''Mischief'' is a 1985 American
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
starring
Doug McKeon
Doug McKeon (born June 10, 1966) is an American actor who first achieved notability as a child actor.
Early life and career
McKeon was born on June 10, 1966, in Pompton Plains, New Jersey, and raised in Oakland, New Jersey, where he attended ...
, Chris Nash,
Catherine Mary Stewart
Catherine Mary Stewart (; born 22 April 1959) is a Canadian actress. Her film roles include '' The Apple'', ''The Last Starfighter'' and ''Weekend at Bernie's''. She was also the original Kayla Brady in '' Days of our Lives''.
Early life
Stewar ...
and
Kelly Preston
Kelly Kamalelehua Smith (October 13, 1962 – July 12, 2020), known professionally as Kelly Preston, was an American actress. She appeared in more than 60 television and film productions, including ''Mischief'' (1985), ''Twins'' (1988), '' ...
. The film was directed by
Mel Damski
Melvin Damski (born July 21, 1946 in New York, New York) is an American director and producer of film and television.
Life and career
Mel Damski (born in New York, New York) is an American film director and film producer. Damski has Northern Eu ...
and written by
Noel Black
Noel Black (June 30, 1937 – July 5, 2014) was an American film and television director, screenwriter, and producer.
Black was born in Chicago, Illinois. He won awards at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival for an 18-minute short subject filmed in ...
. The original music score was composed by
Barry De Vorzon
Barry De Vorzon (born July 31, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and composer. His earliest hit compositions were "Just Married" (1958), written with Al Allen and recorded by Marty Robbins, which reached number 26 on ''Billboar ...
.
Set in
Nelsonville, Ohio
Nelsonville is a city in northwest York Township in Athens County, Ohio. It is 60 miles southeast of Columbus. The population was 4,612 at the 2020 census originally, but an official citywide recount found the population to be 5,373, thus maint ...
, in 1956, its
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
features many popular songs from the era.
Plot
In
Nelsonville, Ohio
Nelsonville is a city in northwest York Township in Athens County, Ohio. It is 60 miles southeast of Columbus. The population was 4,612 at the 2020 census originally, but an official citywide recount found the population to be 5,373, thus maint ...
in 1956, nonconformist, extroverted Eugene "Gene" Harbrough moves from Chicago to next door to the introverted, clumsy Jonathan Bellah. They soon develop a friendship, with Gene deciding to take him under his wing and teach him how to attract women.
Jonathan's main objective is to win over the sexy Marilyn McCauley, in spite of his shyness. Gene proclaims that he can groom him to win her over in a month.
Gene has his own love life to maintain with his crush, Bunny Miller, who reciprocates his feelings. He also has to defend Jonathan and himself from the wealthy class bully, Kenny, Bunny's jealous
jock boyfriend.
After a confrontation at the drive-in, Kenny challenges Gene to a game with their cars, center line chicken. Neither backs down in time, so both cars are damaged. Gene's father hits him for damaging the car and grounds him. This shows the dysfunctional relationship he has with his widowed father, who has zero tolerance for Gene's often wild escapades.
Jonathan gives Gene much needed support and friendship. And likewise Gene helps him with his self-esteem. Marilyn agrees to go out with Jonathan and they get very involved. At the same time, Gene and Bunny progress with he talking about his future dream to own a horse stable.
After an evening scuffle at the local diner instigated by the pompous Kenny that results in some damage to the premises, Gene's father kicks him out. Gone for weeks, he reappears on the night of the prom. Hunting down Jonathan, they go to the prom without tuxes. Marilyn has gone with her ex, a quarterback she dated the previous year, Bunny is there with Kenny.
The guys take off, with Bunny trying to chase after Gene. A bit outside of town they stop and catch up. Gene has relocated to Kentucky, where he has gotten work in a stable. He's come back for Bunny, but now thinks she won't go with him. Jonathan goes to find her, they reconcile, and take off for Kentucky on his motorcycle.
Back in town, Jonathan informs Bunny's family that she's gone, stands up to Kenny by totaling his car and finally asks out Rosalie, who no longer has braces or glasses
Cast
*
Doug McKeon
Doug McKeon (born June 10, 1966) is an American actor who first achieved notability as a child actor.
Early life and career
McKeon was born on June 10, 1966, in Pompton Plains, New Jersey, and raised in Oakland, New Jersey, where he attended ...
as Jonathan Bellah
*
Chris Nash
Christopher David Nash (born 19 May 1983) is a retired English cricketer who represented Sussex and Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club in an 18-year professional career.
He also played first-class cricket for Loughborough UCCE in 2003 and 20 ...
as Eugene "Gene" Harbrough
*
Catherine Mary Stewart
Catherine Mary Stewart (; born 22 April 1959) is a Canadian actress. Her film roles include '' The Apple'', ''The Last Starfighter'' and ''Weekend at Bernie's''. She was also the original Kayla Brady in '' Days of our Lives''.
Early life
Stewar ...
as Bunny Miller
*
Kelly Preston
Kelly Kamalelehua Smith (October 13, 1962 – July 12, 2020), known professionally as Kelly Preston, was an American actress. She appeared in more than 60 television and film productions, including ''Mischief'' (1985), ''Twins'' (1988), '' ...
as Marilyn McCauley
*
D.W. Brown as Kenny Brubaker
*
Jami Gertz
Jami Beth Gertz (born October 28, 1965) is an American actress. Gertz is known for her early roles in the films ''Crossroads'', ''The Lost Boys'', '' Less than Zero'' and '' Quicksilver'', the 1980s TV series ''Square Pegs'' and 1996's ''Twister ...
as Rosalie Hewitt
*
Margaret Blye
Margaret Jane Blye (October 24, 1942 – March 24, 2016) was an American actress, also sometimes billed as Margaret Bly. She was best known for playing Michael Caine's girlfriend in ''The Italian Job'' (1969).
Early years
Her sister was casti ...
as Claire Miller
*
Graham Jarvis
Graham Powley Jarvis (August 25, 1930 – April 16, 2003) was a Canadian character actor in American films and television from the 1960s to the early 2000s.
Early years
Jarvis was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Margaret Biddulph (Scratche ...
as Mr. Miller
*
Terry O'Quinn
Terrance Quinn (born July 15, 1952), known professionally as Terry O'Quinn, is an American actor. He played John Locke on the TV series ''Lost'', the title role in '' The Stepfather'' and ''Stepfather II'', and Peter Watts in ''Millennium'', w ...
as Claude Harbrough
Production
Doug McKeon later called the film the most enjoyable he worked on. He said this was because "I turned 18 during the making of the film, and thus I was an “adult” for the first time in my career and didn't need a guardian with me anymore. Moreover, all the actors on that film (Chris Nash, Kelly Preston, Catherine Mary Stewart, and Jami Gertz) were so much fun to be around. Furthermore, the film took place in the 1950s, and driving the old cars, listening to that era's music, wearing the clothes, etc. It was really enjoyable."
Reception
On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
the film has an approval rating of 57% based on reviews from 7 critics.
The ''Boston Globe'' said the film "falls out somewhere in the middle of the nostalgia pile. It's not as bad as the worst, not as good as the best. It's likable, but it's stolen by its props. They're more specific than the characters, starting with the locale. The filmmakers were lucky to find the real-life town of
Nelsonville, Ohio
Nelsonville is a city in northwest York Township in Athens County, Ohio. It is 60 miles southeast of Columbus. The population was 4,612 at the 2020 census originally, but an official citywide recount found the population to be 5,373, thus maint ...
, for their look back at high school life in 1956. "
The ''Los Angeles Times'' said, "Neither terrible nor outstanding, it's the kind of middle-of-the-road picture that's hard to remember a week after seeing it. "
The ''New York Times'' said "if
Norman Rockwell
Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of Culture of the United States, the country's culture. Roc ...
had wanted to make ''
Porky's
''Porky's'' is a 1981 sex comedy film written and directed by Bob Clark about the escapades of teenagers in 1954 at the fictional Angel Beach High School in Florida. The film influenced many writers in the teen film genre and spawned two sequels: ...
'' he might have come up with something like ''Mischief'' a small-town fable about a sex-obsessed teenager. With its summery settings, pretty costumes and pastel hues, ''Mischief'' is nostalgic and then some; it has the quality of something remembered in especially flattering light."
References
External links
*
*
{{Mel Damski
1985 films
1985 romantic comedy films
American coming-of-age films
Romantic period films
Films about virginity
Films set in 1956
American teen comedy films
Films set in Ohio
20th Century Fox films
American sex comedy films
1980s English-language films
Films directed by Mel Damski
Films scored by Barry De Vorzon
1980s sex comedy films
Teen sex comedy films
1980s American films