Harvard Man

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Has anyone seen this totally insane James Toback movie? It was supposedly his dream project for decades or something, based on his own experiences of drugs/basketball/gambling/sex at Harvard. I couldn't believe this movie. It's got a pretty '80s plot, involving stupid mobsters, fixed games, pervie FBI agents etc, but it's made in this total bizarro style that I'm still trying to process. The music's mixed way too loud in every scene, the dialogue sounds like it was all re-recorded in post, the acting is mystifyingly horrible, every shot spins around the characters again and again--I just don't know what to say. I could not believe this movie. Maybe Toback's been thinking about it so long it now only makes sense to him.

― slutsky (slutsky), Monday, 31 March 2003 04:55 (twenty-three years ago)

No, but from what I can gather Dan lived it.

― felicity (felicity), Monday, 31 March 2003 04:59 (twenty-three years ago)

Did I mention Joey Lauren Adams plays a professor?

― slutsky (slutsky), Monday, 31 March 2003 05:10 (twenty-three years ago)

I was going to make a Dan/C. Thomas Howell joke, but then I realized I was thinking about Soul Man.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Monday, 31 March 2003 05:17 (twenty-three years ago)

oops, thought this was about me.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 31 March 2003 05:38 (twenty-three years ago)

drugs/basketball/gambling/sex at Harvard

haha preface with 'bad' and it would be closer to 'what really happened'

― geeta (geeta), Monday, 31 March 2003 05:46 (twenty-three years ago)

true, Horace?

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 31 March 2003 05:46 (twenty-three years ago)

true what?

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 31 March 2003 05:50 (twenty-three years ago)

Geeta is totally OTM, only remove the basketball and distribute the drugs/sex/gambling across 5% of the student population.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 31 March 2003 12:12 (twenty-three years ago)

What did the other 95% get, Dungeons and Dragons live action role-playing?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 31 March 2003 13:46 (twenty-three years ago)

45% get pre-med courses, 10% get D&D, 10% get daytime television, 35% get lab time, and 5% just sit in their rooms all day.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 31 March 2003 13:53 (twenty-three years ago)

that 5% are really living the dream.

― RJG (RJG), Monday, 31 March 2003 13:55 (twenty-three years ago)

Considering that's more than 100%, I am concluding you are using Wonkamatics.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 31 March 2003 13:55 (twenty-three years ago)

Harvard students are great at multitasking.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 31 March 2003 13:57 (twenty-three years ago)

No wonder you always look so suave.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 31 March 2003 13:57 (twenty-three years ago)

hello!

― Dave M. (rotten03), Monday, 31 March 2003 14:07 (twenty-three years ago)

Buffy is in this movie isn't she? *the sound of a slow derailment*

― Carey (Carey), Monday, 31 March 2003 14:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Haha Dave, like Princeton was any better! Transplant that out into the woods and add "eating clubs" and you've got the same thing. (Ditto Yale, only instead of adding woods add stabbings, gunshots, muggings, garottings, etc.)

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 31 March 2003 14:19 (twenty-three years ago)

Buffy's in the movie - she was terrible. The whole movie was unspeakably bad and dumb, terribly written, terribly acted. The script is so bad that if your friend gave it to you to read, and your friend was like five, you'd still say, "This is really bad, you should try harder."

Example of how dumb it is: a mafioso places a million dollar bet on an IVY LEAGUE BASKETBALL GAME.

I've heard a couple of people say they liked it, but it seriously was one of the worst movies I've ever watched.

And if you want to make it even worse, listen to a couple minutes of Toback's commentary on the DVD. He's unbelievably pretentious.

Except for maybe The Paper Chase, there's never been a good movie about Harvard. Ever.

― Chris Dahlen (Chris Dahlen), Monday, 31 March 2003 22:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually, the sad thing is I keep seeing the title of this thread as Horace Mann too, and keep thinking it's another one of his attempts to make everyone love him. HA. (It's still not working, H.)

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 00:36 (twenty-three years ago)

Though I find it strangely endearing.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 00:37 (twenty-three years ago)

Which probably means it IS working.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 00:37 (twenty-three years ago)

Buffy's in the movie as an Italian-American mob princess. Make of that what you will.

― slutsky (slutsky), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 01:05 (twenty-three years ago)

Dan what year were you?

― Amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 01:58 (twenty-three years ago)

for some reason I thought this was about that movie with the caveman who goes to college. Was it called Big Man on Campus or something?

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 02:01 (twenty-three years ago)

CALIFORNIA MAN

encino man to americans, I guess.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 02:02 (twenty-three years ago)

"Except for maybe The Paper Chase, there's never been a good movie about Harvard. Ever."

The Paper Chase isn't even a good comedy about HLS. No good movie has ever been made about Harvard.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 06:24 (twenty-three years ago)

What is not to Love?

http://ia.imdb.com/media/imdb/01/I/31/27/70m.jpg

― f (felicity), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 06:30 (twenty-three years ago)

no Anthony's thinking of Big Man on Campus

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 06:33 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh, I thought the one about the caveman who goes to college was this:

http://ia.imdb.com/media/imdb/01/I/29/99/02m.jpg

Encino Man, anyway.

― felicity (felicity), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 06:35 (twenty-three years ago)

featuring my fourth favorite Madonna song!

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 06:49 (twenty-three years ago)

Amateurist: I was class of '95.

People seem to be forgetting a very important film:
http://ia.imdb.com/media/imdb/01/I/56/38/30m.jpg

Also:
http://ia.imdb.com/media/imdb/01/I/86/89m.jpg

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 12:09 (twenty-three years ago)

How High seconded as k-brilliant.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 12:36 (twenty-three years ago)

actually, dan, i was referring to the undercurrent (nay, flood) of homoeroticism in your exchange with ned. speaking of which, you're absolutely right, only swap the d & d for 'tool activities, including debate panel and student government'.

― Dave M. (rotten03), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 12:54 (twenty-three years ago)

Surely any exchange between me and Ned is autoeroticism?

haha "tool activities"; I'm guessing the same personality types ran for student government on every campus on Earth.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 13:05 (twenty-three years ago)

Dan would have a field day with the "golden orbs" from Ali MacGraw's wedding vows in Love Story.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 15:06 (twenty-three years ago)

They showed us that movie "Rocky Horror"-style during Freshman Week.

"What can you say about a girl who's just died?"
"SHE'S UGLY!!!!!!"

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 15:13 (twenty-three years ago)

Only Toback flick I've seen is 'Fingers', thought Harvey Keitel and Jim Brown really overdid the sensitive-new-age-guy wimpery

― dave q, Tuesday, 1 April 2003 15:19 (twenty-three years ago)

my only Toback was "Black & White." total shit except when the Wu-Tang start having a meeting in the middle of scene and maybe Ben Stiller's performance. Mike Tyson deserved the academy award for What The Fuck?

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 19:35 (twenty-three years ago)

"Harvard Man" is kind of "Black & White" x '80s college gangster comedy.

― slutsky (slutsky), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 19:39 (twenty-three years ago)

Surely any exchange between me and Ned is autoeroticism?

Au-TO-mani-PU-la-TOR!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 April 2003 19:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Mutual Mental Masturbation?

― I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 03:11 (twenty-three years ago)

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