TOP GUN: MAVERICK

Tom Cruise     Jennifer Connelly     Miles Teller     Monica Barbaro

Val Kilmer     Jon Hamm     Ed Harris     Glen Powell     Lewis Pullman

         As with many Tom Cruise movies, this one seems made for him, although he doesn’t reign supreme all the time.  In the beginning, “Maverick” gets a lot of ribbing as an “old man” from a group of young Top Gun ace recruits, and his superiors are trying to tell him that new technology is going to make him and the planes he flies obsolete.  They’re obviously wanting to get rid of him (especially after he hijacks a plane to prove a point) and finally resort to thinking they will bump him into being a teacher.  Good luck with that—he has always refused career advancements that would take him out of flying.  Hence, he has stayed a Captain.

         The plot is creative in coming up with solutions by which Maverick manages to get his way repeatedly—usually through some derring-do that his superiors must acknowledge is impressive.  Well, OK, so they give an inch, but then, he will take a mile, so to speak.

         This is a very male movie in its illustration of how men relate to one another, especially in groups.  The beginning interactions among them are filled with bravado and macho competitiveness (insufferable at times from a female point of view).  Even the female recruit must do the same to be a part of the group.  Monica Barbaro as “Phoenix” very winningly illustrates this. Authority struggles underlie most of the conflicts.  One recruit, “Rooster” (Teller), has a long-standing resentment toward Maverick for something that still bothers both of them.  We also witness the “star pupil” in “Hangman” (Powell) who seems always to have the right answers and be on the right side, and the nerdy “Bob” (Pullman) who never seems to be able to lay claim to the group.

         I do admire the writers’ (Ehren Kruger et al.) making Maverick’s ingenious flight plan for the primary mission of bombing a uranium plant a metaphor for the entire story.  To wit, expert navigation that takes risks (flying low through a narrow canyon while dodging artillery, then a steep climb to safety (hopefully) using one’s experience, skills, and basic instincts).  These skills are called upon by many pairs of characters in working through their conflicts.    

         The writers beneficially inserted bits of humor and romance periodically to offset the high tension and at times heaviness of the plot.

         Along with the script, direction by Joseph Kosinski and a fine cast help move this Top Gun a step above many action movies that seem to be primarily about special effects and thrills.   These characters really move us and are so well drawn, we want to know more about them.

         Jennifer Connelly is always a joy to see, and cameos by Ed Harris, Jon Hamm, and Val Kilmer serve the movie well.

 

Underneath the blaring sound and visual effects of Top Gun, there are heartwarming stories that portray real human struggles.

 

Grade:  B                    By Donna R. Copeland

EVERYBODY WANTS SOME

Blake Jenner   Zoey Deutch   Ryan Guzman   Wyatt Russell   Glen Powell   

J. Quinton Johnson   Austin Amelio   Will Brittain   Juston Street

     Typical of a Richard Linklater film, Everybody Wants Some has surface features and meanings (the entertainment) as well as deeper truths about humans and their behavior (the substance of the film).  Using baseball in a Texas college in the ‘80s as a frame, he highlights how single-mindedly boorish the testosterone-flooded players could be, filled with bravado and self-aggrandizement (their “asshole nature”, says one character).  This foolishness is indeed entertaining.  When two freshman pitchers arrive, they will be scorned and tested.  When one intensely competitive ping-pong player wants to fudge the score and loses his temper in a rage when he loses fairly, it does make us—and other characters—amused and a little incredulous.  In the team, we see poor losers as well as empty philosophical musing with truisms presented as deep thoughts.  Girls roll their eyes and walk away from them.  Although this section of the film was off-putting for me, the young men’s obnoxiousness is softened by Linklater’s forgiving treatments; he is always one to see beneath the bravado to insecurities and a genuine wish to be liked by others, which redeems the characters in our eyes.

       The film covers one indulgently filled weekend before the team’s actual practice begins.  The film opens with Jake (Jenner), a promising player at his high school, expectantly headed to college on a baseball scholarship with “My Sherona” blaring on his car radio.  (Music selected by Linklater is vintage ‘80s rock.)  His eyes take in the campus where he sees a wealth of coed backsides to savor as he approaches.  When he arrives at the crumbling house provided to the baseball team, there are leaks in the pipes and sheetrock crumbling from the ceiling.  Moreover, he is met with hostility and disdain by just about everyone he meets.  But Jake has a strong character, and he does not jump to conclusions or get discouraged.  His gratefulness in being here at this time and his optimistic expectations fortify him.

      His journey (the crux of the story) entails knowing the value of close connections, limit setting with others, and listening to inner wisdom.  Yes, he is derided, but he does not get drawn into petty rivalries and fantasies of revenge.  He is kind, forgiving, and understanding—as well as supreme in his ability to manipulate people in a positive way.  For instance, toward the end, when he is going to a performance arts party with his new crush Beverly (Deutch) and is getting challenged by his roommates to come along, he knows just how to get them there.  And these brutish oafs getting exposed to art and fantasy by their artistic hosts, get to experience some needed softening and humanness as well. 

      I attended the screening of Everybody Wants Some at the SXSW Film Festival.  At the Q&A, Linklater acknowledged that the film was based on his own experience of going to college in Texas on a baseball scholarship in the ‘80s.  The result is the product of his script as well as modifications that came up during filming, some contributed by actors.  In casting the actors, he said it was important that they be able to demonstrate athletic ability, because there would be a sequence in which their skills in this area would be critical.  And this is seen in an extended sequence of baseball practice toward the end of the film.

      At the Q&A, Linklater commented on the solidarity of the cast and their willingness to accede to character changes in the interest of the story.  I got the impression that they not only had fun making the movie, but were sad as well that the project had come to an end.

A film about so much more than baseball.

Grade:  B             By Donna R. Copeland