The Best of Times (1981): A 48-Minute Fever Dream [Joey’s Review]
The Best of Times was made as a pilot for a TV series, which didn’t get picked up. On the one hand, I love that it wasn’t picked up because it led to the career that Nicolas Cage has enjoyed thus far. On the other hand, I’m bummed because (a) it would have been great to see a Nicolas Cage TV series, even if it only lasted one year, and (b) I have no idea what that TV series would be about.
The Best of Times is best described as a 48 minute fever dream. Everything is hyper real, and none of it makes any sense. The only way I can describe it is by saying it’s like a bunch of newspaper comics turned into reality. There are dozens of scenes that last no more than 10 seconds. All of these scenes follow the same basic structure:
- Introduction
- Observation
- Punchline
That’s it. It’s bizarre. Words don’t describe how jarring it is as you’re thrust from one scene to the next. None of them connect in any way, other than the fact that they share actors. The Best of Times is, almost literally, 48 minutes of kids having a great time.
Except it’s not all a good time! I’ll get to that in a second. Before I do, though, I need to set it up by talking about the man we’re all here to talk about: Nicolas Cage.
The Best of Times begins with an introduction from Crispin Glover in a room that’s messy to the point that it has to be a 1980s bedroom. Real bedrooms do not have clothes and toys and electronics spread about like a closet vomited. Glover introduces his list of friends, and leads with Cage. What is he doing the first time we see him? One-armed push-ups on the beach, shirtless and in cut-off jean shorts. I dare you to find me a more amazing introduction to any character in the history of cinema. Take a look:
It’s a perfect introduction to both Cage’s character, Nicholas (with an H!), and the beach, where Cage spends most of his time. Cage is King of the Beach. It’s where he works out, it’s where he hangs out, and it’s where he doles out advice about how to pick up girls. Want to know his tips? Strut (don’t walk happy) and flex your muscles a lot. Then, once the woman starts talking, don’t say a word; instead of talking, just stare into her eyes.
Does this advice work? Hell yes! By the end of the episode, we finally make it to the dance that everyone’s been talking about all episode, and Cage is there with a beautiful woman. Clearly, these one-armed push-ups are paying off.
Throughout The Best of Times, Cage is regularly the best part. He’s the most committed and the most enthusiastic. Whether we find ourselves in the midst of one of the film’s many musical numbers or just in a scene where Cage is talking to one of his friends, his enthusiasm rises above the rest of the actors and propels him to an early glimpse of the superstar he would one day become.
But not all is well in Nicholas’s (the character) world. With about 10 minutes to go in the film, we cut to Cage on the same beach, except he’s alone. After about 40 minutes of light-hearted fun and weird jokes/observations, Cage’s character talks about how worried he is for college because he’s not a good student and can’t keep his grades up. He’s also worried about war, and whether or not we’re going to have another war, and whether he’ll get drafted and be forced to serve. Are these concerns teenagers had in the 1980s? Probably. I don’t know? Who were we worried about… Russia? I’m sure kids were worried, but I don’t know that they ever were this worried on the same afternoon the same group of friends performed a musical routine at a car wash/gas station. Then again… maybe they were. The beach scene has no laughs in it, and it wasn’t written to have any. It’s about 2 minutes of genuine heartbreak, which comes waaaaaaaaaaaaay out of left field to knock you down. It feels like it belongs in a totally different movie. But then again, it makes you wonder: are these really The Best of Times?
I made one note about The Best of Times: “everything that’s happening is the weirdest thing.” Every element of this movie is taken to its extreme. I don’t understand the world it takes place in, and it scares me. Everyone is so into everything, and so committed. Everything is so 1980s, including the weirdo spin moves every character makes when they’re happy about something — you know, like finding that sweet new Talking Heads cassette tape at your local convenience store. “Sweet, Talking Heads!” [spin move] Everyone dances like they’re in Peanuts. They all kick their legs out and dance in place and do weird things with their heads and bodies. It’s unsettling and charming in equal measures, and something you need to see to really understand.
In our podcasted conversation about The Best of Times (which will be out a little later this week), Mike said that it’s fitting that the #CageClub journey begins with a pilot. We, too, are embarking on a journey. We don’t have to worry about whether or not we’ll be picked up, but we do need to worry about finding an audience. I feel like if you’ve made it this far, nearly 1,000 words into a review about a TV movie from 1981 that’s virtually incomprehensible and has no story, you’re along for the ride. And for that, I thank you. I’m very excited to take this journey with you, and I hope you’re excited, too. It would be great for you to watch as many of these movies with us as possible, and chime in via comments or on social media with your favorite moments. That’s what #CageClub is all about.
Let me leave you with a picture of Nicolas Cage doing laundry and proudly finding some lingerie in with his clothes. Oh yeah, everyone — this guy has sex.
How can I watch it? It’s available in its entirety on YouTube. I’ve embedded it below.
What’s up next? On Wednesday we’ll discuss Cage’s “blink and you’ll miss him” appearance in Fast Times at Ridgemont High — the second (and final!) film he’s credited as Nicolas Coppola. It’s almost time for him to embrace his inner Cage.
