O.C. and Stiggs (1985)

Part of the Bob Altman box set I bought a couple of weeks ago, I'm pretty sure this far-out flick would never have surfaced on my radar if it weren't. Failing students O.C. and Stiggs relay the occurences of their summer holidays through flashback whilst talking to a fictional president of a fictional African nation on the neighbour's telephone. This is part of the ongoing revenge against middle-class surburbanites the Schwab's.

It's a mad flick, one that is not a total waste of time, just don't expect too much. It's an incredible film for that reason. After the critical and somewhat commercial success of MASH (1970), McCabe and Mrs Miller (1971), The Long Goodbye (1973) et al. this just seems totally out of place in his canon. Derived from the characters first introduced in the American humour magazine National Lampoon it is entirely based upon the October '82 issue entitled "The Utterly Monstrous, Mind-Roasting Summer of O. C. and Stiggs".

Nevertheless similarities do exist, mostly the use of fast dialogue ("Is it the sound of your voice or have we met before Mrs. Déjà Vu") and of course the unmistakable Altmanesque cinematography. That's about it though unfortunately, after that it's all down hill, the obligation to uphold mid 80s teen American cinema values proves too strong. Most notably the central character's attempts to save the day for those less fortunate displaying the all too common obsession with capitalism, something the film is very much aware of. That, and an obsession with lobsters.

If you're interested in ticking those boxes and have a spare couple of hours then check it out. A very interesting film for all the wrong reasons. If you're not interested in watching it then at least check out the introduction below, the strangest and most distinct introduction to an MGM production ever.