Structure incoming! I've got this new idea. I'm a big fan of the show Psych and they make a lot of movie references in the show. Some of them I'm familiar with and some of them I'm not. So why not watch all the movies they reference?
I've been going back through and watching all the episodes and making note of the movie references and I'll be watching them one by one and reviewing them here. I'm kind of excited because some of them are very out there, purposefully so, so I think this will be a good opportunity to watch some classic movies and see some movies I would never have watched otherwise.
Which brings us to the pilot. The very first episode of Psych presents Shawn and Gus a case about a trust fund baby who (spoiler alert) fakes his own kidnapping, but the stunt goes wrong. There were no off-hand movie references that I caught, but it turns out there is a movie from the '90s with a similar plot. So to celebrate the kickoff of a new series on this blog, I give you an unhelpful review of Excess Baggage (1997).
Briefly, and Without Spoilers
Emily (Alicia Silverstone) is the daughter of a wealthy businessman, looking for the next big stunt to get her father's attention: by faking her own kidnapping. But the fake kidnapping turns comically real when a carjacker (Benicio Del Toro) steals her car, not realizing she's hiding inside.
Emily and the carjacker must figure out the best course of action to minimize the damage and get back to their normal lives. But between her out-of-control personality and his staunch desire to avoid jail time, finding a solution to both of their problems turns out to be a challenge.
A Helpful Review (Spoilers Ahead!!)
I would like to start by saying I didn't hate this movie. Which is always a great way to start a review. A quick Google search will show you it's not exactly genre defining, coming in at a solid 32% on Rotten Tomatoes (as of August 2023), and it's snagged a couple of those fake awards that recognizes bad performances and movies. And I had seen this going into the movie so I didn't exactly set the bar high. But it wasn't that bad.
It's a pretty classic '90s movie, complete with a main title soundtrack by Dave Matthews Band. The story isn't particularly original and at times feels like it's a little disjointed and forced. Alicia Silverstone's character is supposed to be a bratty teenager but I think they have her play that a little too hard, since the times when we're supposed to start relating to her still feel a little cold. I thought her chemistry with Benicio del Toro had a lot of potential but wasn't fully fleshed out. And I'm not totally sure why we felt the need to add Christopher Walken's character. I know he was supposed to represent the "man who was a better father than her father ever could be" but it felt a little random in some ways.
So yeah, I don't know that it inspired me to be a better person and the pacing was a little rollercoastery, but it was still fun. I had a good time, and if you're looking for a classic '90s film that doesn't get as much attention as some of the others, this might be a good one to add to your watchlist.
Also it takes place in the Pacific Northwest, which gets them bonus points from me.
The Dream of the '90s
Recently, I've seen some claims about the '90s being the greatest decade of modern America (citation unnecessary). Not so surprisingly, the people who make these claims were likely in their late teens/early twenties during the '90s and I feel like everyone thinks the greatest decades happened when they were young. And I'm sure that has more to do with projecting a simpler time in your own life onto a fixed period of time than it does actually picking the best decade. Sure, there were a lot of great things about the '90s. There were also a lot of less great things about the '90s.
Personally, I think that people associate it with a time before 9/11. It's easy to underestimate what a cultural shift that moment was, and how much people think of the time before that event as a "simpler time." But was it really? It probably depends on who you ask.
Having said all this, I do think that '90s movies hold a certain je ne sais quoi, if you will. Think of a classic '90s movie. Did you have to use your brain a lot? No. Were there a lot of white people? Often. Was it essentially a reimagining of a classic tale told many, many times? Very possibly. Are we still obsessed with the fashion? Obviously. Did you have a good time? Probably!
Never underestimate the importance of a simple movie. And I think '90s movies nailed that. So many classic '90s movies don't ask you to go home and wonder what the meaning of life is and I appreciate that. Deeply. I don't need other people to suggest I ask myself those big questions. My anxiety takes care of that. And I'm sure some of you have discovered how much I love a simple movie. Brain say good night. That's what I need sometimes. And a classic '90s movie will always deliver on that. Or, usually.
There's also a classic '90s aesthetic that I love. The image quality, the fashion, the trailer that still uses cheesy taglines and the Moviefone voice, I will admit it all tugs at my nostalgia heartstrings. I don't always know that it's going to be a good movie, but I know I'll feel at home.
Everybody is a '90s baby
But all this talk gets me thinking back to the idea that there is no "best decade" there are just decades you associate with simpler times. Because growing up, my mother watched lots of classic movies. She still does. She loves the Turner Classic Movies channel. And without outing her age on a public platform, she was a child a little while ago.
And really, my appreciation for movies, especially classic movies, started with my parents, specifically my mother. She's the kind of woman who can just list off actors and actresses and has a wealth of knowledge about movies. She's constantly quoting some of her favorite movie moments, something she passed down to all of her children because we grew up hearing it around the house.
If you ask her, she may not say the '90s was the greatest decade. She may name a different decade, or no decade at all (she's a pretty logical woman, so she'd probably acknowledge that every decade has its ups and downs). Everyone has a period in time that they think was just simpler and more enjoyable, and we might all be thinking of a different time. And the kicker is, some of these time periods might have sucked for us at the time. Maybe younger versions of ourselves wouldn't think of it as the greatest decade. But if we're looking for an escape from certain problems in the moment, then we'll naturally look to periods of time when those problems didn't exist.
And what's one classic representation of certain time periods? Movies. When we think about the aesthetic of the simpler times in our lives, what visual representations we associate with those times, we always, if unconsciously, include movies. It was our escape at the time and it's our escape now.
So I think in a weird way, the movies of an era play a huge role in why we think some decades are better than others. Do I think the '90s are the best decade? Not necessarily. But I know when I watch a '90s movie, I'm transported back to a much simpler time in my life, and every once in a while, I need that.
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