Amoeba Music

There is a middle-ground in comedy that transcends generations and surprises us all with its wit and components. Screwball comedies are on one side of this spectrum, and while they hold up great and are considered classics, the heavy traditional overtones and lack of modern humor make them harder to relate to. Not that they aren't enjoyable for the seasoned film fanatic, but with younger and more industrialized audiences, I think they serve a more historical purpose. And then there is current comedy, consisting of mainly crude and sexy plots or dark comedies, both with the possibility of going overboard and disappointing. So it seems that '80s cinema is this middle-ground. I can't think of a movie in the '80s, including dramas, that is not half comic relief. Perhaps the sappy plots only come off as funny now, but I still think a lot of it was intended.

Mischief walks the tightrope between these two worlds and replenishes what is missing or poorly done in either one. Set in Ohio, 1956, it already stands apart from others by being a period piece in a way. Gene (Chris Nash) has just moved into a small suburb with his widower father from Chicago. Here they hope to find peace from city life and to enroll Gene in a new school, on account of him being expelled from his previous one. From the start you can tell that he won't last long in the new town as he takes a break from moving in to ride his motorcycle across all of his neighbors' lawns. The only person who seems more than eager to make his acquaintance is his next-door neighbor Jonathan (Doug McKeon). The two couldn't be more unlike each other; Jonathan in his pastel sweaters and Studebaker, and Gene in his leather jacket and motorcycle. But behind their differences, the two reach out and bond simply on the basis of being outcasts.

The only source of intrigue that the two share is Jonathan's virginity. While it is obvious why Jonathan should be so invested in his lack of experience with girls, we find out that Gene is amused by the opportunity to wage a bet and inform Jonathan about the ways of women. Gene is pulled into Jonathan's innocence and takes to him like an older brother would. The bet between them is that Gene gives Jonathan a month to lose his virginity to his crush, the voluptuous Marilyn McCauley (Kelly Preston). Meanwhile the two keep track of her hangouts and friends in order to be where she is and do what she likes to do, in the hopes that enough "coincidental" run-ins will set the mood for their courtship. Meanwhile Gene begins to fall in love with her friend Bunny (Catherine Mary Stewart), and the whole ordeal seems to be quite convenient. Still, there must be an enemy for these two lads, and what could be better than the rich, well-bred Kenny (D.W. Brown), who is sort of going steady with Bunny and has bullied Jonathan for years.

More important than the romantic quests of the two men is the endearing bromance that happens between them. They become like two superheroes, working together to rid the world of the scum lurking in 1950s mid-western suburbs. Their duels with the "town a-holes" include everything from fist-fights and a healthy game of "chicken," to ratting the others out to the police for disorderly conduct and some cheeky acts of vandalism. When they're not fighting back and standing their ground, the two talk about life and their future. The time spent between them is sweeter and more meaningful than what they have with the girls, though the movie doesn't bluntly present it that way. Regardless of how you read it, I think that the bond they have is one of the things that makes this film extraordinary. You've got pop culture, accurate costumes, an amazing soundtrack, a climactic plot, and, somehow, tenderness and serious life lessons were added in and stand up equally to the comedy.

In the end Jonathan discovers himself and thinks twice before allowing his hormones to get the best of him, while Gene is on his way to taking a stand and leaving behind childish things for good in order to live a healthy life. When the movie ends, only satisfaction remains. Nothing is too pushy or over the top, and while there is a nice amount of lustful teenagers running around, the nudity (I think the only nude scene), serves a purpose and the film as a whole doesn't come off as this "let's get this poor bastard laid" sort of thing. This is a humble little comedy that I think just about anyone would enjoy. Highly recommended.