 |
| Repo Man: The Poster |
The passing of a couple of The Monkees (I never really cared for them, but
they had a cool car) got me thinking about another Monkee, Michael Nesmith, whose
Monkee-ass produced one of the most highly amusing and entertaining films of
the 1980's as far as I’m concerned; 1984's Repo
Man.
 |
| Whatever you do... |
|
 |
| ..don't look in the fucking TRUNK! |
 |
| What did I just say? |
With plot elements and devices that contain things like dysfunctional
families, alienated and disaffected youth, punk rock, betrayal, drug and
alcohol abuse, religious fanatics, corrupt televangelists, blatant disregard
for public safety, street terrorism, violent and non-violent crime, more
betrayal, asshole Mexicans, asshole white guys, asshole black guys, impersonations
of law enforcement and medical personnel, car chases, car theft, reckless
driving, disorderly conduct, highly radioactive and human-combusting space
aliens, crazed nuclear scientists, convenience stores, convenience store
robberies, cutthroat competition, even more betrayal, workplace violence,
sexual harassment, strange and evil government agents, bizarreness, weirdness, strangeness
on a massive scale, and cars, cars, cars, Los Angeles, California was the
perfect location for the setting of this film.
 |
| Otto in a cleaner part of LA |
The story centers around Otto, a typical rebellious white teenager
surrounded by people who really don’t seem to give much of a shit about him,
especially his friends and parents. After getting fired from his job and losing
his bitchy girlfriend to his prickly best friend, Otto dejectedly kicks around
the grimy streets of LA until being tricked by a repo man into helping him
recover a car.
 |
| "Fuck you, queer!" |
After following the repo man to his lot, the rest of the repo
men attempt to recruit Otto without success; Otto’s reply to their offer was to
pour a can of beer on the floor, which only enhanced his creds in the repo
men’s eyes, whose firm is deceptively named the Helping Hand Acceptance Corporation.
 |
| Otto acing his job interview |
Otto finally goes home after a long day. After finding out that his
parents, a pair of hippy stoner Christians, donated money they saved for him to
buy Bibles for El Salvador, Otto decides to hit up the repo men of Helping Hand
on their offer. While Otto learns the repo ropes, his former friends graduate
to dining and dashing, armed robbery, burglary, and, not surprisingly, car
theft.
 |
Otto's former friends in "grad school"
|
 |
The Repo Men feeling the need for speed; Otto feels the burn
|
 |
Less than utterly charming: Otto learns the hard way the "Dead Rat Toss" doesn't always work
|
 |
| A very limited edition 1964 Malibu |
Weaving in and out of the movie is the MacGuffin; a 1964 Chevy Malibu,
being driven by a mad scientist who is getting madder by the minute, and is also
rapidly dying from some strange form of radiation but keeps babbling on about
how radiation is harmless.
 |
| "Neutrons are good" |
The Malibu appears on the repo men’s computer network with an unusually
large reward of $20,000, which in addition to already having the attention of
the United Fruitcake Outlet, brings in the repo men’s competition and arch
enemies, the hermanos Rodriguez, but these guys are nothing compared to the
evil government agents on their trail, led by an attractive and patrician-looking
woman with a glittery metal hand, who said one of the best lines of the movie:
“No one is innocent.”
 |
| Otto's nemesis |
 |
| Women scorned and torturing Otto: "Increase the voltage" |
The story ends with the Malibu, the entire car now glowing a bright and
erie-looking green, spontaneously-combusts anyone coming near it, except for
the repo men’s trippy (and ironically, non-driving) yard mechanic, who throughout
the movie would let out little insights, such as:
“The more you drive, the less intelligent you are.”
 |
| Alien driving privileges granted |
The mechanic enters the glowing Malibu, gets behind the wheel, and beckons
for Otto to come with him. Otto is indifferent to his on-again, off-again
girlfriend’s protests:
Leila: What about our relationship?
Otto: What?
Leila: Our relationship!
Otto: Fuck that!
Leila: You SHITHEAD! I'm glad I tortured you!
 |
| Up, up and away...in LA |
Otto enters the Malibu, which suddenly gains the ability to fly, and the
two go zipping around the skies of Hollyweird. The End.
