Matinee

Matinee feels like a checklist movie; John Goodman right in the middle of his Roseanne dominance. Joe Dante directing, Dick Miller doing Dick Miller things, and yes, the kid from Hocus Pocus and Eerie, Indiana. That last one still messes with my sense of time, considering it was only a few years removed from Roseanne premiering.

I saw Matinee as a kid but never really revisited it. I think I forgot it existed. That feels like a miss, because this is exactly the kind of movie that probably benefits most from a childhood nostalgia bump. My strongest memories were of MANT! and the interactive movie theater gimmick, which says a lot about what sticks.

So does it hold up all these years later. Yeah, mostly. It drags in spots, but it’s also deeply comforting. Stylistically, this is peak Joe Dante. The colors are rich, the pacing is inoffensive but a little off, the satire is sharp without being mean. There's a love for old monster movies and theatrical showmanship in every frame.

Where it struggles is the story. The Cuban Missile Crisis mixed with an eccentric movie theater owner never quite gels into a strong central thread. It feels disheveled, like several good ideas circling each other without one clear engine pushing the film forward (sort of like Caddyshack before the gopher was introduced). When all the storylines converge at the end, it’s fun, but it also highlights the problem. These feel like side stories pretending to be the main course. There’s no single thread pulling you through the movie.

That said, the vibes carry it a long way. Goodman is fantastic, clearly having a blast, and the movie’s affection for spectacle and communal moviegoing is infectious. It’s a love letter to a specific era of cinema, even if it is a little messy.

Also, I would ABSOLUTELY watch a Dante-directed MANT! movie. Just hook it to my veins!!!