Customer Reviews

Matinee

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was 12 years old during the Cuban Missle Crisis, in love with cheap, schlocky horror movies (ANYTHING with Vincent Price!), and had a subscription to "Famous Monsters of Filmland" Magazine, so, except for living in Florida (I lived in Hollywood - well - Los Angeles, the only place for a film fanatic to grow up) this could be my biography. When the boy is shown with monster magazines spread all over his bed, they're real magazines from the period, and I had every last blessed one of them! I also had the monster models in his bedroom. When he turns into a fount of movie minutia at lunch, he IS me at school lunch, the kid who knew the difference between William Castle and Roger Corman, who couldn't have mistaken Dick Miller, who knew every trivial fact about every trivial horror movie ever made, and who would share them all with anyone in earshot. This hilarious yet heartfelt movie pushed all my nostalgia buttons. Even now, I can say what's that poster for "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" doing in a 1962 movie theater when the film hadn't even been shot yet? I remember the panic in our local grocery store during the missle crisis, and it was exactly as Dante shows it in the film. It's my favorite John Goodman performance. He was born to play William Castle, aka "Lawrence Woolsey". This is Joe Dante at his best. Apparently he and I had the exact same childhood.

i really, really, really love this movie! it's sweet and fun and really cool. it's one of my favorites ever because it deals with really cool, corny cheaply made horror films which are really hilarious. john goodman makes a charming, whimsical, and endearing performance as a visionary film maker and the younger stars of the film are really amazing too. what can i say, this is the best and if you don't buy this, rent it!

A film you may never have heard of, but really should see. Trust me. If you grew up at the movies, like I did, this film is a slam-dunk. You went to the shows and devoured films like "It, The Terror From Beyond Space," & "Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers." The kid in this film is you (or me) and Lawrence Woolsey played by John Goodman is the guy who gave us our favorite junk movies. And add to that that it all takes place in Southern Florida during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and you have a deliciously fun film(I see that look in your eye and you'll just have to trust me on this) Fine performances all around and Joe Dante (a heroically underappreciated director) directing. Goodman's character is based on real-life producer William Castle who was known as much for his stunts as his movies. He gave us "The Tingler" crawling under the seats of the audience, and on one film actually gave the audience mild shocks through wires in their seats. He also issued "Death by Fright" Insurance policies in the lobby, and had an actress dressed like a nurse on duty,
just in case you had a heart attack. It is all gloriously remembered here. They even lets us see portions of the film he's trying to sell. "Half Man! Half Ant! He's Mant!" You'll see a bunch of stars of the B-Movie heaven here, but I'll let you find them, that's the fun. Even the clever little send-up of Disney films of the '60's ("The Shook Up Shopping Cart," with dead Dad coming back as a shopping cart and trying to solve crimes.) would make this worth seeing. This is not an epic, this is just a great little find. My friends, you put the joy of movie hokem next to the true terror of a world on the edge of Nuclear war, and you have a little film that has a lot to say, but never forgets what it is, and what it is meant to do. Goodman's character sums it all up when he tells the teen hero: "You think grown-ups have it all figured out? That's just a hustle, kid.
Grown-ups are making it up as they go along just like you. You remember that, and you'll do fine."

This movie really surprised me. It gets generally good reviews, but so do a lot of films these days that I don't think much of. So I wasn't expecting too much, not wanting to be disappointed again. Man, what a shock! ...Or should I say, Mant, what a shock!

What's best about Matinee is that it is pure unadulterated fun. Yes, the teen romances seem to drag at the beginning, but the storyline about the Cuban missile crisis, and your curiosity about just exactly what this John Goodman character is up to, have already established an underlying tension that sticks with you and holds your attention.

Your patience is rewarded, because when the long balyhooed Key West preview of "Mant" finally begins, this movie ROCKS! Yes, a lot of what happens in this flick is not exactly like things were in the early '60s, but who cares? Personally, I noticed several errors in dialog -- expressions being used that did not exist in 1962, but again, who cares! This comedy is fun, fun, fun and just keeps going and going, right up to the end of the world! (on screen, at least)

By the way, much is made of "Mant," the movie within this movie, and rightfully so. It is almost as riveting as the main movie, which of course is "Matinee." Getting confused? -- look closely near the end and you will see a movie within a movie within a movie!!! This all gets very complicated, in a way, and there are several side stories going on too, but it all moves so fast and blends so well, you really don't mind, because no one in the movie knows what's going on either! It's just total chaotic entertainment.

I haven't enjoyed a movie this much in a long time. I like it so much, I bought a second copy as a backup. It's not Citizen Kane, but it's a ton of fun, and also rather charming in its own way, so it gets a rare five stars from me.

This has to be the most under-rated, under-valued and criminally under-seen film of all time. Funny, touching, nostalgic in a good way, a wonderful tribute to the very joy of film itself and, the clincher, a cast of kids that never get on your nerves.

John Goodman has never bettered his performance from this movie. If you love the movies, you'll love this film. See it; then see it again and again. It really is the undiscovered artistic masterpiece of the 20th Century. I look forward to this movie on HD-DVD.

Until 'Man Conquers Space' comes out, we have Matinee!

I felt that the advertising for this movie was somewhat misleading. I expected to see a film about John Goodman portraying a loose characterization of showman William Castle. Instead, the main focus of the film is a young boy, Gene Loomis, whose father is a soldier who is dispatched to active duty during the Cuban missile crisis, which is the time period in which this film is set. You have your typical coming-of-age themes revolving around Gene and his friends as they discover their own emerging adolescence, and this consists largely of tired material that has been done to death. However, I did like the scene where the character Sandra refuses to get down on the floor and put her hands behind her head during a civil defense drill, saying that "duck and cover" was useless. I actually remember doing these drills in elementary school back in the 60's.

Somewhat in the background we have John Goodman as old-fashioned showman Lawrence Woolsey, a vaudevillian stuck in the age of cinema who wants to put the show back in picture shows. He is tied into the film because Gene enjoys Woolsey's showmanship as a way to forget about the world around him which seems to be on the brink of self-destruction. Woolsey pulls such stunts as having his girlfriend (Cathy Moriarty) dress a a nurse and ask patrons to sign a waiver releasing Goodman's character from liability in case they die of fright during the movie. This is based on a similar stunt by William Castle and his movie "Macabre". Woolsey also wires the seats to produce a mild electric shock during a key moment in a film, which he labels "Atomo-Vision." That antic is based on what William Castle did during the showing of "The Tingler". Then he rigs still another device to shake things up as buildings on the screen are tumbling and calls it "Rumble-Rama." Again, these are all very similar to the showman-like stunts of William Castle during the 50's and 60's.

The best part of the movie is when Woolsey comes up with an atomic-age monster movie entitled "Mant" that is a composite of cheesy 50's horror films such as "The Fly," and "Them!". "Mant" is about a mutant that is half-man and half-ant and is a total riot. Woolsey's schlock merchant displays just the right mix of con-man materialism and childlike glee at his own bogus movie magic. It's too bad that Goodman's character and his showmanship weren't the main focus of the movie - Goodman was truly born to play the part of Lawrence Woolsey. Perhaps the biggest joke of all is realizing that this movie cost about 100 times the budget of any of the old pictures being parodied.

Besides recognizing all of the silly rituals such as the civil defense drills that people have performed and always will perform in order to feel like they have some control in an uncontrollable situation - remember the run on duct tape and plastic sheeting four years ago? - this movie really made me wish that there was a William Castle collection on DVD. Some of Castle's films were not so bad, and some were so bad they were good - "Macabre" comes to mind - but all of them were memorable. But none of them outside of "House on Haunted Hill" and "The Tingler", both starring Vincent Price, are ever on TV anymore.

Matinee is a little gem of a movie, directed by Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Burbs, The Howling) the film is set in a coastal town in Florida during the Cuban missile crisis. Shock film maker Lawrence Woolsey (John Goodman)a take off character of shock film maker William Castle, comes to the small coastal town in the time of kaos to show his new B-film Mant! The film is shown through the eyes of a young teen who loves B horror films. The film is a fun innocent romp in an era of great change.
For film buffs this is a treat and shows Joe Dantes love of B-films. The film may not be for everyone but watch it anyway, you might enjoy it.
I actually only heard about this film when it came on home video it was never released in theatres in Australia. Being a huge fan of Dante's and a huge film fan I loved it. Matinee is a gem to watch, Joe Dante's best I believe.
John Goodman is perfect in the role as are the young actorsin their roles. Dante features his regular actors Robert Picardo (Gremlins 2, TV's Star Trek Voyager) and Dick Miller (Gremlins, The Howling) also.

This is a fabulous movie, one that also appeals to film buffs. So you'd think the people who run Universal would have recognized that and used the opportunity to release this on DVD with the terrific cinematic extras that were part of the old laserdisc release -- namely the hilarious, full-length trailer, or movie-within-a-movie, "Mant!" (Look for "Mant!" on YouTube.)
But, no, this 2009 edition of the DVD is nothing more than a repackaging of the old DVD that was devoid of extras.
I would have bought this release in a heartbeat if it had the extras. Director Joe Dante wanted them included, but the clueless ones at Universal couldn't be bothered. So I'll spend my money elsewhere.

I really love this film. The bottom-line subject matter of the Cuban missile crisis is a catalyst, but the subject of the film is the innocence of youth and the reactions toward it, living in Key West, FL. The seriousness of that situation is alleviated when Goodman arrives, a film director of gimmicky horror films, a direct reference to William Castle.Director Joe Dante juxta-imposed the political and pop-culture idea with brilliance. This film never fails to entertain. Goodman is terrific, Cathy Moriarty is the best of all. Young Simon Fenton is great as the real star of the film. It's scary and fun and silly and ALL the things that make movies entertaining.

My wife and I have set aside 6 to 8 movies that we put on when we just can't think of anything else to watch. These are the movies that are so special and such a delight to watch that we never seem to get tired of them. Matinee is one of those movies. There's something comfortable and familiar in Matinee. I love period films anyway, especially those that remind me of a time in my own life. And even in the midst of a potential nuclear conflict (the Cuban missle crisis) it still reminds me of a simpler time. I love the Key West setting, and all the main characters are fun and likable. But the best "character" of all is the B-movie that is the core of the characters adventures. "When a man, and an ant, are exposed to radiation simultaneously, the result is terrible indeed! The result is MANT!
I always feel better after watching Matinee. For me, it's literally therapeutic.