Glory Daze (film)

Last updated
Glory Daze
Glory Daze film poster 1996.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed by Rich Wilkes
Written by Rich Wilkes
Produced byMichael Scott Bloom
Chris J. Slater (co-producer)
Starring
CinematographyChristopher Taylor
Edited byRichard Candib
Music by Warren Fitzgerald
Production
company
Seventh Art Productions
Distributed by
  • Fusion Studios, Inc.
  • Woodward Productions
  • Weiny Bro Productions
Release dates
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$15,134

Glory Daze is a 1995 American independent comedy film written and directed by Rich Wilkes and starring Ben Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Megan Ward, and French Stewart. It also features John Rhys-Davies, Alyssa Milano, and Spalding Gray in supporting roles. The plot concerns five college housemates in Santa Cruz, California who are facing graduation and make an attempt to prolong their carefree lifestyle before going their separate ways. Matthew McConaughey, Meredith Salenger, Matt Damon, Brendan Fraser, and Leah Remini all appear in minor roles. Music for the film was composed and selected by members of the punk rock band The Vandals, and the soundtrack features several punk rock bands of the era.

Contents

Plot

A scene early in the film was shot at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, with the actors riding various attractions. Santa Cruz, California - Boardwalk.jpg
A scene early in the film was shot at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, with the actors riding various attractions.

22 year-old Jack Freeman is graduating from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a degree in art, and is hurting from a recent breakup with his ex-girlfriend Dina. He shares a house called "El Rancho" with four friends: Rob is also graduating, and preparing to move to Los Angeles with his girlfriend Joanie, though he is worried about settling down and living so close to Joani's mother. Dennis is a perpetual student with three degrees who, after six years at UCSC, is moving on to an MBA program in Michigan. Mickey is a cartoonist with a year of college still to go, and has feelings for their friend Chelsea but is too shy to reciprocate her affections. Josh, aka "Slosh", had a promising academic future but failed out of college in favor of a life of drinking and working a series of menial jobs.

Art professor Luther criticizes Jack's final sculpture project for expressing an uninteresting, suburban, middle-class worldview, but praises Dennis' thesis—a photo-essay of Slosh getting drunk and working at dead-end jobs—and offers him an apprenticeship; Jack suggests that this is only because Luther has a homosexual attraction toward Dennis, a notion Dennis dismisses. Not wanting their college days to end, Jack convinces his friends to postpone their respective plans and stay at El Rancho for another year. They celebrate the decision by throwing a party, at which Chelsea, tired of her feelings for Mickey going unrequited, makes sexual advances toward Jack. He turns her down, and she leaves the party embarrassed. Rob gets into an argument with Joanie, causing her to leave angrily.

After the commencement ceremony the next day, Rob reconciles with Joanie and meets her mother, and they end up getting along. Jack argues with his parents over his future, and they leave abruptly. Jack encourages Mickey to pursue a relationship with Chelsea. Luther makes a pass at Dennis during a faculty luncheon, confirming Jack's suspicion about his ulterior motives. Dennis and Jack vent their frustrations with Luther by cutting down a totem pole that his sculpture students spent two semesters creating.

At a beach bonfire that night, Slosh tells Jack that it was Jack's carefree attitude that inspired him to give up on college, and that he does not regret his decision because he no longer fears what the future may hold. At Slosh's encouragement, Jack attempts to win back Dina, but she rebuffs him. Back at El Rancho, Mickey admits his feelings to Chelsea, and the two share a kiss. Jack and the others realize that they should not really stay another year, that it is time to move on with their adult lives. To preserve their memories of the house and prevent any future residents from despoiling it, they proceed to smash their furniture and belongings, culminating in the destruction of the bar counter that they had built together.

The next day, the five friends go their separate ways: Rob leaves for Los Angeles with Joanie, Dennis heads off to school in Michigan, and Mickey and Chelsea begin dating. Slosh moves in with a group of new students he has befriended, and hangs the El Rancho sign on their house. As Jack leaves town, he stops at a restaurant where Dina is eating with her new boyfriend, and writes "angst for the memories" on the window as a farewell message to her.

Cast

Affleck, Rockwell, Ward, and Stewart received top billing for the film, both in the billing block and opening credits, while Rhys-Davies, Milano, and Gray are listed as "special appearances". The theatrical film poster, however, advertised Affleck, Milano, and Stewart as the film's stars. Meredith Salenger is also credited with a "special appearance" as a fan of Mickey's comic strip. Several actors who later became stars in their own right had small roles in Glory Daze, including Matthew McConaughey as a rental truck salesman, Matt Damon in a non-speaking role as former El Rancho housemate Edgar Pudwhacker, and Brendan Fraser and Leah Remini as a couple who Jack argues with on a bus. Other small roles were played by Sean Whalen as a flunky, Jay Lacopo as the bus driver, and Alfred Sole as a fisherman.

Music

Warren Fitgerald (left) of The Vandals composed the score for Glory Daze. His bandmate Joe Escalante (right) supervised the music. They released the soundtrack album through their record label, Kung Fu Records. Warren Fitzgerald and Joe Escalante of The Vandals.jpg
Warren Fitgerald (left) of The Vandals composed the score for Glory Daze. His bandmate Joe Escalante (right) supervised the music. They released the soundtrack album through their record label, Kung Fu Records.

The musical score for the film's soundtrack was composed by Warren Fitzgerald, guitarist of the punk rock band The Vandals. Vandals bassist Joe Escalante served as music supervisor, along with Lia Vollack. The Vandals performed original music for the film score, including the "Theme from Glory Daze" which plays during the opening credits. "It's a Fact", from their then-upcoming album The Quickening , was included, and a music video was later released for the song featuring clips from the film. The soundtrack also features several other contemporary punk rock bands, mostly from California, including NOFX, Bad Religion, Tilt, The Mr. T Experience, Assorted Jelly Beans, The Bouncing Souls, and the New Bomb Turks.

Members of the cast and crew also contributed to the soundtrack. The song "Sports Pack" is sung by Vinnie DeRamus, who played Mickey, with writer and director Rich Wilkes on drums along with bassist Scott Marcano and a guitarist credited as "Gold"; for the soundtrack album they used the group name Epoxy. In the film's party scene, the El Rancho housemates' band perform two songs: The "Dudes of Steel Theme" with Rob singing, and a cover version of The Mr. T Experience's "Now We Are Twenty-One" with Slosh singing. Sam Rockwell and Vien Hong sang their respective characters' parts on these tracks (DeRamus also sang backing vocals on "Now We Are Twenty-One"), while the music was performed by Daniel Rey, Roger Murdock, and John Connor.

Soundtrack album

Glory Daze: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Glory Daze soundtrack cover.jpg
Soundtrack album
ReleasedSeptember 17, 1996 (1996-09-17)
Genre Punk rock, ska
Label Kung Fu (78761)

The soundtrack album for Glory Daze was released by Kung Fu Records, Escalante and Fitzgerald's recently launched independent record label. The album includes two songs not used in the film: "Joe Lies (When He Cries)" by The Bouncing Souls, and the previously unreleased Vandals song "Change the World with My Hockey Stick". Also, rather than the original Bad Religion version of "We're Only Gonna Die" used in the film, the album substitutes a live recording of a cover version performed by Sublime. Other songs used in the film but not included on the soundtrack album include "Kill All the White Man" by NOFX, "Clown Show" by Ednaswap, "She Ballin'" by Chappie Chap, and "Acetone" by Mudhoney.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."Theme from Glory Daze" Warren Fitzgerald The Vandals 1:26
2."It's a Fact" (from The Quickening , 1996)FitzgeraldThe Vandals2:05
3."Change the World with My Hockey Stick"FitzgeraldThe Vandals2:24
4."Here We Go" (from Maniacal Laughter , 1996)Pete Steinkopf, Shal Khichi, Bryan Keinlen, Greg Attonito The Bouncing Souls 1:59
5."Joe Lies (When He Cries)" (from The Argyle E.P. , 1993)Steinkopf, Khichi, Keinlen, AttonitoThe Bouncing Souls3:51
6."I Just Wanna Do It with You" (from Love Is Dead , 1996) Frank Portman The Mr. T Experience 1:59
7."Please Stop Fucking My Mom" (from Fuck the Kids , 1996) Fat Mike NOFX 1:00
8."Even Hitler Had a Girlfriend" (from Our Bodies Our Selves , 1993)PortmanThe Mr. T Experience2:27
9."Brain Dead" (from Assorted Jelly Beans, 1996) Richard Falomir, Ricky Boyer, Wylie Johnson Assorted Jelly Beans 2:39
10."Sports Pack" Rich Wilkes, Scott MarcanoEpoxy1:29
11."Country Time" (from Scientific, 1996)Deston Berry Hepcat 3:17
12."Crying Jag" (from Play Cell , 1993) Cinder Block, Jeffrey Bischoff, Vincent Camacho, Pete Rypins Tilt 2:27
13."Baby" (from The Billy Nayer Show, 1994) Cory McAbee The Billy Nayer Show 1:34
14."Runnin' on Go" (from !!Destroy-Oh-Boy!! , 1993)Eric Davidson, Jim Weber, Matt Reber, Bill Randt New Bomb Turks 2:10
15."The Moron Brothers" (from Ribbed , 1991)Fat MikeNOFX2:27
16."Berkeley Pier" (from ' 'Til It Kills , 1995)Block, Bischoff, Camacho, Gabe MelineTilt3:45
17."We're Only Gonna Die" (live; originally performed by Bad Religion) Greg Graffin Sublime 3:20

Reception

Reviewing the film in November 1995, when it was titled Last Call, Variety senior critic Emanuel Levy criticized Wilkes' direction as "awkward, lacking any visual flair" and said that "the movie makes its funny points early on, which means the second half is basically an elaboration. If the loose, anecdotal pic sometimes rambles and loses its main line, eventually it rights itself, with enough inventiveness and fresh, nasty humor to compensate for the dull moments." [1] Upon its theatrical release, Stephen Holden of The New York Times gave Glory Daze a positive review, saying "This tiny nostalgic comedy, with its smart collegiate chatter, is a much better movie than slick fatuities like The Jerky Boys (1995), Airheads (1994), and Billy Madison (1995), for which Mr. Wilkes wrote the screenplays. Of course that isn't saying much. But Glory Daze deftly sketches each member of its underachieving fivesome while sustaining a mood of humorously frazzled end-of-semester anxiety [...] Mr. Affleck's affably mopey performance finds just the right balance between obnoxious and sad sack. Even though he thoroughly deserves every comeuppance, you still have to sympathize with the poor guy." [2]

Edward Guthmann of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film a negative review, saying that it "doesn't cover any ground that wasn't already plowed and sprayed in previous slacker comedies" and that "there's no shape to the movie and no rhythm connecting the scenes to each other. Wilkes has a gift for nasty put-down lines, but his directing debut lacks heart and his leading man isn't a tad sympathetic – or even slightly redeemed by Affleck's sour performance." [3] Barbara Shulgasser of The San Francisco Examiner was also critical of it, calling it "another cynical movie about people in their 20s who don't know what to do with their lives [...] Writer-director Rich Wilkes doesn't insert much substance into the movie, but he does take the opportunity to make fun of art education. Jack's professor (John Rhys-Davies) tells him Jack's project has gotten 'lost in abstractionism'. 'Real art is subject to a complex filtration system', he goes on. 'I look at your stuff and I see 20th century American suburbia. It doesn't resonate.' Just the way I feel about this movie." [4] Joey O'Bryan of The Austin Chronicle also criticized Glory Daze, calling it "insipid [...] a loving, if not particularly funny, tribute to the slob-comedies of the Eighties, or, in other words, it's an Animal House (1978) wannabe with a condescending Gen-X slant [...] the film's sense of social satire is hopelessly pedestrian, the dialogue stale ('He changed his major more often than his underwear'), and the editing is amateurish, with many scenes beginning too late and ending too early." [5]

Reviewing the DVD release of the film in 2002, Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club compared it unfavorably to 1995's Kicking and Screaming , calling it "a considerably weaker variation on the same themes [...] Glory Daze is not a good movie, but it does illustrate some of the frustrating clichés that the Gen Angst genre has accumulated in the nearly four years since Reality Bites (1994) appeared." [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>A Goofy Movie</i> 1995 American animated film by Kevin Lima

A Goofy Movie is a 1995 American animated musical comedy-adventure film produced by Disney MovieToons and Walt Disney Television Animation. Directed by Kevin Lima, the film is based on The Disney Afternoon television series Goof Troop created by Robert Taylor and Michael Peraza Jr., and serves as a standalone follow-up to the show. Taking place three years after the events of Goof Troop, the film follows Goofy and his teenage son Max as they embark on a misguided cross-country father-son fishing trip across the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Affleck</span> American actor and filmmaker (born 1972)

Benjamin Géza Affleck is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educational series The Voyage of the Mimi (1984–1988). He later appeared in the independent comedy Dazed and Confused (1993) and several Kevin Smith comedies, including Chasing Amy (1997).

<i>Dazed and Confused</i> (film) 1993 film by Richard Linklater

Dazed and Confused is a 1993 American coming-of-age comedy film written and directed by Richard Linklater. The film follows a variety of teenagers on the last day of school in Austin, Texas, in 1976. The film has no single protagonist or central conflict; rather, it follows interconnected plot threads among different social groups and characters, such as rising ninth graders undergoing hazing rituals, a football star's refusal to sign a clean living pledge for his coach, and various characters hanging out at a pool hall. The film features a large ensemble cast of actors who would later become stars, including Jason London, Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Cole Hauser, Parker Posey, Adam Goldberg, Matthew McConaughey, Nicky Katt, Joey Lauren Adams, and Rory Cochrane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Paulsen</span> American voice actor (born 1956)

Robert Frederick Paulsen III is an American voice actor and voice director, known for his roles in numerous animated television series and films. He received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program and three Annie Awards for his role as both Yakko and Pinky in the Animaniacs franchise. His other voice roles include Hadji in The New Adventures of Jonny Quest (1986–1987) and The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest (1996–1997); Raphael in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987–1996); P.J. Pete in Goof Troop (1992), A Goofy Movie (1995), and An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000); Jaq in Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002) and Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2007); and Mac in The Looney Tunes Show (2011–2013) and Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run (2015).

<i>Snatch</i> (film) 2000 movie by Guy Ritchie

Snatch is a 2000 crime comedy film written and directed by Guy Ritchie, featuring an ensemble cast and set in the London criminal underworld. The film contains two intertwined plots, one dealing with the search for a stolen diamond, the other with a small-time boxing promoter who finds himself under the thumb of a ruthless gangster who is ready and willing to have his subordinates carry out severe and sadistic acts of violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Rockwell</span> American actor (born 1968)

Sam Rockwell is an American actor. He is known for playing distressed police officer Jason Dixon in Martin McDonagh’s crime drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was nominated in the same category the following year for portraying George W. Bush in Adam McKay's political satire Vice (2018). In 2019, he portrayed Bob Fosse in the FX biographical miniseries Fosse/Verdon, earning a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award, and in 2022, he received a Tony Award nomination for his performance in the Broadway revival of David Mamet's American Buffalo.

<i>Glory Road</i> (film) 2006 American sports drama film by James Gartner

Glory Road is a 2006 American sports drama film directed by James Gartner, based on a true story surrounding the events leading to the 1966 NCAA University Division Basketball Championship. Don Haskins portrayed by Josh Lucas, head coach of Texas Western College, coached a team with an all-black starting lineup, a first in NCAA history. Glory Road explores racism, discrimination and student athletics. Supporting actors Derek Luke and Jon Voight also star in principal roles.

<i>Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man</i> 1991 film

Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man is a 1991 American neo-Western biker film starring Mickey Rourke and Don Johnson, with a supporting cast including Chelsea Field, Tom Sizemore, Daniel Baldwin, Giancarlo Esposito, and Vanessa Williams who also contributes to the film's soundtrack. It was directed by Simon Wincer from a screenplay by Don Michael Paul.

<i>Reindeer Games</i> 2000 film by John Frankenheimer

Reindeer Games is a 2000 American action thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer in his final feature directorial outing before his 2002 death. It stars Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise, Charlize Theron, Dennis Farina, James Frain, Donal Logue, Danny Trejo, and Clarence Williams III. The film revolves around ex-convict Rudy Duncan, who is dragged into a situation against his will: he must help a group of thieves rob a casino in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, or he will be killed.

<i>Lonesome Cowboys</i> 1968 film

Lonesome Cowboys is a 1968 American Western film directed by Andy Warhol and written and produced by Paul Morrissey. The film is a satire of Hollywood Westerns, and was initially screened in November 1968 at the San Francisco International Film Festival, where it won the Best Film Award. On May 5, 1969, it was shown for initial viewings at the New Andy Warhol Garrick Theatre in New York City.

<i>Gone Baby Gone</i> 2007 American film

Gone Baby Gone is a 2007 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Ben Affleck in his directorial debut. Affleck co-wrote the screenplay with Aaron Stockard based on the 1998 novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane. The film stars Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan as two Boston private investigators hunting for a young girl abducted from her single mother's apartment in Dorchester. The supporting cast includes Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, and Amy Ryan. It was the final film to be released by The Ladd Company before its closure on December 19, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich Wilkes</span> American filmmaker (born 1966)

Richard "Rich" Wilkes is an American filmmaker and musician. His work is noted for its rooting in contemporary music and youth culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Ryder</span> American television and film actor

Eddie Ryder was an American television and film actor, as well as a writer and television director. Ryder was born in New York City and died in El Paso, Texas.

<i>The Town</i> (2010 film) 2010 American crime thriller film directed by Ben Affleck

The Town is a 2010 American crime thriller film co-written and directed by Ben Affleck, adapted from Chuck Hogan's 2004 novel Prince of Thieves. The film stars Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Titus Welliver, Pete Postlethwaite, Chris Cooper and Slaine. Its plot follows a Boston bank robber who begins to develop romantic feelings for a victim of one of his previous robberies, while he and his crew set out to get one final score by robbing Fenway Park.

Andrew Sugerman is an American film producer. He attended the University of Rochester and subsequently the NYU – Tisch School of the Arts. Andrew began his career in television commercials and educational films in New York, then moved to Los Angeles, where he now resides, to work in theatrical feature films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Affleck filmography</span> List of films featuring Ben Affleck

American actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck began his career as a child, appearing in several television shows, including the PBS educational program The Voyage of the Mimi (1984). He played an antisemite in the sports film School Ties (1992) and featured as a regular on the television drama Against the Grain (1993). He gained attention for playing the supporting part of a high-school senior in Richard Linklater's cult film Dazed and Confused (1993), after which he had his first leading role in Rich Wilkes's comedy Glory Daze (1995). In 1997, Affleck played a comics artist in Smith's art-house success Chasing Amy. He co-wrote the script and starred with Matt Damon in Gus Van Sant's drama film Good Will Hunting, for which they won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

<i>Gods Pocket</i> 2014 American film

God's Pocket is a 2014 American drama film directed by John Slattery, his feature film directorial debut. Slattery co-wrote the screenplay with Alex Metcalf, based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Pete Dexter. The film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, John Turturro, Christina Hendricks, and Richard Jenkins. The film premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival to mixed critical reviews, and was picked up for domestic distribution by IFC Films. The film is set in a poor working class South Philadelphia neighborhood modeled on Devil's Pocket, but filmed in Yonkers, New York, and New Jersey.

<i>Dead in Tombstone</i> 2013 film

Dead in Tombstone is a 2013 American direct-to-video horror Western film produced by Universal 1440 Entertainment. It was directed by Roel Reiné and written by Shane Kuhn and Brendan Cowles. The film stars Danny Trejo as Guerrero, a gang leader who gets double-crossed by his fellow gang members. Striking a pact with the Devil after entering Hell, he resurfaces to the earthly world to avenge his own death by killing the men who murdered him. The film was released in home media on October 22, 2013, and was followed by a sequel, Dead Again in Tombstone (2017).

The 16th Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards were announced on December 8, 2017.

<i>The Way Back</i> (2020 film) 2020 American sports-drama film directed by Gavin OConnor

The Way Back is a 2020 American sports drama film directed by Gavin O'Connor and written by Brad Ingelsby. It stars Ben Affleck in the main role, Al Madrigal, Michaela Watkins, and Janina Gavankar, and follows an alcoholic construction worker who is recruited to become head coach of the basketball team at the high school where he was a star.

References

  1. Levy, Emanuel (1995-11-05). "Review: Last Call". variety.com. Variety . Retrieved 2015-11-21.
  2. Holden, Stephen (1996-09-27). "Movie Review: Glory Daze (1996) – A Major in Parties and a Minor in Art". The New York Times . Retrieved 2015-11-20.
  3. Guthmann, Edward (1996-09-27). "Film Review – More 'Daze' Than 'Glory' Here / Santa Cruz Slacker Film a Tired Rehash". sfgate.com. San Francisco Chronicle . Retrieved 2015-11-21.
  4. Shulgasser, Barbara (1996-09-27). "More Daze Than Glory". sfgate.com. The San Francisco Examiner . Retrieved 2015-11-21.
  5. O'Bryan, Joey (1996-10-11). "Glory Daze". austinchronicle.com. The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved 2015-11-21.
  6. Phipps, Keith (2002-05-29). "Glory Daze: DVD Review". avclub.com. The A.V. Club . Retrieved 2015-11-21.