Before he turned to tedious Oscar-bait and incomprehensibly dull “thrillers” with Tom Hanks, Ron Howard used to tell a pretty solid story every now and again. Howard’s best film will always be the timeless “Music Man,” but we’re looking at his turns behind the camera today:
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1. Night Shift (1982) – The test of a great comedy (or film, for that matter) is how well it holds up in repeat screenings, and this one holds up beautifully. There are few film debuts as impressive as Michael Keaton’s Billy Blaze and the scene where he breaks down the word “Prostitution” is an epic piece of comedy. But don’t let Henry Winkler’s excellent low-key work go unnoticed. He’s just as good playing the subdued straight man to Keaton’s flamboyant false bravado.
And remember, if you feed mayonnaise to tuna fish…
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2. Parenthood (1989) – The last few minutes of “Parenthood” rank among my favorite on film. After spending two hours with Howard’s troubled and complicated extended family, he tenderly brings it all together as his camera, mostly in silence and set to lovely score, pans over an ensemble of characters we’ve grown to care for. Not all their problems are solved, nor will they ever be, but we still know it’s going to be all right.
Great cast. Solid script. Timeless film. But 20 years old already? That’s depressing.
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3. Apollo 13 (1995) – Just last year I caught a special screening of this and was blown away by how well it held up – most especially the special effects. Even though you know the outcome, the story still grabs hold and never lets up. The mostly male cast is superb, but Kathleen Quinlan as Hanks’ wife shouldn’t be forgotten. She was nominated for her performance and understandably so.
Some of the cast and crew showed up for the screening (including Quinlan) but the whole experience lost a little bloom afterwards in the men’s room when a bunch of the actors who had a few lines in the Mission Control scenes enjoyed a reunion based on Bush-bashing.
Welcome to Hollywood.
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4. Ransom (1996) – Still the best trailer I’ve ever seen, and the movie nearly lives up to it. Nothing too lofty, just a smart, efficient, thrilling thriller with Mel Gibson’s character creating an unforgettable turning point when he refuses to pay his kidnapped son’s ransom and an equally memorable monologue from Gary Sinise’s crooked detective about the difference between the Morlocks and the Eloi.
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5. Backdraft (1991) – You cast Kurt Russell as a cocky firefighter and you make the top five.
I don’t have many rules, maybe three, but that’s one of them.
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