More American Graffiti (1979)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Bill L. Norton

Writers:

Bill L. Norton (written by)
George Lucas (characters) ...

Release Date:

3 August 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | War

Tagline:

The sights and sounds of the '60s. There were bittersweet times. There were funny times. And it was all unforgettable.

Plot:

College graduates deal with Vietnam and other issues of the late '60s. |

Plot Keywords:

Vietnam | Box Office Flop | Sequel | National Guard | Faked Death

Cast

Candy Clark	...	Debbie Dunham
Bo Hopkins	...	Little Joe
Ron Howard	...	Steve Bolander
Paul Le Mat	...	John Milner
Mackenzie Phillips	...	Carol / Rainbow
Charles Martin Smith	...	Terry the Toad
Cindy Williams	...	Laurie Bolander
Anna Bjorn	...	Eva
Richard Bradford	...	Major Creech
John Brent	...	Ralph
Country Joe McDonald	...	Country Joe and the Fish
Barry Melton	...	Country Joe and the Fish (as Barry 'the Fish' Melton)
Robert Hogins	...	Country Joe and the Fish
Robert Flurie	...	Country Joe and the Fish
Peter Albin	...	Country Joe and the Fish

Also Known As:

Purple Haze

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Icelandic

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (original rating) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (re-rating) (1992) | Australia:M | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-12 | UK:12 (video rating) | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Baylands Raceway Park - 44333 Christy Lane, Fremont, California, USA

Company:

Lucasfilm

Trivia:

George Lucas came up with the idea of shooting each of the four story lines in a different aspect ratio. Milner's Drag racing was in the 1950's exploitation style using a wide angle, stationary camera. The Vietnam sequences were shot on 16-milimeter film, like the TV reports of the time. Laurie and Steve's campus riot resembled a Hollywood version of student rebellions like The Strawberry Statement (1970) or Getting Straight (1970). Debbie's trip were in multiple-image split-screen, inspired by Woodstock (1970).

Goofs:

Factual errors: Toad is obviously a low-ranking enlisted man who takes orders from the First Sergeant and is placed on details for enlisted men, but wears the rank insignia of a warrant officer, a higher rank than a First Sergeant.

Quotes:

Little Joe Young: Hey Toad, I've been thinking. I'm taking care of you, right?
Terry 'The Toad' Fields: Yeah.
Little Joe Young: Now when we get back home, I'm gonna make you an honorary, full fledged member of the Pharaoh's, no blood handshakes, nothing like that.
Little Joe Young: [Toad claps his hands] Then me and you and them, we're gonna open up a... a used car lot. You sell 'em, we steal 'em.

Movie Connections:

References "MisteRogers' Neighborhood" (1968)

Soundtrack:

Dead Man's Curve

Unnecessary, Nearly Unwatchable Sequel

The final frames of the original "American Graffiti" provide one-line summaries of the fates of the film's four central male characters. While somewhat sexist in omitting the female characters, the ending of the original film provided all the information about those people that even the most ardent fan of the movie would want. However, someone felt that mega-bucks could be made by detailing the dreary lives of these characters after the original film ended. Bad move. Making an insurance salesman and his wife, a nerdy private in Vietnam, a drag race driver, and a overgrown hippie into interesting characters in interesting situations was far beyond the talents of those who wrote this nearly unwatchable movie. While most of the original cast is back, with only Richard Dreyfuss having the good sense to stay away, "More American Graffiti" is a mess of silly situations that involve protests, car races, country singers, and the Vietnam war. The use of split screens, once thought innovative and daring, is overused here to the point of distraction and adds confusion to the already confused goings one. This is a sequel that demonstrates nearly everything that can go wrong with a sequel. Perhaps it should be screened in film schools as a lesson. Even the use of period music, which was a delight in the original, is poorly done here. If you want more "American Graffiti," see the original twice.