Written by Bill Phillips
Based on the novel by Stephen King
Directed by John Carpenter
Starring Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky and Harry Dean Stanton
USA, 1983
Well, I can move CHRISTINE from the “movies I sorta kinda saw once but not really” file into the “I saw the whole thing!” file.
Stephen King’s timeless tale of a boy and his car is a pretty fun ride, even if it makes little to no sense. You can view it on two levels. It’s literally about a sentient, murderous car. But it’s also about how a nerd can turn into an asshole if he gets a little confidence, which is oddly more topical today than ever.
Under John Carpenter’s steady and stylish hand, this 80s teen horror flick is elevated about as high as a movie with this kind of premise can get. The cast is all charismatic and appealing, the characters all memorable, even the side ones, and the special effects are top notch. I want to see a documentary on how they made the car, Christine, “repair” itself in a stunning sequence that looks just as good today as it ever did.
To the movie’s credit, it leaves any hint of explanation of Christine’s supernatural abilities completely to our imaginations, and spends zero screen time attempting to explain it. This leaves more room for us to hang out with the characters, who range from interesting and three dimensional to well-done examples of stock types. For instance, this movie has Stephen King’s favorite, a bully with a switchblade and a leather jacket, but he’s so over the top and memorably played, we forgive it. On the other end of the spectrum is Alexandra (Baywatch!) Paul as the love interest, an under-developed and forgettable character. Paul deserved better!
The movie’s star, Keith Gordon, is particularly good, here, convincingly playing both a nerd and a normal guy at the same time. Usually movies, especially 80s genre ones, view nerds as a completely separate breed of human. CHRISTINE allows this guy to be seen by everyone else as a nerd, but inside, just be a guy like anyone else. He also has the chance to transform into a dickhead throughout the flick. It’s really a great role, and well played. It’s no wonder he went on to a successful directing career.
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