80s Movies and Me

Last night I had some free time, so I decided to head back to my treasure trove of videos and see if there was one I could watch and then give away to my friend who is always looking for 80s commercials. I came across a tape that started with the 1982 film, "Hanky Panky," starring Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner (the two met on this film and later married. Sadly, Wilder's mother had died of ovarian cancer and he was married to Radner when she died).

The movie was taped off of KTVU, the Fox affiliate in the Bay Area, in June of 1989 - I figured this out because there were Father's Day ads for Ross, some ads had copyright years in the corner, and there was a news update - about the Tienanmen Square protests.

The movie itself was ... okay. It's directed by Sidney Poitier, whom I enjoy as an actor. And Gene Wilder is always fun to watch, and Gilda does a great job with those big eyes of hers. But altogether, it's too violent for me. It's supposed to be a comedy film, but it is more like a weird spy/government/chase/murder film. It's hard to feel sorry for Wilder's character, who gets accidentally involved in a whole conspiracy, because he makes so many mistakes. The film is also difficult to follow - although that might have been partly due to my watching it on such an old medium that the color would sometimes disappear.

It's funny, but not in a way that made me laugh. Maybe because I was watching it by myself. Or maybe because while I appreciate Gene Wilder's humor, it's always been a little intense for me. But it's probably mostly the weird comedy/violence combo that the 80s were so darn fond of. That and helicopters. 80s movies make The Bachelor's use of helicopters look downright responsible. There are two helicopters in "Hanky Panky", along with a by-plane, a gas tanker truck, and Radner's little red convertible.

While I'm sure I can name fifty great 80s films - I wouldn't put this on the list. It's just not my type - it makes me too anxious. I don't mind being kept in suspense if there's a good pay off (like in, say, "Inception") but this film does not give me that at the end. But it brought together Wilder and Rander, so that's nice.