Films Outside the Loop Jeanne Chappé

At first glance, this movie appears to be one of those standard High School teenager comedies. Don't let your first glance fool you as this is one hysterical black comedy spoof! This movie pokes dark fun at the intensity of teenage love, the difficulty in being slightly different from the norm in High School, sex, doctors, prejudice, popularity and parents.

This movie is perfectly cast. It is slyly directed by Bob Balaban who also directed "Parents" but not the sequel (which was a good move on his part). If Bob Balaban had gone for slap-stick, this movie would not work in the way that it does. Instead, the hysterical dialogue is given by the actors with a completely straight face throughout the movie. I would LOVE to see some of the outtakes! I'm sure that there were some exploding laughter blow-outs in the middle of many of the scenes.

Johnny Dingle (Andrew Lowrey) has been in love with Missy McCloud (Traci Lind) since the first grade but has always worshiped her from afar. He didn't even have the nerve to give her the birthday present that he had bought for her when they were both 6 years old. However, he has saved this present through the years and they are now seniors in High School. Johnny finally decides to get up his nerve and ask Missy to go with him to the Senior Prom. He and his friend Eddie (Danny Zorn) concoct a plan that will insure that Missy's answer will be "yes". Johnny decides he will "risk" his life to save hers. Of course...the plan goes awry and Johnny actually ends up dead! This is NOT going to stop him from escorting Missy to the Senior Prom. So he comes back...as the undead. However, there are some consequences resulting from Johnny's decision to return from the grave and part of this involves the decaying of his body. Need I say more? The only way for a zombie to slow down this decay is to eat live human flesh!

This is where the movie reduces me to hysterical giggling. No one is actually THAT surprised when Johnny returns from the dead! After a few seconds shock, his parents welcome him home and offer him something to eat. The Dingle parents are cunningly played by Edward Herrmann and Mary Beth Hurt. Mary Beth Hurt portrays a mother who is a delicious cross between a Stepford wife and "Serial Mom"! Cloris Leachman has a hilarious cameo role as a widow whose husband was a zombie and Austin Pendleton plays the 'slightly' insane Dr. Bronson. As I said, this movie is perfectly cast.

"He died for me! He came back from the dead for me! He ate someone for me!" Now doesn't that sound like love to you?

Runtime: 1:24

This film is available on DVD, VHS, cable or satellite.

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