Get Your Hump On with Big Man on Campus (1989)
I tell you what, after a weekend of creepy dead people in caskets, satanic advances at a beach house, and a pretty depressing movie about some 70’s cops, I was more than ready for some lighter fare and 80s fun! The recommendation for Big Man on Campus (1989) came in at just the right time.
I was born in the 70s and grew up in the 80s, and even though I’ve been a huge fan of film this whole time, there are quite a few gaps in my movie watching from those decades. Back then (stone age!) we didn’t have the Internet to help us find a site like MovieSlap.com. We just had to catch something on a whim when it showed up on cable, or maybe the 17 year old dude at the local Blockbuster had the occasional inspired recommendation. I was a bit of a late bloomer, and my first serious relationship didn’t happen until I was 18 and dating a woman in her mid-20s. I recall her recommending a film called Heathers (1988), which introduced me to both Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, both of who are still very active in Hollywood today. But for the most part, non-mainstream films often fell into the cracks, and I think today’s review is a good example.
Big Man on Campus is inspired by The Hunchback of Notre Dame and centers on an awkward fella who is reportedly seen around the quad, and has a mysterious reputation just shy of Bigfoot. He is portrayed by a gentleman named Allan Katz, who also wrote the screenplay. I mention him first because not only did he do a great job as “Bob,” the awkward, rope-swinging, chocolate-loving fella mentioned above, but beneath the surface of what appears at first glance to be a silly, somewhat pointless 80s film, is dialogue that ends up being pretty darn witty and humorous. I had never heard of Mr. Katz prior to this film, but he has some seriously impressive writing credits dating back to the early 70s. He wrote for such legendary shows as M*A*S*H, All in the Family, Sanford and Son, and Roseanne. If you grew up on those shows, as I did, then you know we’re dealing with a very talented writer here. I think this one appealed to me largely because my sense of humor is a lot like this film. I enjoy a bit of witty banter on the one hand, but on the other, I can get down with some toilet humor and fart pranks like the best of them.
In all honesty, a lot of these 80s films are probably going to get me with just the nostalgia factor alone. Let’s face it, those of us who grew up back then are starting to see quite a few changes in the ol’ mirror. Time marches on, as they say. While it’s great when modern movies make meticulous effort trying to recreate the 80s in order to tell a tale specific to that time in history, nothing beats seeing things as they really were. It’s just a whole lot of fun, and while I freely admit my bias, I promise I’ll always do my best to foster an undercurrent of objectivity. That being said, the next time you just want some 80s fun on the screen, track down Big Man on Campus and fire it up.
Score: 7.4/10
Starring: Allan Katz, Corey Parker, Cindy Williams, and Melora Hardin
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