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One Crazy Summer

Play trailer Poster for One Crazy Summer PG Released Aug 8, 1986 1h 33m Comedy Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
45% Tomatometer 20 Reviews 63% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
After graduating from high school, art school hopeful Hoops McCann (John Cusack) struggles to complete his application to the Rhode Island School of Design. Resigning himself to a summer of boredom, McCann agrees to go along with his best friend, George Calamari (Joel Murray), on a family trip to Nantucket, Mass. But, after McCann and Calamari meet rocker-in-distress Cassandra (Demi Moore), it suddenly looks like it's going to be "one crazy summer."
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One Crazy Summer

Critics Reviews

View All (20) Critics Reviews
Pat Graham Chicago Reader [A] bright, occasionally imbecilic teen comedy. Jul 25, 2007 Full Review Nina Darnton New York Times John Cusack and Demi Moore are such charming personalities that they are appealing even in so silly a setting. There is a good chemistry between them. It would be interesting to see them make a film together, instead of being stock figures. Rated: 2/5 May 21, 2003 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Fresh off 1985's Better Off Dead, writer-director Savage Steve Holland and star John Cusack reunited for One Crazy Summer, which is basically more of the same minus that great "Two dollars!" running gag. Rated: 2.5/4 Aug 21, 2021 Full Review David Elliott Copley News Service One Crazy Summer is mostly another "wacky" frolic for the late-summer teen market. Aug 17, 2021 Full Review Ryan Murphy Miami Herald One Crazy Summer is all about this band of misfits who go to this real pretty island for the summer and meet up with this real pretty girl and then get into these real pretty dangerous situations. What shocking originality. Rated: 1/4 Aug 17, 2021 Full Review Tony Mastroianni Akron Beacon Journal One Crazy Summer has its moments and an appealing cast of talented performers. Perhaps some other time in some other movie... Rated: 2/4 Aug 16, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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claire c This is one of my favorite John Cusak movies. It's totally unique and of the wall. love the crazy murderous cartoon bunnies he draws. It's been years since I've seen it but I don't understand the poor reviews. Maybe it's not high brow enough or too morbid. I liked the edgyness of it and have always considered it a cult classic. Maybe you love it or you hate it. I loved it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/13/24 Full Review AL _ I'm 39 years old and have been revisiting watching this film each summer for about 15 years and ill continue to. A true comedy 80s style with a wonderful A+ cast of comedy tandems together for a truly (One Crazy Summer)! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/26/23 Full Review Michael M fun 80's movie that requires little thought to watch. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/09/23 Full Review Adam1Gee We'll begin with the very few good parts of the film. The soundtrack is wonderful like Better Off Dead and the animation sequences are well put together even if they are a bit generic. The characters are all one dimensional goofballs that hardly make a lasting impact to your memory once it's over. Hoops played by Cusack only possess interests to get the plot going along. He demonstrates how terrified he is of boats. Three fourths of the film he doesn't like boats and it's never explained why. He never opens up about it it's just to slow the progress parts of the film. He overcomes the fear not in a gradual way it's sudden as Cassandra just kisses him and that's it. They can get him as the captain to race the boat. His only hobby seems to be art and that's it. His goal of writing a love story is fulfilled but it's got no relatable problems. Demi Moore is Cassandra who is talented in singing. Her issue and the plot is to save the family's house and faculty for older people from the Beckersteds. She needs a couple hundred dollars to make the mortgage but is running out of time. She isn't making enough from her songs at the restaurants to make the money. She is then aided eventually by Hoops and his friends who plow through every problem with ease. The film itself parodies other movies but fails to make a good story. The Beckersteds are too stupid and clumsy to be a real threat to Cassandra. There's no real set up and pay off to the plot, it's characters or for the jokes. The problems any of the characters face are quickly solved by cheap, unintelligent and predictable jokes that tarnish any possible serious setbacks that the characters could face. The only time Hoops is set back is in a basketball game with Teddy Beckersted. This moment of defeat is the interrupted with Cassandra pepper spraying the bullies and everyone fleeing to safely. Hoops isn't punished for screwing with Teddy's relationship. The film allows its characters to have total control over everything and when they don't they can easily outsmart the already beat down Teddy. The characters are all shallow. They don't have any problems or even defining characteristics. Moore sings, Cusack doodles, Metcalf shouts, Goldthwait irritates and Armstrong is just kinda there. Goldthwait plays a hard to understand wacko who makes all scenes he is in pretty unbearable. He is difficult to hear about half the time and provides nothing to the plot other than being a nuisance. Armstrong's only two standout scenes are his introduction and where he saves a man from drowning. That's about it. His problems are also pretty brushed over. He is able to move in with his father after just being kicked out a few days before from the house. He has accomplished no aspects of his father's main request to join the army. He did save a life so there's a small plus there at least. The relationship between Hoops and Cassandra is just rubbish. They are granted a common goal of saving Cassandra's house and care facility and that's it. The film doesn't give them anything that they might share such as hobbies or interests. It's the worst kind of romance. No good romantic scenes between the two either. They have very few moments alone for the screen to show just them and their relationship. Basically, this film is too goofy to have serious stakes for the characters, the characters are not flushed out, there's too many characters, the jokes don't land at all as they are way too absurd and there is no real conflict or setbacks. Siskel and Ebert weren't largely right about their critiques on Better Off Dead. Most critiques thrown at that film apply here though. Not only do you know how a scene is going to play out with the jokes but it's not even amusing or even the least bit comical. Watch Better Off Dead instead! Rated 1 out of 5 stars 06/13/23 Full Review Chris B This is one of my favourite movies and it never gets old. I have probably watched it twenty times since the 80s and will probably watch it twenty more. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/07/22 Full Review Audience Member This is a Fun 80's film, but not a classic. It's not even close to Better Off Dead, but it does have some good laughs. My biggest question is...what happened to Savage Steve Holland? The cast of supporting characters really makes this movie funny and John Cusack and Demi Moore make it pretty average. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
One Crazy Summer

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Movie Info

Synopsis After graduating from high school, art school hopeful Hoops McCann (John Cusack) struggles to complete his application to the Rhode Island School of Design. Resigning himself to a summer of boredom, McCann agrees to go along with his best friend, George Calamari (Joel Murray), on a family trip to Nantucket, Mass. But, after McCann and Calamari meet rocker-in-distress Cassandra (Demi Moore), it suddenly looks like it's going to be "one crazy summer."
Director
Savage Steve Holland
Producer
Michael Jaffe
Screenwriter
Savage Steve Holland
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
A&M Films
Rating
PG
Genre
Comedy, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 8, 1986, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$13.4M
Runtime
1h 33m
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