One Crazy Summer

On summer vacation in Nantucket, a teenager (John Cusack) and his friends enter a sailboat race to help a singer (Demi Moore) save her house from greedy developers.

One Crazy Summer was an unsuccessful attempt by writer-director Savage Steve Holland to recreate the magic of his previous film, Better Off Dead.

Once again we’ve got John Cusack playing an underdog teenager prone to day dreaming in animation, and once again the finale involves a somewhat exclusive sporting event (this time it’s sailing instead of skiing), but unfortunately, Holland imbues this film with none of the teen angst or black comedy that made Better Off Dead such a success.

While Holland does land Demi Moore for the female lead (a significant upgrade) the film feels sloppy, rushed, and recycled without any of the wit and charm of its predecessor. What’s left is just a sub-par teen comedy long on potential but short on laughs.

Interestingly, while Cusack and Moore would go on to successful film careers, Holland moved on to mostly television work, directing for several kids shows and creating the animated series “Eek! The Cat,” an interesting turn for a director whose career launched with promising cult status.