Playing For Keeps

Year releasted: 1986

by Nathan Rabin
November 3rd, 2004

Tagline:
"It's what you need to succeed."

Plot:
A recent New York high-school graduate inherits a rundown small-town hotel and decides, with the help of two lifelong chums, to turn it into a rock 'n' roll hotel "for kids only," featuring such rad accoutrements as "MTV in every room," a "Quiet Riot diet," a video arcade, and suites themed after Mick Jagger and Prince. But the kids face formidable obstacles, including police harassment, a hostile building inspector, belligerent locals spreading rumors that the hotel will feature "LSD in every room," and a snob intent on turning the town into a chemical dump. Matters look grim, but the plucky dreamers hatch a ridiculously elaborate scheme involving mislabeled groceries, rigged jukeboxes, and phony nuns.

Key scenes:
In an early photo montage, earnest 18-year-old narrator Matthew Penn (otherwise known as the least talented Penn brother) dreamily insists, "Crazy's the way it's always been for me and my best buddies, Silk and Danny." Danny (Daniel Jordano) later tries to rope Penn into his hotel scheme by promising him a job as athletic director, leading to a fantasy sequence in which Penn imagines wearing a gold medal and swimming trunks that leave little to the imagination. Meanwhile, scantily clad sexpots writhe amid a gaudy wonderland of dry ice and weird glitter effects, and Marisa Tomei climactically offers Penn a plate full of pastries, with herself as dessert. Jordano next promises a spot at the nightclub to his dancing pal Silk (Leon W. Grant), who fantasizes that he's wearing a hat with his name on it and dancing through fantasy scenarios in which he shoots bolts of electricity at women, making them dance.

Can easily be distinguished by:
A montage sequence set to music by Arcadia; a happening soundtrack featuring Julian Lennon, Peter Frampton, and Sister Sledge; and future moguls Bob and Harvey Weinstein, working as writers, directors, and producers.

Timeless message:
Dreamers should follow their dreams, even if they have to commit numerous crimes—often against fashion and taste—and appear in a series of montage sequences.

Memorable quotes:
After disapprovingly noting the presence of Merle Haggard and Kate Smith tracks on the jukebox in the town diner, Grant asks, "Hasn't anyone around here heard of Michael Jackson or Billy Idol?"