Brad
Renfro stars as an immigrant kid who looks up to his local rock n’ roll DJ,
Kevin Bacon. Bullied at school, and
looking for a way out, he fudges the results of a contest and lies his way into
getting a job being Bacon’s right-hand man.
Bacon knows he’s full of shit, but he likes the kid’s moxie and uses Renfro
as a go-between to collect payola from the record companies.
The
screenplay was written by Joe Eszterhas, who shows a surprisingly tender side,
considering he wrote the sleazy screenplays for movies like Basic Instinct,
Showgirls, and Jade around the same time. It’s a nice blend of coming of age drama and a
nostalgic look at the rock n’ roll era. It’s consistently watchable, all around enjoyable, stopping just short of pulling at your heartstrings. At least Eszterhas doesn’t try to make the
kid learn some big life lesson at the end.
Having said that, the final scenes do feel a bit too pat.
Still,
the music is great, and the performances are excellent. The two stars are keenly matched with Bacon’s
seedy charisma being a good foil for Renfro’s calculated toughness. The role of the crooked DJ fits Bacon like a
glove and Renfro once again shows he had so much promise. It’s a shame he died so young.
Maximillian
Schell is measured and reserved as Renfro’s Hungarian immigrant father. Calista Flockhart has a number of good scenes
with Renfro too (like when he tries to give her some Spanish Fly) as his
prospective girlfriend, and Luke Wilson is amusing as his harried boss. Paul Dooley, who’s always a welcome presence
in anything he’s in, is equally fun as Renfro’s consistently shocked and
appalled priest.
Bacon
gets the best line when he tells Renfro, “I think you’re slicker than two
snakes screwing in snot!”
AKA: Seventeen.
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