As someone who graduated in 2008, I am desperately trying to avoid getting into that mindset. If that's what this movie becomes, a nostalgic trip down memory lane, I may write this movie off entirely.
Though my intentions of seeing it are themselves nostalgic. I want to see where everything has gone since then. Even though the director's previous effort, A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas leaves me little faith. While not a bad movie, it's lame attempt at making a raunchy Christmas comedy felt a little cheap and the movie itself should have gone straight-to-DVD. It was also very self-referential, talking about Neil Patrick Harris' sexuality and Kal Penn's stint at the White House as fodder for jokes. That is what I worry that American Reunion will become. I don't want to hear Hannigan be reduced to a How I Met Your Mother reference. I want the character that did some weird stuff with a flute.
At most, you could ask why this film deserves to exist. Three films was more than enough. It capped off the story perfectly (high school couple gets married. The end). Do we need a reunion? Might as well make a movie about filing taxes. This movie, while has the possibility of doing these characters justice, doesn't feel necessary and at most a cash grab to make money off of familiar faces. Also, it doesn't hurt that very few of these people have had a hit since American Wedding. When was the last time Jason Biggs or Mena Suvari could draw a crowd? Point proven.
As far as nostalgia goes, this feels like a big offender, though not without a decent gimmick. Let's just hope it pulls together some integrity and make the spin-offs feel nonexistent to a generation that mistook them for actual American Pie movies.
The final piece of nostalgia I wish to share with everyone is the recent announcement that Anchorman will finally get a sequel. Will Ferrell went on Conan this past Wednesday and announced it in character. It seemed that the audience was more interested in the fact that Ferrell did it in character as Ron Burgundy. It wasn't necessarily funny, but I think the news trumps the audience's expectations for jokes.
Don't get me wrong. Anchorman may be the Caddyshack of the past 10 years. It was odd, dark, tangential, ridiculous, and easily quotable. The ensemble cast was impressive and you couldn't turn your back without finding another funny line. This was an improv comic masterpiece and it's legacy is reflected in the way that it's lines have stood the test of time. As a journalism student, I spent many of nights in a newsroom and have had the chance to hear almost every line spouted at one point. They just worked so well. Also, don't forget the cameos, which may be some of the best in a comedy.
Despite the fact that I will defend Anchorman as one of the greats, I do feel that maybe it's too ingrained in our culture and is over quoted. I don't tire of them that much, but it marked that naive point where I trusted Will Ferrell almost entirely. He could do no wrong in my book. I remembered watching him on Saturday Night Live live and while Old School left very little of an impression on me, that streaking scene has become a notorious, memorable moment.
However, I began to realize that maybe the Ferrell that I liked was a gimmick when Step Brothers came out. It was essentially an immature sequel to Anchorman in that it presented a lot of incoherent gags thrown together in a very rude way for comedy. Everyone loved it at the time. I saw it on opening day and I was more fascinated that the co-star was the nurse from Knocked Up, later renamed Adam Scott.
Worst of all, I feel that it's gotten the same treatment as Anchorman. The lines are quoted a lot and I cannot understand why. I saw the movie twice just to clarify and see if I missed anything. No. To this day, I feel like punching anyone who says "Fucking Catalina wine mixer." That isn't a clever line, and if that's all that you got out of Step Brothers, then the movie has more issues than you think.
My opinions on Ferrell continued to shift when he took his George W. Bush character and made that boring You're Welcome, America special. I liked his Bush, but it felt gimmicky at that point. While there is some things worth redeeming in the Other Guys, I am not on board for the return of the director Adam McKay and Ferrell mash-up that brought us Anchorman. What exactly can they bring to these characters that won't feel tarnished from Step Brothers' popularity?
The truth is that Anchorman was lightning in a bottle. They brought together a cast at the right moment and made a surprisingly coherent comedy that was nothing but tangents. These actors have progressed into their own vehicles. While it could be fun to see them work together again, I worry that retreading to Anchorman territory is wrong. It was also a mindset that made it work. People grow older and I don't think it would be interesting to see Ron Burgundy many years on just like it was sad to see Paul Reubens pull out Pee-Wee Herman for Broadway last year. You figured that they would progress.
As far as nostalgia goes, this is along with American Reunion in the question of how necessary this is. It worked the first time (for American Pie, it also worked the second time, though within a briefer time gap) and does anyone really want to see where they go next? Maybe if I still believed that Ferrell could be a promising lead. Maybe. However, with his recent venture Casa de mi Padre, all I can say is that he's ambitious in concept, but not delivery.
What have I figured out about nostalgia from the past week? I think that it's hard to avoid. You have an idea in your head of what something is, and by revisiting it, you can justify your opinion. I know that I am a sucker for some things, but I cannot help but wonder sometimes why. Why must they return to the well and try and make something great twice? Try and impress us with something new. Maybe making a movie about reunions is the spark you need. Don't just tease us by showing us all of the characters hanging out together talking about the first movie. Make something new happen. Either that, or just rerelease the film and you know that I'll be there to immerse my senses in the joy.
Of course, if all else fails, I will have this moment that frequented my childhood.
And this song to accompany it.
Now that's just weird.
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