Wuchak Released in 1986, "One Crazy Summer" stars John Cusack as a wannabe cartoonist/writer who is invited to vacation on Nantucket Island (Massachusetts) with a friend. A string of misadventures begin after they pick-up a free-spirited hitchhiker (Demi Moore) who's being chased by a motorcycle gang. They and their friends must help Cassandra (Demi) save her grandfather's house from the greedy Beckersted Family.There's just enough good in this quirky youth misadventure to give it a thumbs up. It's zany and creative, highlighted by Demi in one of her early roles. She was 22 during filming and looks great, but she unfortunately wears big, loose clothing throughout, which conceals her physical beauty. No matter, there are a few curvy cuties in peripheral roles, most notably Kimberly Foster as cookie. The Godzilla parody is great.The movie runs 93 minutes and was shot in Nantucket and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.GRADE: B-

Scarecrow-88 It's a simple fact that there are many of us from the 80's generation who grew up loving those loopy John Cusack comedies made by Savage Steve Holland, and while I prefer there other more bizarre, out-there flick, Better Off Dead, it's hard for me to dislike One Crazy Summer, a movie I grew up loving wholeheartedly as a kid into my teens. OCS was a follow-up to Better Off Dead, returning Cusack and Curtis Armstrong from that film. Cusack is Hoops, following graduation pal Joel Murray(George)to Nantucket for the summer to each some fun on the beach. Hoops finds himself embroiled in a feud with a blonde, buff punk named Teddy Beckersted whose lecherous father has designs on bulldozing over homes of a neighborhood to build a giant condominium. One of the homes, needing it's mortgage repaid belongs to Demi Moore(Cassandra). There's a sailboat race which might be their only hope of saving Cassandra's grandfather's home(..he had recently passed), but it has been won by Teddy over the past many years, and Hoops is deathly afraid of boats over water. But, with the help and motivation of newfound Nantucket friends(..such as Bobcat Goldwait and Tom Villard as auto-mechanic twin brothers!), George, and budding love-interest Cassandra, perhaps Hoops can come to terms with his fears and win the race to save the neighborhood. Armstrong has a supporting part as the son of a kooky, manic weapons salesman, General Raymond(..SCTV's Joe Flaherty in an inspired bit of casting), Ack, who uses the training from his father to assist Hoops and company in their goals to win the race. Memorable scenes include Bobcat getting stuck in a Godzilla suit(!)running rampant across an entire model of Aguilla Beckersted(Mark Metcalf, barely recognizable as Teddy's rather unhinged pops)'s condominium, Hoops being chased by deranged cub scouts wishing to perform first aid, George a victim of toxic flatulence, Bruce Wagner's nutty Uncle Frank's increasing insanity every time he tries to better his chances to win 1 million dollars from a radio show, and the wonderful Billie Bird as George's grandma who actually bills the group after a meal! Jeremy Piven as(you guessed it)a brutish jerk who associates with Teddy and causes trouble for Hoops and his posse, the yummy Kimberly Foster as Cookie(..Teddy's girl who attempts to make-out with Hoops while he attends a luncheon with his father), and the one-and-only William Hickey as Old Man Beckersted, who will not reward his son and grandson an inheritance if they lose the sail boat race. Demi Moore is cute, but this is Cusack's vehicle, though Bobcat and Villard steal most of the scenes their in. Again, some delightful animation from Holland are sprinkled throughout the movie(Hoops is an artist, appropriately). If you like his movies, I highly recommend the underrated, How I Got Into College.

CitizenCaine Savage Steve Holland wrote and directed his second film, One Crazy Summer, with John Cusack and Curtis Armstrong again in a supporting role. Cusack and Bobcat Goldthwait are recent graduates headed to Cape Cod in order to stay at Goldthwait's grandmother's for the summer. Along the way, they bump into Demi Moore being pursued by John Matuszak and a motorcycle gang. Soon the three are united in trying to save a house from being turned into another lobster restaurant by a conniving, spoiled family that considers "work" a dirty word. The film contains several funny vignettes like the millionaire dollar radio contest gags and the Godzilla skit.Like Holland's first film, Better Off Dead, John Cusack adds immeasurably to the film. Otherwise, this is a dud of a film filled with contrived situations and idiotic characters (as opposed to quirky). Moore even sings a few bars in a nightclub with some horrible synthesizers. Goldthwait's gags wear thin after awhile, and Armstrong never was an actor of any caliber to appear in anything except grade Z stuff. The tow truck twins are extremely annoying and obnoxious instead of the endearing underdogs they're obviously meant to be. This is more of a hit or miss, kitchen sink comedy which could have used a better script and direction. *1/2 of 4 stars.

Pepper Anne 'One Crazy Summer' is something of a follow up to Director Savage Steve Holland's 1985 comedy, Better Off Dead. The situation is somewhat repeated in this movie, with John Cusak playing the innocent teen who's romantic quests are thwarted by an obnoxious blonde rival and his equally obnoxious father.John Cusak is Hoops McCann, legendary basketball player who has no skills whatsoever when it comes to the sport. Just like Lane Meyer in Better Off Dead, Hoops is good at cartooning, and his cartoons are used to help him sort out his dilemmas (well, as much as a cartoon can, anyway). Hoops, a fresh high school grad, joins his sloppy friend, George (you might remember actor Joel Murray as a recent sidekick in 'Dharma & Greg') at his grandmother's house near the beach. There, Hoops meets an aspiring lounge singer (Demi Moore in a role resembling that from 'No Small Affair') who is trying to raise money to save her grandfather's home from the likes of the fiendish rivals who want to knock it down and turn it into a luxury golf course. Hoops, the nice guy that he is, and all of his goofy friends (including the return of Curtis Armstrong and a supporting role by Bobcat Goldwaith), agree to do what they can to help out the girl.If you have seen Better Off Dead, you'll know to expect lots of stupid comedy and a great assortment of strange characters and subplots (including another strange sibling for Cusak's character, though not as weird as Badger in Better Off Dead). So, if you liked the first movie, you'll probably get a kick out of this one, though it doesn't have quite the same flare as its ancestor movie. And as always, if you enjoy early John Cusak comedy roles, this one is perfect for you. It is still a great 80s comedy.