This movie by Michael and Mark Polish has just premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. I don’t know when it will be in general release, but it’s definitely worth seeing. It has a great cast, including Chevy Chase, Dee Wallace, Michael Gross, and Jon Cryer who, while not the stars, make Stay Cool a lot of fun.
Mark Polish stars as Henry McCarthy, a successful author who is invited to deliver the commencement address at his high school. Henry arrives in his southern California hometown and is greeted by his high school buddies, played quite amusingly by Sean Astin and Josh Holloway. While staying at his parents’ house, Henry reverts to his teenage self. This transformation is aided by the fact that his bedroom has not changed a bit from his high school days (including the Led Zeppelin poster). Henry’s luggage has been lost, so he is forced to wear clothes from his closet-all 20 years old. His parents urge him to eat his vegetables and yell at him about late night phone calls.
At the urging of his friends, Henry calls Scarlet (Winona Ryder), a girl he had a crush on in high school. And thus begins Henry’s adventures. This movie is lots of fun, but also has a serious tone. Chevy Chase is a hoot as Principal Marshall who actually suspends Henry from school for fighting. Henry gets involved in Scarlet’s life and its troubles. He also meets some high school seniors, including Hilary Duff as Shasta, who develops a crush on Henry and invites him to prom.
Stay Cool is fun, but has a serious side. It’s definitely worth seeing. Despite the great cast, I don’t know what kind of publicity budget this movie has. It doesn’t even has its own website, which seems to be standard these days. You may have stay on top of things to catch this in theaters, but it will be worth the effort.
La Bibliofille 