The Prince of Pennsylvania

1988 "He's looking for love, happiness, wisdom, truth and the meaning of life. All by next Thursday."
5.6| 1h27m| R| en| More Info
Released: 10 October 1988 Released
Producted By: Columbia Pictures
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Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

Set in a remote Pennsylvania coal-mining town, this off-beat comedy follows the relationship between Carla, a hippie woman, and Rupert, a young punk rocker who feels like a pariah. Hoping to leave their current lives behind, the two conspire to kidnap Rupert's father and hold him for ransom.

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JuiceZee It is fun from first moment til last. Reeves is in nearly every scene in all his pre belly scar youthfulness. The story is preposterous but we have seen how he is on board for that over the years. It's LOL funny in some scenes. Well cast. Filmed in the writer/directors hometown in, get this...Pennsylvania. Rupert is smart and adorable and the cinematographers were savvy enough to get plenty of closeups. The love story is what dreams are made of as well as the intimate moments, one in particular that involves an erotic, in the moment, and sensually sloppy kiss. Over all it was a wonderful way to tell a story about small town issues, the 80's, teenaged angst, and intimacy problems. Of course, and it is right and good, that Rupert/Keanu solves all the personal problems in the end. I am seeing a lot of Henry's Crime here but that's just me. It made no sense that Bonnie Bedelia & Amy Madigan were nominated for Indie Spirit awards and Keanu was not, as it was clearly his movie. I will say no more. Make every effort to see it. Enjoy the wayback machine for 87 minutes.
Michael Neumann This unlikely sleeper poses an essential question for disenchanted teenagers: is quality time with your family better than being chained to the door of a refrigerator? For coal-miner's son Keanu Reeves the answer is a no-brainer: his father is a Vietnam War veteran turned ultra-conservative; his feisty mother is having an affair with dad's best buddy; and his only friend is a socially marginalized, die-hard hippie. Meanwhile everyone thinks Reeves has problems, but he's only trying to avoid conforming to Middle America's messy ideas about normality. And since a rebel in the 1980s needs some sort of cause, he invents one: kidnapping his own father and holding him hostage. There's more than one contrivance in the otherwise original and unpredictable screenplay: the young protagonist's mechanical aptitude and closet intellect (he likens himself to Socrates, who was killed for daring to tell the truth) don't fit his delinquent image, and the kidnapping scheme carries the plot too far into fantasy. But if nothing else the film is an offbeat satire of modern domestic friction, and a refreshing change of pace from the usual condescending screen treatments of adolescent angst.
Mickybinoz I remember seeing this film in my late teens and I just could not get over Keanu's haircut: I think it's brilliant and only K could pull it off (Mike Patton's close second in the Epic days)! Also Fred Ward is quite funny in it and Amy Madigan rocks too (lucky girl...)
kiddanno This movie has to be the best movie that no one has ever heard of. It has an all-star cast, great acting, and an entertaining story line. For anyone whose parents didn't understand why you didn't "fit in"... This movie is for you.