The highly entertaining musical-comedy "Eternity: The Movie," which is initially being theatrically released in New York City on October 17 2014 and Los Angeles a week later in advance of a nationwide roll out has the satisfying vibe of a successful film based on SNL characters.
The following clip, courtesy of YouTube, of the trailer for "Eternity" offers a good look at the '80s style and the homoerotic humor of the film.
Barrett Crake steals the show as Daryl Hallesque naive dim-witted farm boy Todd Lucas, who comes to Los Angeles with dreams of musical stardom. His rapid meeting with John Oatesesque mcjob co-worker B.J. Fairchild, played by Myko Olivier, almost as quickly leads to the boys forming a duo that achieves proportionally overnight success.
Crake's hair, clothes, youthful exuberance, and perpetually befuddled (and highly effeminate) expressions wonderfully bring back the '80s. Further, Olivier has the hustler look and attitude from the era down pat.
Also in typical '80s film style, the boys experience conflict regarding fairly literal girl-next-door who shares the affection of Todd but has an attitude that is closer to that of B.J.
The triangle, predictable professional challenges, and the fickle nature of the music business provide fodder for decent to highly amusing comedy. Further, Crake and Olivier may be more Franco and (fill in the blank) than a classic comedy team but do a decent job in this broad farce of an era in which the fashions and mores are easy targets.
Amusing moments include Fairchild's television-inspired sax performance early in the film, an orgy and the aftermath thereof involving our heroes, a rockin' '80s-style music video, and a very funny cameo by '80s star Eric Roberts. Additionally, the songs (which include the especially amusing "I Want to Make Love, Not Just Sex) contribute several laughs.
A more general nice thing about "Eternity" is that it succeeds where many SNL-themed films fail. Bombs such as "Coneheads" and "A Night at the Roxbury" demonstrate that concepts that make successful 10-minute skits often cannot carry a 90-minute film, and "Eternity" shows that a similar effort in the right hands can do better.
Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Eternity" is welcome to email me. You can also connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.
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