Fandango

Summary

“Who’s got my laundry?”

I have been a fan of Kevin Costner since I first saw Kevin Reynold’s film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves as a child. Costner seems to be a somewhat polarizing screen presence when I have talked to some other folks, but my wife and I love his films – especially Bull Durham. I am also extremely partial to his film Waterworld, which I consider the last truly balls-out crazy expensive science-fiction film before green screens replaced huge sets and the practical effects of yesteryear. Over the last four years, Kevin Costner has had a renaissance through the television series Yellowstone. I am a tremendous fan of the show and of the writing by Taylor Sheridan, and I have enjoyed seeing so many people turn their attention back towards Costner. With Costner’s career on an upswing, Warner Archive has taken the opportunity to bring a couple of Costner’s early films out of the vault – American Flyers and Fandango. Fandango paired Costner with Kevin Reynolds years before Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Waterworld. As a fan of both of those films, I decided to check out Fandango last night.

The film begins in Austin, Texas on May 15 1971. It’s graduation night at the University of Texas. Gardner (Kevin Costner) throws darts at a picture of himself next to a girl. He is wearing a tuxedo, a bow tie, and a pair of sunglasses that are missing a support on one side. He walks out of his room in the frat house to the party being thrown by his friends. Their friend Kenneth (Sam Robards) shows up to the party and announces that the wedding is off. Hearing this news, Gardner announces that they need to leave immediately to embark on one final journey. He also lets them know that he has spent all his money from selling his car to throw the party. Gardner and Kenneth gather up nervous ROTC graduate Phil Hicks (Judd Nelson,) heavyset and quiet Dorman (Chuck Bush,) and another passed out friend. They head out in Phil’s thunderbird to have a last fandango for the “groovers.” Their journey to dig up “Dom” takes them through the deserts of Texas and down towards Mexico. They deal with their worries about Vietnam enlistment while also having an incredible experience with one another. They drive through an area where James Dean filmed “Giant,” meet some young girls at a drive-in hamburger joint, experience numerous travel related difficulties, and their friendships are tested over the course of the trip. While all this occurs, Kenneth questions whether or not he should leave his fiancée at the altar.

Fandango is an enjoyable feel-good popcorn film. The film floats by quickly and counts on a winning cast and short runtime to allow its small pleasures to work on the audience. There our dramatic elements – many of which related to the Vietnam draft – but the film never loses its optimistic and fun spirited nature. The script by first time filmmaker Kevin Reynolds is not entirely realistic, but it doesn’t seem like capturing a realistic portrait of youth in 1971 was the main focus of the film. The script focuses on friendships and how they change when college ends. Anyone who has graduated from a four year university will relate to the characters and their anxieties as they are pushing into adulthood. The film us helped by a great soundtrack which features songs by Traffic, Elton John, and Carly Simon, amongst others. The score by Alan Silverstein is also well appointed with some nice synths employed for some of the dream sequences. The main reason to watch the film is the charismatic performance from Kevin Costner. Costner had only acted in a few small roles before Fandango, and his performance here shows the actor moving one step towards his later superstardom. He is perfectly cast as Gardner and he helps the film to stay afloat even when some of the jokes don’t quite land. The film also gives him a chance to show his range as he vacillates between cool and fun loving to serious and wistful. It was obvious even then that Costner would be something special. Sam Robards is well cast as Gardner’s closest friend Kenneth, and Judd Nelson is suited to the task of playing the nervous ROTC rule follower Phil. It’s amazing that Judd Nelson played the iconic role of John Bender in The Breakfast Club that same year! The roles could not be more different.

Overall – I liked Fandango, and I think you will too. It’s a very easy film to like.

Video

Warner Archive has given Fandango a good looking restoration. The transfer of the film comes from a fresh 2K scan utilizing an MPEG-4 AVC codec in the film’s original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The transfer itself is well done and brings out the best of its source. That said, the film is a fairly soft and visually muted affair. There are some moments  where the film’s cinematography  really shines, but the film honestly looks like the work of a first time filmmaker. Fans of the film will be excited to see the work that Warner has put into the picture.

Audio

Warner Archive has provided a great sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that capably expands the original sound design of the film. The soundtrack has been given a nice boost while the majority of the dialogue will stay in the center channels. The soundtrack itself shines thanks to songs by Elton John, Traffic, and more. Clarity is very good on the track and I did not detect any notable issues.

Supplements:

Trailer

Overall Scores:

Video – 4/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – .5/5

Overall – 4/5

Fandango is a lighthearted coming-of-age comedy/drama that for the most part hits the high notes. The film united director Kevin Reynolds with future star Kevin Costner for the first time. They would later make Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Waterworld together, and this film helped launch both of their careers. Costner’s swagger is infectious and helps the film work. While the movie is not perfect, it is definitely an enjoyable popcorn film about friendships and growing up after college ends. Warner Archive’s new Blu-ray release of the film features a good looking transfer and solid sound. There are no supplemental materials aside from a trailer, but this is a fan pleasing release overall.