Thoughts on That Was Then... This Is Now

 

via Amazon

"So, what are you up to today?"
"No good."

You can be friends with a person all your life, but there's still gonna be a moment when you both realize you're on different tracks. For some people, it's a gentle experience, like if one friend falls in love while the other doesn't. Sometimes it's more complicated, like if the friend doesn't like his friend's girlfriend. Of course, there's more to That Was Then... This Is Now than bros vs. hos.

Mark (Emilio Estevez, who adapted S.E. Hinton's novel) has a brother figure in Byron (Craig Sheffer). Orphaned from a young age, Mark lives with Byron and his mom (Barbara Babcock). The boys drive recklessly to school, get in pointless fights with trashy peers like the Shepard siblings (Matthew Dudley and Jill Scholen) and hang out at a pool hall owned by Charlie (Morgan Freeman). Things change when Byron reconnects with Cathy (Kim Delaney), sister of his and Mark's young friend M&M (Frank Howard). Cathy's responsible and in time, so is Byron. Mark, meanwhile, resists getting mature.

"You know, Mrs. Douglas, I think I've finally decided what I want to be when a grow up."

"What's that?"

" ... Rich."

"Well, it's expensive."

Things weren't great to begin with and they get worse. Charlie, who just got his girlfriend to accept a marriage proposal, is killed while defending Byron and Mark from guys they hustled. M&M goes missing, ultimately discovered squatting in an abandoned factory and overdosing on drugs Mark sold him. Prior to that, we learn Mark's parents shot each other in an argument over his illegitimacy. From the get go, it's apparent Mark's too attached to Byron. What's a guy to do when his best friend is dragging him down?

I'd say I respect Estevez more for getting Now made rather than actually respecting the movie itself. I was unfair in snarking about Hinton telling the same story repeatedly, especially since I haven't read Now. That said, the movie adaptation compares favorably and unfavorably with the likes of Tex and The Outsiders (I still need to see Rumble Fish). Once again, there's troubled young men depending on each other and perhaps more tragedy than necessary. 

"Well. I don't think he likes me."

"No kidding."

"Well, you don't like him much either."

"Guess we're fighting over you."

Back in 2016, there was some controversy about Hinton not approving of Outsiders fans reinterpreting Johnny and Dallas as a couple. My attitude is, she wrote it, she gets the final say on what's canon. Anyway, I wonder what the overlap is between people who ship Johnny and Dallas and people who ship Mark and Byron. Because, seriously, Mark occasionally comes across as a jealous ex-boyfriend, especially when interacting with Cathy. Legend has it that Estevez considered acting opposite Tom Cruise and good lord, the screen just couldn't handle that much accidental (or not) homoeroticism.

Research also tells me that Martin Sheen, who bought the rights to Now for Emilio, disagreed with his son playing the role of Mark. On the surface, I disagree with Martin. In the wake of The Breakfast Club, why wouldn't Emilio not want to play the same character type twice? For that matter, Mark is the showier part. But then again, Byron is a role offering more wiggle room for an actor. Alas, Sheffer and director Christopher Cain never capitalize on this. I never quite believed Byron would put up with Mark as long as he did. As for Emilio, he makes a valiant effort, but the Hinton interpreter remains Matt Dillon.

*Byron has made it apparent that he's probably never seeing Mark again.*

"It's weird, huh? We were best friends. We were like brothers."

"(choked up and crying) Yeah, well ... like a friend once said to me, that was then ... this is now."

Recommended with reservations.

Thoughts:

-- "You ever get the feeling that the whole thing's just changing?" "Like how?" "I don't know, just things." "Yeah, I guess." "It's like, it's like things are coming to an end, cause new things are beginning, you know?" "Yeah."

-- Box Office: Grossing $8.6 million on a $3.5 million budget, this opened at No. 6 and came in at No. 94 for 1985.

-- Critic's Corner: "Another glum teenage melodrama," Vincent Canby declared. People took stock of the Hinton adaptations in recent years and gave advice. "You're not exactly ahead, fellas, but why don't you quit anyway?"

-- Hey, It's ...!: Larry B. Scott, in a change of pace role from Lamar in the Revenge of the Nerds movies.

-- Fanservice Junction: Despite hating carrot cake, Mark comes out onto the porch in his undershirt and briefs to take it from Cathy.

-- I'm giving no points for Memorable Music. The most notable piece was the uncredited "Just Another Day" by Oingo Boingo, which plays during the opening.

-- At year's end, I might end up watching The Boys Next Door. This time around, it's Charlie Sheen and Maxwell Caulfield as young men gone (homicidally) wild.

-- "Kinda like when you were young. You remember we used to get in those fights? And our buddies were always right there to back us right up. ... Now everybody's kinda slipped away." "Yeah. Or maybe just grew up?" "Nah, it's more than that, man, it's different." "Well, that was then, man. This is now." "Bryon ... you're brilliant."

-- Next: The Official Story and Once Bitten. On deck: Runaway Train and White Nights. Coming soon: Rocky IV.