The Guilty Pleasures: “Point Break”
For years, people have told you that you should be embarrassed for liking particular movies. They might question your taste in film because you couldn’t stop giggling at Encino Man. You appreciate many of the best movies of 1988, but you’re confused when Beaches isn’t listed in the top 20. You go to the theaters and get a ticket for Black Swan, when in reality you really wanted to see Green Hornet. Should you hide these skeletons away to the recesses of your closet to save yourself from ridicule?
No! I am sick and tired of people being embarrassed for liking silly movies. Everyone has their guilty pleasures. Take those skeletons out of the closet and enjoy them. I am here to take a stand. I want everyone to admit to themselves one guilty pleasure movie they have. Come on now, don’t be shy. It’s okay. The sheep in Hollywood aren’t going to ban you from seeing The King’s Speech or The Social Network just because you enjoyed Miley Cyrus in the The Last Song.
If nobody will go first, I’ll step up to the plate and admit that I have tons of guilty pleasures. But let’s start with #15 on my Flickchart:
Point Break was released in theaters in 1991, starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. When this movie arrived, you had two stars at the crossroads of their careers. Reeves was just beginning to generate some buzz and slowly becoming a household name, while Patrick Swayze was at the top of his game after Dirty Dancing, Road House and Ghost put him on the map. But after Point Break, Swayze fell from the spotlight while Reeve’s star shone brighter.
Reeves plays Johnny Utah, a washed up football star who ends up joining the FBI. Johnny Utah teams up with Pappas, played by Gary Busey, as they attempt to take down the Ex-Presidents, a bank robbing gang that have been terrorizing the coast for years. Patrick Swayze plays Utah’s friend Bodhi who also helps Utah in his quest to stop the Ex-Presidents. Also starring Tom Sizemore, Lori Petty and John C. McGinley, Point Break put Reeves on the action star map.
But what makes Point Break such a guilty pleasure for me? I know I shouldn’t like it. Between Reeves’s acting, laughable dialogue and some over the top action scenes, this movie shouldn’t be in my top twenty. But you know what? It works for me. The fast pacing makes the movie fun to watch. The bank robbing scenes are shot extremely well and are guaranteed to get you jacked up.
Point Break vs. Terminator 2
Terminator 2 was a colossal hit in 1991 as it destroyed the box office. This movie cemented Arnold Schwarzenegger as the biggest action star in the world. Terminator 2 also had one of the best directors ever, James Cameron, calling the shots. On the other side, you have Kathryn Bigelow leading the Point Break charge. The same Kathryn Bigelow who ended up divorcing James Cameron the same year. Before she became a legend by directing The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow directed Point Break – and that’s the best part of Point Break. She made a movie that would fall apart in most directors’ hands into an entertaining popcorn flick.
Point Break vs. Silence of the Lambs
Silence of the Lambs won the Oscar for Best Picture, introducing Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling onto the list of some of the most memorable characters ever in a motion picture. Lambs dominated the Oscars winning five awards including Best Director for Jonathan Demme, Best Actor for Anthony Hopkins, and Best Actress for Jodie Foster. Sure, Point Break wasn’t nominated for any Oscars, but Reeves did win an MTV Movie Award for “Most Desirable Male” over his co-star Patrick Swayze. Dr. Lecter didn’t even get a nomination, so chalk up a point for Point Break!
Point Break vs. Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey
After Point Break was released, Reeves’s next movie was Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey. When Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure was a surprise hit, you knew it was only a matter of time before a sequel would be released. After seeing Bogus Journey, I wish that it never saw the light of day. Lucky for Reeves, he still had a good year with Point Break. Sadly for Alex Winter, his career never really took off.
I am happy that I can finally admit that I love Point Break. This movie sucks me in every time it’s on. For some reason, it was on the Golf Channel last weekend and I ended up watching it twice in a row. Now, go ahead and make fun of me for liking Point Break. But before you do that, at least have the guts to admit some guilty pleasure movies you enjoy. I have plenty of other skeletons in my closet that I can’t wait to discuss.
I am right there with you Michael. I have many guilty pleasures. While Point Break isn’t necessarily one of them, I see where you’re coming from. Army of Darkness, Johnny Mnemonic and, more recently, Repo Men are some of my favorites.
Each one has some redeeming quality. Army of Darkness for Bruce Campbell’s charm and Sam Raimi’s direction, Johnny Mnemonic for the concept and “interesting” one liners, and Repo Men for its interesting concept and for keeping me entertained throughout the entire flick.
I love this. Point Break is actually one of those movies I can’t believe I’ve never seen.
John: Johnny Mnemonic? Oh, dear lord… ;)
(And I’m sorry; this type of post should be immune to bashing!)
Three things. Firstly, I’m happy to see “Guilty Pleasures” become a recurring feature! I touched on the topic in an early post (http://blogrp.flickchart.com/index.php/guilty-pleasures/#more-1117) but never thought about exploring it further.
Secondly, I had to laugh at your introductory paragraph because last night we went to the theater and saw The Green Hornet (which will likely find itself the subject of an entry in this series one day!), but my cousin and I agreed that next week we want to go see Black Swan, which neither of us has gone to see yet.
Lastly, despite the strength of the case you make here, I think Hot Fuzz is the best defense of Point Break. ;)
Travis,
It’s funny you mention your intro as I had an intro written. But then Nathan reminded me of the one you wrote a year back and the piece you wrote is perfect. You wrote about Grandma’s Boy which is one of my favorite flicks that not many people have seen.
How was Green Hornet? I know I will see it soon enough as I am a sucker for guility pleasures and I could see myself falling for it.
I love in Hot Fuzz how many times they bring up Point Break. I need to rewatch Hot Fuzz one of these days.
The Green Hornet has traditionally had a problem finding the right tone since its radio days. The 1960s TV show was played a little too straight, for instance. I’m still convinced that the entire reason that they made Observe and Report was to prepare us for accepting Seth Rogen as the Hornet in this movie. Most of it works, but there are an awful lot of abrupt jumps, like there’s a good 20 minutes of deleted scenes waiting to be seen on Blu-ray. It’s definitely a “just go with it” kind of action movie. I think it’d make a nice companion piece to, say, Pineapple Express or the aforementioned Observe and Report.
Back on topic, though, I haven’t seen Point Break in years. I remember laughing last year when everyone was fawning over Kathryn Bigelow over The Hurt Locker, as though she’d never made this movie. It’s always fun watching people have to reconcile movies like this with the hyperbolic praise they want to heap on someone once they turn in “serious” work.