{"id":92152,"date":"2023-09-29T14:13:39","date_gmt":"2023-09-29T21:13:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92152"},"modified":"2023-10-01T11:33:55","modified_gmt":"2023-10-01T18:33:55","slug":"big-wednesday-1978","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92152","title":{"rendered":"Big Wednesday (1978)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Nobody surfs forever.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Poster-201x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"201\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-92153\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Poster-201x300.png 201w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Poster-86x128.png 86w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Poster-181x270.png 181w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Poster.png 621w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 201px) 100vw, 201px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nThree surfing buddies &#8212; Matt (Jan-Michael Vincent), Leroy the Masochist (Gary Busey), and Jack (William Katt) &#8212; reflect back on their idyllic teen years, dodging (or entering) the draft, and growing into young adulthood.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Barbara Hale Films<\/li>\n<li>Coming of Age<\/li>\n<li>Friendship<\/li>\n<li>Gary Busey Films<\/li>\n<li>Surfers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nWriter-director John Milius &#8212; perhaps best known as screenwriter for <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=85561\"><em>Apocalypse Now<\/em> (1979)<\/a> and director of <em>Conan the Barbarian<\/em> (1982) and <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5442\"><em>Red Dawn<\/em> (1984)<\/a> &#8212; helmed this semi-autobiographical paean to surfing and White-male coming-of-age during the 1960s. Apparently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0077235\/trivia\/?item=tr5271608&#038;ref_=ext_shr_lnk\">George Lucas and Steven Spielberg thought<\/a> this flick would be &#8220;the <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=85461\"><em>American Graffiti<\/em><\/a> of surfing films&#8221;: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Car.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Car-1024x418.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"261\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-92159\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Car-1024x418.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Car-300x122.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Car-128x52.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Car-768x314.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Car-604x247.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Car.png 1291w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; but it was a box office flop; indeed, I was interested but not surprised to read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0077235\/trivia\/?item=tr5269668&#038;ref_=ext_shr_lnk\">this bit of trivia on IMDb<\/a>: <\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Warner Bros. initially budgeted $5,000,000 for this film, but production costs went way over that figure, finally costing the studio $11,000,000. Anthea Sylbert, an executive at Warner Bros. at the time, in an interview in the 30 August 1981 edition of the Boston Globe newspaper, said the film was &#8220;&#8230;a classic example of an egomaniacal man going over budget and not listening to anyone.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Watching it now, it&#8217;s easy to see why only some viewers &#8212; i.e., surfing lovers &#8212; would find it appealing, since these scenes are (minimally) what keep it afloat, so to speak. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Surfing3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Surfing3-1024x417.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"261\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-92157\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Surfing3-1024x417.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Surfing3-300x122.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Surfing3-128x52.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Surfing3-768x313.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Surfing3-604x246.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Surfing3.png 1287w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The only half-way interesting sequences are those set in the draft office, which presumably represent how chaotic this scene was. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Draft.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Draft-1024x424.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"265\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-92158\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Draft-1024x424.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Draft-300x124.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Draft-128x53.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Draft-768x318.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Draft-604x250.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Draft.png 1283w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Otherwise, there is really nothing to enjoy or appreciate about these boring characters and the exceedingly lame dialogue: &#8220;Who knows where the wind comes from; is it the breath of God?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Barbara Hale had the dubious notoriety of appearing here in her final film role, playing mother to her own (real-life) son. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Hale.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Hale-1024x425.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"266\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-92160\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Hale-1024x425.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Hale-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Hale-128x53.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Hale-768x319.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Hale-604x251.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Hale.png 1283w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bruce Surtees&#8217; cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Swell.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Swell-1024x415.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"259\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-92156\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Swell-1024x415.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Swell-300x122.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Swell-128x52.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Swell-768x311.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Swell-604x245.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Big-Wednesday-Swell.png 1283w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNope; this one is strictly must-see for surfing enthusiasts. Listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0077235\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1978\/07\/28\/archives\/screen-big-wednesday-gets-caught-in-some-rough-surfbuddyhood-of.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/68742\/big-wednesday#articles-reviews\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/chicagoreader.com\/film\/big-wednesday\/\">Chicago Reader Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/big-wednesday\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Nobody surfs forever.&#8221; Synopsis: Three surfing buddies &#8212; Matt (Jan-Michael Vincent), Leroy the Masochist (Gary Busey), and Jack (William Katt) &#8212; reflect back on their idyllic teen years, dodging (or entering) the draft, and growing into young adulthood. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Barbara Hale Films Coming of Age Friendship Gary Busey Films Surfers Review: Writer-director John Milius &#8212; perhaps best known as screenwriter for Apocalypse Now (1979) and director of Conan the Barbarian (1982) and Red Dawn (1984) &#8212;&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92152\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-92152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=92152"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92152\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92226,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92152\/revisions\/92226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=92152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=92152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=92152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}