I'll get this out of the way for further reference. "Rude Awakening" follows two aging hippies hiding out in a jungle after being hunted by the US government in 1969, for dabbling in a few anti-Vietnam war movements. After 20 years hiding out, they accidentally discover a conspiracy to start a war and split the country up. So, basically, the movie attempts to bridge the idea of missing 20 years of current events with a few comedic scenes to set that whole deal up.
There are a lot of movies that work and don't work because of the care and energy put into them. "Rude Awakening" has about as much care as sandpaper grating on a chipping wall, but some of it does work. It's a terrible film - limp, crude, stupid and predictable, but yet, entertaining and strangely charming. It is not worth anything. Its closing credits are dumbfounding, stating that this picture is dedicated to all the planet lovers, after the movie has given us an overlong, hammered message of more or less the same. You know, it's funny. This movie is funny. I don't know why - perhaps it is because it has some truly insane dialogue about modern (1989) problems in our world and also some clunky dialogue about hippies. But it sustains quite a few laughs, no doubt to Cheech Marin, who is sometimes hilarious. The movie was co-directed by David Greenwalt and Aaron Russo, with the latter the previous manager of Bette Midler's singing career. They do a horrible job. They film it in wide, inexpressive camera angles and load it with scene-chewing bad directorial choices, like having Julie Hagerty biting a tub of ice cream open while yelling at the hippies. It's something you have to see to believe. It's shoddy filmmaking, but the jokes sometimes work effectively, and I laughed a lot. I wouldn't say I enjoyed the movie, rather I was confused by it, but I was entertained, and I would say it is much better than expected. It deals with its issues poorly, yes, but some of the comic timing really works.
Rude Awakening (1989)
2 STARS (OUT OF 4)
Directed by David Greenwalt and Aaron Russo
Written by Richard LaGravenese
Starring Cheech Marin, Eric Roberts, Julie Hagerty and Robert Carradine
Rated R
100 minutes.
There are a lot of movies that work and don't work because of the care and energy put into them. "Rude Awakening" has about as much care as sandpaper grating on a chipping wall, but some of it does work. It's a terrible film - limp, crude, stupid and predictable, but yet, entertaining and strangely charming. It is not worth anything. Its closing credits are dumbfounding, stating that this picture is dedicated to all the planet lovers, after the movie has given us an overlong, hammered message of more or less the same. You know, it's funny. This movie is funny. I don't know why - perhaps it is because it has some truly insane dialogue about modern (1989) problems in our world and also some clunky dialogue about hippies. But it sustains quite a few laughs, no doubt to Cheech Marin, who is sometimes hilarious. The movie was co-directed by David Greenwalt and Aaron Russo, with the latter the previous manager of Bette Midler's singing career. They do a horrible job. They film it in wide, inexpressive camera angles and load it with scene-chewing bad directorial choices, like having Julie Hagerty biting a tub of ice cream open while yelling at the hippies. It's something you have to see to believe. It's shoddy filmmaking, but the jokes sometimes work effectively, and I laughed a lot. I wouldn't say I enjoyed the movie, rather I was confused by it, but I was entertained, and I would say it is much better than expected. It deals with its issues poorly, yes, but some of the comic timing really works.
Rude Awakening (1989)
2 STARS (OUT OF 4)
Directed by David Greenwalt and Aaron Russo
Written by Richard LaGravenese
Starring Cheech Marin, Eric Roberts, Julie Hagerty and Robert Carradine
Rated R
100 minutes.