Calendar Girl (1993)

Wonderful character development!

i know i wasted 90 mins of my life.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

A routine but pleasant comedy about three best friends (Jason Priestley, Gabriel Olds, Jerry O'Connell) who are obsessed with Marilyn Monroe. They pool their resources to plan a road trip to meet their idol. Film is set in 1962 and uses good attention to period detail and music.

Three friends grow up worshipping Marilyn Monroe. When they are in their late teens they decide to drive out to Hollywood to meet her. Roy, Ned and Scott head off a week before Roy is due to join the army. They stay with Roy's uncle Harvey and begin their quest, however Roy has borrowed mobster money and his fathers car for the trip and before long the Gallo brothers come looking for their cash.As I sat to watch this, it did cross my mind that I didn't really need to watch another coming of age movie set in the 50's and 60's. However I thought the premise was interesting enough to justify the time. However the film fails to use the idea of the quest to meet Monroe to raise anything more than a few laughs. We also have to deal with the usual subplots of teenage angst, girls, sex, anger at father etc, these take even more of the comedy away leaving a so-so comedy with bits of drama forced in.The characters are standard – Priestly plays the cocky one, Olds plays the thoughtful one and O'Connell plays the shy, cowardly one. The only interest is provided by the support cast - Pantoliano is good as Roy's uncle with a typically Hollywood obsession with looks and Tobolowsky and Fuller provide the only quirky characters as the Gallo's. The idea of Monroe as the holy grail would have worked better if the film didn't try to have her as a shadow but also use her – her memory is badly used here.Overall this has some funny scenes but not enough to justify the film. The coming of age drama doesn't really work and I think we've all got the `seize the day' message by now. Average.

Calendar Girl takes time in 1962.There are these three young men Roy(Jason Priestley), Ned(Gabriel Olds) and Scott (Jerry O'Connell).They become big fans of Marilyn Monroe after quitting their interest for Howdy Doody.Roy decides that they all should go to Hollywood to meet miss Marilyn Monroe. And soon they're off their way to Hollywood, California.But they find out that it's not that easy to meet such a big star.And they have lots of other problems.But they just keep trying without giving up.They follow Marilyn where ever she goes.Finally they get a little closer to Marilyn.One of them even gets to have a date with miss Monroe.Then these three buddies have to go home.From there Roy is off his way to army. So these three friends are going their own ways.Soon they tell on the news that miss Marilyn Monroe is dead. Calendar Girl is a very entertaining movie.

Priestley tries to bring that handsome charm from the small screen to the big screen in this dull fantasy about three high school grads who fulfill their dream date with Marilyn Monroe in 1962 Hollywood. Priestley is a capable young actor, but he needs better scripts than this.