Movie Crush Monday: Little C and Real Genius

Dear readers,

In my youth I had what would generously be described as a small obsession with Val Kilmer. It was the 90's and he was at the top of his game and little Little C was enchanted. My favorite of his films (then and now) was the 1985 classic Real Genius

Mr. Kilmer plays a college senior Chris Knight who has given up on things like studying and attending class, and becomes roommate and mentor to an overwhelmed and over-stressed 16 year old Freshman named Mitch. They team up on lab projects as well as teaching Mitch how to survive college. The first half of the movie is really just about Chris and Mitch learning to live with each other. 

More accurately Mitch learning how to not kill Chris...

Fair warning, as with most 80's movies in this genre, it's a little over the top at times. There's a fully grown man who lives under the university who enters and exits his home through Mitch's closet. Lasers play a key role in the overall story. There's a pool party filled with nerds and what appear to be swim suit models. I would urge you to embrace the cheesy, because I promise if you can get on board this movie is a hell of a ride. 

The big draw with this movie (as with most movies I love) is the dialogue. In these modern times filled with mumble-core movies where *shudder* actors are encouraged to improv most of their lines and Hollywood tentpoles that have had at least ten different writers take passes at the script, more and more I view movies with one writer who wrote clever and snappy dialogue as comfort food. And this movie is perfect on that front. At one point Chris creates a make shift ice rink in the dorms and when teacher's pet Kent asks "What is this?" Chris deadpans back "This? This is ice. It's what happens to water when it gets to cold." and then turns to Mitch and says "This? This is Kent. It's what happens to people when they get too sexually frustrated."

So if you need me I will be parked on the couch for a few hours rewatching this film, and basking in the eternal wonder that is young Val Kilmer. 

Happy watching,

Little C