O.C. and Stiggs (1985)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Robert Altman

Writers:

Tod Carroll (stories) &
Ted Mann (stories) ...

Release Date:

1985 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

O.C. and Stiggs aren't your average unhappy teenagers. They not only despise their suburban surroundings, they plot against it. They seek revenge against the middle class Schwab family, who embody all they detest: middle class. |

Plot Keywords:

Teenager | Teen Comedy | Insurance | National Lampoon Series | High School

Cast

Daniel Jenkins	...	Oliver Cromwell 'O.C.' Ogilvie (as Daniel H. Jenkins)
Neill Barry	...	Mark Stiggs
Jane Curtin	...	Elinore Schwab
Paul Dooley	...	Randall Schwab
Jon Cryer	...	Randall Schwab Jr.
Laura Urstein	...	Lenore Schwab
Victor Ho	...	Frankie Tang
Ray Walston	...	Grandpa 'Gramps' Ogilvie
Donald May	...	Jack Stiggs
Carla Borelli	...	Stella Stiggs
Stephanie Elfrink	...	Missie Stiggs
Amanda Hull	...	Debbie Stiggs
James Gilsenan	...	Barney Beaugereaux
Tina Louise	...	Florence Beaugereaux
Cynthia Nixon	...	Michelle

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13 | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2005) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Glendale, Arizona, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Post-production was finished in 1984, but the film wasn't released until three years later.

Quotes:

Oliver Cromwell 'O.C.' Ogilvie: [talking about the car dealer, Ms. Bunny] It was the last case that gramps had before he retired... she got off with a hung jury.
Mark Stiggs: They hung the whole jury?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Altman on 'O.C. and Stiggs' (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Mo Ti Mo

Read the story instead

I really wanted to like this movie, mainly because I laughed my ass off reading the 36-page odessey of O.C. & Stiggs in National Lampoon. Naively, I thought that an otherwise great director like Robert Altman could show us the wickedly funny side of hard-core juvenile delinquency. Instead, he lets us down by stripping away almost all of the mean-spiritedness that made the story so hilarious. All that's left are some wishy-washy hijinks from a couple of kids trying to look cute. Perhaps Danny Boyle, the director of "Trainspotting", could have done more justice to the story.

The movie is not entirely worthless, though. Occasional gems from the story survive in Altman's adaptation, and Altman's trademarked style is as evident as ever. Each scene is almost littered with celebrities, and there are plenty of layers of dialogue that no other contemporary director pulls off as well as Altman.

Phoenicians can entertain themselves during lulls in the movie by spotting local landmarks. Overall, you could do worse on a dollar rental, but you really should read the story to appreciate the little bits that survived in the film.