For a little guy, he sure flies high: "Top Gun"
It was purely unintentional, but I kept the '80s train going this weekend, stumbling across "Top Gun" on HBO Family. HBO Family? What about that torrid romance between Tom "Twice Divorced" Cruise and Kelly "I Was Hotter as an Amish Woman" McGillis? Those two really burned up the screen. And we approve this for our children? Oh, the humanity!
Awkward love scenes aside, I get sucked into "Top Gun" almost every time it's on, especially without commercials. One time it came on Turner Classic Movies, and I about cried. I mean, letterbox, man. And this after I wasn't that impressed way back in 1986, when the movie was in theaters for six months and everybody had Kenny Loggins ringing in his ears.
Today I have a little more appreciation for Tom's flyboy film, for two reasons:
1. Hilarious dialogue, mostly in the first half. (Before Goose dies. Oops, spoiler alert.)
2. A solid supporting cast. Most people praise Anthony Edwards and Val Kilmer, but I'm a big Michael Ironside fan. Gotta love a voice deeper than the Grand Canyon: "That was some of the best flying I've seen yet ... right up to the part where you got killed. You never, ever leave your wingman."
Also fun to see Tom Skerritt playing the mentor role (vs. pawing at Drew Barrymore in "Poison Ivy"), as well as a pre-"Bull Durham" Tim Robbins. "C'mon, meat, you're not gonna hit that MiG ... " And get this: Apparently Matthew Modine turned down the Maverick role, and John Carpenter turned down the chance to direct. Not sure it would have worked, but I would have been curious to see Louden Swain knocking around with Michael Myers.
Alas, once Goose bites the dust, all of the humor is drained from "Top Gun," and we're supposed to believe Lil' Tom can handle life-and-death situations and become a hero. Never mind that he was a full head shorter than Goose and needed a booster seat for his F-14. Really, isn't there some kind of height requirement for pilots? Or can you just flash a big smile -- between Cruise and Kilmer there should have been a Colgate product placement -- and get the keys to a $30 million plane? Other than that, of course, everything seemed totally real. "Too close for missiles, I'm switching to guns."
posted by Jefferson @ 10:27 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
You didn't mention Meg Ryan Post soap opera and pre DOA
You also didn't mention Tarantino's riff on the homoerotic subtext of the movie from the film "Sleep With Me", which I will reproduce below:
Sid: It is a story about a man's struggle with his own homosexuality. It is! That is what Top Gun is about, man. You've got Maverick, all right? He's on the edge, man. He's right on the fucking line, all right? And you've got Iceman, and all his crew. They're gay, they represent the gay man, all right? And they're saying, go, go the gay way, go the gay way. He could go both ways.
Duane: What about Kelly McGillis?
Sid: Kelly McGillis, she's heterosexuality. She's saying: no, no, no, no, no, no, go the normal way, play by the rules, go the normal way. They're saying no, go the gay way, be the gay way, go for the gay way, all right? That is what's going on throughout that whole movie... He goes to her house, all right? It looks like they're going to have sex, you know, they're just kind of sitting back, he's takin' a shower and everything. They don't have sex. He gets on the motorcycle, drives away. She's like, "What the fuck, what the fuck is going on here?" Next scene, next scene you see her, she's in the elevator, she is dressed like a guy. She's got the cap on, she's got the aviator glasses, she's wearing the same jacket that the Iceman wears. She is, okay, this is how I gotta get this guy, this guy's going towards the gay way, I gotta bring him back, I gotta bring him back from the gay way, so I'll do that through subterfuge, I'm gonna dress like a man. All right? That is how she approaches it. Okay, now let me just ask you - I'm gonna digress for two seconds here. I met this girl Amy here, she's like floating around here and everything. Now, she just got divorced, right? All right, but the REAL ending of the movie is when they fight the MIGs at the end, all right? Because he has passed over into the gay way. They are this gay fighting fucking force, all right? And they're beating the Russians, the gays are beating the Russians. And it's over, and they fucking land, and Iceman's been trying to get Maverick the entire time, and finally, he's got him, all right? And what is the last fucking line that they have together? They're all hugging and kissing and happy with each other, and Ice comes up to Maverick, and he says, "Man, you can ride my tail, anytime!" And what does Maverick say? "You can ride mine!" Swordfight! Swordfight! Fuckin' A, man!
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