BPL Book Review: Thumbs Up to Wild and Crazy Guys
BPL Book Review: Thumbs Up to Wild and Crazy
Guys
By
William Anthony| Business, Science, Technology Department Central Library
Some of the definitive and most frequently quoted comedies from the late 1970s to the early 1990s took that era of Hollywood by storm and embedded themselves into popular culture forever. From Animal House and The Jerk to Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and Groundhog Day to Ghostbusters and Beverly Hills Cop, all of these movies and many more continue to make us laugh really hard to this very day. As everything just seems uncertain nowadays, Wild and Crazy Guys: How the Comedy Mavericks of the '80s Changed Hollywood Forever encapsulates a creative, fascinating time period full of laughing, crying, pratfalls, quick wit, blockbuster hits, and the cost of fame itself. We could all use a good chuckle reading about the following wild and crazy comedians.
Nick de Semlyn not only explores
why these movies have stood the test of time, but, more importantly, he details
the ambitious, unpredictable, and fiery entertainers behind such exciting,
nostalgic movies. He starts his book off by exploring how Saturday Night Live kickstarted the careers of actors
such as Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Eddie Murphy. Some of their
most outrageous stories during filming and experiences in the limelight provide
another surprising context to their onscreen personas.
Similarly, this book champions the
success of some of Canada’s funniest actors such as Rick Moranis and John Candy, including
their days on Second City Television. Their quirky
but friendly personalities meshed well with their American costars’ drive. This
is why it never gets old to watch Steve Martin and John Candy deal with every
inconvenience possible in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles or when Rick
Moranis puts up with a giant carnivorous plant in Little Shop of Horrors.
An essential highlight of this
book is the recurring interactions between all of these leading men, especially
when some of them were a part of a highly notable cast in movies such as Caddyshack or Ghostbusters. The friendship between Dan
Aykroyd and John Belushi will make you miss Belushi bumbling around on the big
screen. Bill Murray and Chevy Chase never exactly got along with each other,
and this tension did escalate into violent confrontations. Thus, it is a
miracle that they were able to film a scene together in Caddyshack. The
1980s reminds us of how all of these different onscreen personas can forge a
comedy that stills resonates with so many different viewers such as aspiring
scriptwriters, film scholars, the whole family, college students, or just
people who miss the 1980s.
Wild and Crazy Guys never strays away from the highs
and lows of all these leading comedians. John Belushi’s dangerous lifestyle
makes his most iconic films feel like rock and roll concerts not just movies.
Chevy Chase utilized his clumsiness to garner laughs while Steve Martin
approached comedy from a more philosophical approach. Dan Aykroyd spent hours
upon hours writing meticulously detailed scripts. Eddie Murphy became one of
the most popular actors of the 1980s because of his unapologetic, fast-talking
confidence and hard work. I honestly cannot think of another actor more lovable
and jolly than John Candy. Bill Murray’s dry sense of humor is what makes him
one of the coolest actors of his generation. It is also a part of the reason
why he has become a national treasure.
By the time I finished this book,
I felt like that I actually knew all these actors. It was as if we met up for a
meal and talked about life itself. This fraternity of actors has not aged at
all, and de Semlyn carefully weaves in the fruit of their labor while
reminiscing on his time learning about the various legacies that these stars
have left behind.
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