Tapeheads (1988)

"Tapeheads" came out in 1988, and somehow simultaneously manages to be hilariously dated yet strangely current. Obviously the clothes and the technology and the music are of the time, but the story itself could actually be updated quite easily (not that I want to encourage any more remakes). I thought I was fairly well-versed in John Cusack's filmography, but somehow this cult classic had slipped past me until now.

Ivan (John Cusack) and Josh (Tim Robbins) are security guards who hate their job. They throw a massive party in the building they're supposed to be securing, and end up getting fired. Josh uses his skills with video editing and Ivan takes advantage of his charm to create Video Aces, a music video production company. They get rejected by the big record labels repeatedly until they fall into favor with a small indie label. In order to build up some extra cash, they take a gig as a party videographer for a presidential candidate. They catch some illicit behavior on camera, which sets in motion the chase as some want to release the video to the media to discredit the politician, while obviously his staff wants to silence the Aces.

You could genuinely take this entire concept and just hurl it forward thirty years into our current time with no problem. Change music video producers to YouTube stars, change the video tape to a flash drive, have TMZ offering them cash for the footage while the presidential hopeful tries like hell to not alienate his constituents. It would all work, and I want to make this my claim to the remake rights. My idea, you heard it here first!

I'm surprised that I had never heard of this movie before. Ivan & Josh are a solid duo of slackers who want to take over the world. I think they rank up there with Wayne & Garth or Bill & Ted, but this whole movie brings some weird, different kind of humor. John Cusack famously used Fishbone as the music in his boombox while filming the "In Your Eyes" scene of "Say Anything..." and Fishbone has an odd cameo as a cowboy band in this movie. Other cameos include Lyle Alzado, Don Cornelius, Junior Walker, Weird Al Yankovic, Ted Nugent, Doug E Fresh, Jessica Walter, Bobcat Goldthwait, and Jello Biafra. Apparently the Monkees' Michael Nesmith (who also produced the movie) had a cameo so quick I didn't even notice, and according to IMDb, Courtney Love had an uncredited role. Beyond those quick characters, you have a Euro-trash techno band, an out-of-nowhere karate battle between the two female leads, and all sorts of other random surrealness.

This movie felt kind of like a college film, with one guy getting a bunch of his friends to act in it. Just flipping through your contacts, calling up buddies and asking if they're free, and then partying with them in between takes. It is a pretty textbook definition of cult movie; low production values, but a passion and enjoyment that lie beneath. It's not the greatest movie, but definitely worth your time to either add to your weirdo collection, or just look back at a young John Cusack with a bad mustache.