“You need a license to buy a dog, or drive a car. Hell, you need a license to catch a fish! But they’ll let any butt-reaming asshole be a father.”
This era of Hollywood feels like so long ago. A $20million dollar comedy based on the shared parenting stories from Producer Brian Grazer, Director Ron Howard and Screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel. (Lowell and Babaloo may sound like an odd name, but back then seeing them in the credits was a sign you were probably in for a good time. They also wrote Splash, Night Shift, Spies Like Us, City Slickers and A League of Their Own). The group then assembled a truly diverse collection of acting talent, including Dennis Dugan (who would go on to direct sever Adam Sandler films) a young Joaquin Phoenix and Jason Robards, who you can assume aged into the same character he plays in Magnolia 10 years later. The result was a major Summer Hit both critically and commercially.
Back in 1989, I was naturally drawn to the lead couple, played by Steve Martin and Mary Steenburgen. This is a good time to mention the film successfully positioning itself as both a family comedy and a truly raunchy adult film, with jokes about vibrators – “It’s an electric ear cleaner.” – and my favorite line delivery when Steenburgen tries to relax Steve Martin while he’s driving and they end up in an accident. The cop asks “So how did this happen?” and Martin responds, “Show him, honey.” Today, I’m more drawn to the dramatic tension between Rick Moranis and Harley Jane Kozak, two actors who shouldn’t have faded away like they did. Moranis apologizes with an acapella rendition of “Close to You” in his fearlessly sweet, nerdy way.
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