To quote or not to quote? An audience participation guide to Point Fish Fry & A Flick
CJ Foeckler
In an age of cell phones and mouth-breathing dopes who refuse to shut their face-holes for longer than five seconds, watching movies in a theater can be a dicey proposition. Happily, watching movies in the great outdoors is a much more relaxed experience. Now entering its fourth year, the five-week, Friday-night Point Fish Fry & A Flick movie series offers all the pleasures of a jovial outdoor theater, transforming the exterior of Discovery World into a virtual 41 Twin on the lake. Point beer will be available, and Bartolotta Restaurants will provide the “fish fry” portion of “Fish Fry & A Flick.”
Before the free series kicks off tonight with a screening of Zoolander, we take a look at the entire schedule and provide a few pointers for those moviegoers looking to shout along to their favorite quotes.
Aug. 10: Zoolander
Representative quote: “Moisture is the essence of wetness, and wetness is the essence of beauty.”
Ben Stiller’s piss-take on the world of clueless male fashion models (a world that was dying to be taken down a peg) wasn’t exactly a hit when it was released in 2001, but it has managed to gain a sizable cult following. (Chalk it up to the power of “Blue Steel,” we suppose.) Watching and quoting Zoolander in the company of hundreds of (hopefully) ridiculously good-looking Milwaukeeans should prove to be a perfectly ridiculous time, especially with drink specials like this.
Aug. 17: Grease Sing-along
Representative quote: “Oh, bite the weenie, Riz.”
Ah, Grease: a magical time (the ’70s) when nearly every filmmaker in America was obsessed with another magical time (the ’50s). And if the words “sing-along” aren’t enough of a tip-off, shouting along to this screening is not only welcome, it’s encouraged. That’s a good thing: Grease may be the definition of a “mom movie,” but at least the songs are good—especially “You’re The One That I Want,” which you know you secretly love.
Aug. 24: Pulp Fiction
Representative quote: “English, motherfucker, do you speak it?”
FF&AF goes to great lengths to remind moviegoers that its films may not be suitable for impressionable tykes. “This is NOT a Children’s Movie Series,” reads a disclaimer on the series’ website. “The Films are RATED R! Children are welcome to come early for the Fish Fry and to enjoy the festivities, but if you plan on staying for the film we advise that you PLEASE leave your children at home.” And even if you think little Cody, Caleb, or Olive can handle John Travolta in Grease, they’re probably not ready for John Travolta in Pulp Fiction. And they’re definitely not ready to overhear the many, many lines fans will be quoting from this highly quotable, wonderfully vulgar flick.
Aug. 31: The Wizard Of Oz shown to The Dark Side Of The Moon
Representative quote: “Whoa…”
The urban legend of the synchronicities that emerge when you cue up Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon to The Wizard Of Oz are almost as old as the album and the film themselves. Still, there’s always a new generation of high schoolers to impress with this multi-media mind-fuck. (“The Scarecrow dances to ‘Brain Damage’? Whoa…”) As for shouting out quotes, this is one FF&AF that practically demands to be viewed in awed, glassy-eyed, and, er, “fish-fry-assisted” silence. At least until the 43-minute mark, when Dark Side ends and Wizard continues for another less-than-trippy hour.
Sept. 7: Major League
Representative quote: “Nice catch, Hayes. Don’t ever fuckin’ do it again.”
When future generations look up “saving the best for last” in the Wiktionary of their choice, they’ll inevitably see a picture of Major League closing out the 2012 Fish Fry & A Flick season. Not only does this 1989 masterpiece rival Pulp Fiction for the most quotable movie on this year’s schedule, it has a ton of hometown ties: it was filmed at the gone-but-not-forgotten County Stadium, and it co-stars Bob Uecker. (Oh, and Charlie Sheen lost his .357 Magnum while filming it.) Of course, there are many layers to Major League quotes: the hits (“Juuuust a bit outside!”) and the deep cuts (“C'mon Dorn, get in front of the damn ball! Don't give me this ‘ole’ bullshit!”)
