There Goes My Baby (1994)

Touches You

People are voting emotionally.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

There Goes My Baby is another movie dealing with the magical reputation of the 60s generation. The movie passes in just a short period, but tries to capture what was going on in the whole decade. The main story is based on class of youngsters leaving the High School and preparing themselves to go to the adult life, which involves Universities for some, Army for others and "just hanging around" for the rest. This period of time is represented as "The Last Days of Paradise", an alternative title to the movie.The plot goes showing the indecision, problems, obstacles and the general crisis lived by each of the many people portrayed. Themes like Vietnam War, racial conflicts, hippie movement, counterculture, parents and sons clash of generation and sexual revolution are portrayed without much depth, usually using one or two characters to explore these facts of the 60s generation, but never going deeper in the questions.Apart from these subjects, the movie uses a local burger restaurant that will be demolished to give place to a new shopping mall and a radio DJ that will change from AM to FM, broadcasting his program from the restaurant, as symbols of "the end of innocence".Everything in the movie is used to emphasize the idea of change in the lives of the youngsters, and their lives are have a semi-heroic portrait, including some drama, but after all naive. In the end, the characters start separating, going each one his way and the narrator (one of the characters) talk about the destiny of everyone in the future, adding magic, naiveté and nostalgia to "The Last Days of Paradise", when confronting the future (adulthood) to those days.Being so, the history isn't deep or complex, the actors are not superb, just competent and it is a movie to enjoy the two hours watching to it and nothing more, but at least grants enjoyment during its length. And the soundtrack is very good.

So,much like Steve-O who just posted his review today,I just last night (3/31)@ 11pm watched this film. Unlike Steve,I like it quite a bit more. Although I will agree that,yes,we've gone down this memory lane before at the movies and truthfully I'd never even heard of it. It was pretty entertaining but this particular plot was done on a stronger level in the TV movie "The 60's" a few years back and as mentioned "American Graffitti". Still,I think it could be a good introductory film for young people to watch as a way to teach them about this era.A great plot idea to set it around the closing of the favorite high-school hang out,complete with one of those fun but at times annoying DJ's (The Beard),who used to talk in rhyme! Places like "Pops" stand as a symbol of the innocence of the previous era that was soon to be lost.Now,Rick Schroder is a good actor,not great like say Johnny Depp or (I can finally say without laughing)Leonardo DeCaprio. He's almost first billed but doesn't do as much as I though he would. His emotional breakdown at "Pops" was done quite well along with the scene with his character's father.Pirate is he school's delinquent who is always at odds with Principal Maran (they call him moron of course). The actor who plays the principal is okay but should have played it a bit stronger. Pirate,for being a delinquent,sure is a quiet one...at least until later.The early days of Vietnam protest and the Watts riots are recreated very well also but are not as graphic,as done in other films. I found it a bit odd to put "Turn-Turn-Turn" by The Byrds over the riot scenes. Could they not find an appropriate song by an African-American act?? I could say the song might be lyrically relevant but musically,it's too light for such scenes. In the middle of this a young man named Morrisey burns his draft card and is,roughed up by the police and then later hangs himself. The scene that comes later of Pirate and crew (no joke intended)burning the statue in front of their school,is truly the strongest scene in the whole film. I would say the Watts riots as first,but again,The Byrds song kind of waters that scene down.The young ladies in this movie are good at portraying the females of the time,who are the last generation to grow up with "finish school,find a man,get married & have kids". The actresses do an admirable job and the emotions from them really felt genuine to me.The music is great of course because,hey,these are classics. Although some have been used countless times before in movies.Overall it's not a bad little film but I do once again agree,it could have been so much more for a movie depicting the beginnings,of the most turbulent of times,in our country's history. By the way,this movie was filmed & then shelved in 1990.8 stars because...again..a stronger sense of the mood of times,as they were,would have made it a 10 star. (END)

I look at this movie, which tries to collect all of this rebel youth spirit and embody it within a six or seven characters, as most movies about the 60s often seem to do. The result is often clichéd and I'm wondering whether, in the end, these movies are encouraging a sort of myth. Yes, there was the civil strife that lasted at least twenty years, starting with the culmination of the civil rights movement in the mid fifties and continuing to the end of the Vietnam War. That's a long time for a lot of anger, confusion, and energy to come out. And, of course, it did. But how much of it was done in this sort of way, this almost ritual arrangement of characters and themes? This movie made it look like, first, that all of the youth (at least in this town) were in favor of simply one side of questioning their parents or teachers (or other's) judgments and rebelling non-stop against that. Is that the way things went on after being saturated in this struggle for change on so many fronts (civil rights, the war, the feminist movement, etc)? Movies like this tend to be less realistic in their efforts to mark a particular decade, or a particular era, with this desired representation. And "There Goes My Baby" does with particularly little, if any, relent.This is the story of six friends on the eve of their high school graduation in 1965. Post high-school plans for one involves going into the Army, after having enlisted. For two others, it means hitting the road and "discovering this Country" and sort of getting lost in that hippie culture (at least as embraced by the character, Sunshine). For two of them, it's off to college. And for yet another, it means trying to get famous (an odd one out in this particular mix of characters). But, things suddenly change when, in such a short span of time, they each seem to have their little flirtations with the bigger restlessness of the decade (riots, protests, and so forth) that cause them to rethink things (although, some already realize what's what). It just seems to easily, and done with an abundance of corniness that should have been held at bay if this movie was to be as effective as the filmmakers anticipated. There are far too many ultra-patriotic speeches that seem more laughable than dramatic. And as such, it makes the entire film even more ridiculous.As others may be attracted to the film for the same reason I was, you do get to see a number of well-known actors in their early days. Look for then-unknown Mark Ruffalo talking to "Stick" (Ricky Schroeder) in one scene where he talks about having found someone to buy Stick's Woody (yeah, that sounds funny).

It's a shame because this movie could have been a contender with a little more care and respect for the intelligence of the audience. One thing a producer can always control is what music he uses in his movie. To see it done right check out any film directed by Martin Scorsese or Spike Lee. When a movie tells me it's the summer of 1965 and the soundtrack plays "California Dreaming" - released in February of 1966 - it tells me the filmakers just don't care, so why should I? My wife said it should have been called "Before They Were Stars" as it features early appearances by many actors who have gone on to bigger and better things - Noah Wylie, Rick Schroder, Kelli Williams, etc.