Starring
Mark Hamill, Annie Potts, Eugene Roche, Kim Milford, Richard
McKenzie, Danny Bonaduce, Brion James, Dick Miller. Directed by
Matthew Robbins. (1978/104 min).
ON
BLU-RAY FROM
Review
by Mr. Paws😼
My
wife ventured into the room while I was reviewing this film, which I
hadn’t seen since it played at the Southgate Quad way back in 1978.
Upon noticing a very young Mark Hamill in the starring role, she sat
and watched, chuckling at its antiquity, silly plot and Hamill’s
goofy performance. Half-defending the film and half showing off, I
occasionally provided context of the era in which it was
released, to know real avail. She later concluded Corvette Summer
was one of the dumbest movies she’d ever seen.
Really,
Francie? You obviously haven’t seen Eat My Dust, have you?
That’s
what I get for marrying an 80s’ girl weened on Dirty Dancing
and Footloose. What she didn’t understand was movies like Corvette Summer were the Footlooses of the ‘70s:
amiable, teen-centric fluff just rebellious enough to appeal to kids
who’ve outgrown Walt Disney. Instead of dancing their troubles
away, some of these ancient anti-heroes stuck it to the man by
putting the pedal to the metal.
 |
| One too many midichlorians. |
These
movies weren’t meant to challenge the intellect or stand the test
of time; they were made to relieve kids of their paper-route
earnings. As such, Corvette Summer did its job just fine. A
chief reason this particular film stood out – however briefly –
among the plethora of motorporn permeating suburban multiplexes was
the presence of Hamill in his first post-Star Wars role. At
the time, it was assumed he’d be that film’s break-out star. That
never happened, of course, but despite my wife’s cheeky assessment,
it certainly wasn’t because of Corvette Summer.
Considering
Hamill
still looked like a socially awkward teenager at the time, Corvette
Summer was actually
the perfect vehicle for him
(no pun intended). As car-obsessed Ken Dantley, he’s earnest,
likable and often
very funny. More importantly,
he’s more-or-less
convincing as a clueless high-schooler trying to recover the stolen
Corvette he customized for a senior project. Not that the movie
itself is an exercise in realism. In some ways, it’s every bit the
preteen boys’ fantasy that Star Wars
was. Only this time, our
underdog hero gets
the girl (a
perky young
Annie Potts) and she doesn’t
later turn out to be his sister.
My
wife was right about one thing. Corvette Summer
is a supremely silly film and undoubtedly a product of a bygone era,
but that’s part of its charm for viewers of a certain age. While
it’ll never be mistaken for a masterpiece, revisiting
the movie 40 years later was one of the more enjoyably nostalgic
experiences I’ve had in a long time.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
TRAILER
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS.
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