The 80s Were Terrible: #8

In my continued crusade against all things 80s, we now look at a particular film. I would argue that The Fast and the Furious was one of the worst things to ever happen to this country, as it led to reckless driving and semi-legitimacy for Paul Walker. Well, this one is kind of the TFATF for the 80s. But first, as promised, a positive from the 80s: Super Bowl XXI








Eighth Worst Thing About The 1980s: Scarface

Let me explain myself. I've seen Scarface, and I enjoyed it. Who doesn't like a good Scarface impression? Plus it had a young Michelle Pfeiffer looking just strung out enough, but not to the point where you felt like she would make important parts of your anatomy spontaneously combust on contact. The incestuous undertones were weird, but whatever.

I have two issues here:

1. Scarface is not THAT good
Like I said, I've seen the movie, and I enjoyed it. I've also seen things like "Just Friends" and "Zoolander" and enjoyed those as well. These are not good works of cinema, they were just nice mental getaways. I consider Scarface to be the same thing. Tony Montana's accent is ridiculous. Ridiculously funny and entertaining, yes, but ridiculous nonetheless. The storyline is kind of stupid, and the ending is beyond laughable. Again, entertaining, but entertaining in the same way that shooting down helicopters in Grand Theft Auto is entertaining. This was fun for a second, but let's move on to something more substantial. The worst part of this massive overrating is what it does in the context of other films. I hear people mention this thing in the same breath as Goodfellas and The Godfather I/II. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? First of all, I don't see any Brando or De Niro in Scarface, nor do I see any PI Pacino (PI - pre-insanity... something happened to that guy). The blood and cursing do not make it one of the great movies of all time, which is what you're saying when you compare it to those other gangster films. Stop this crap.

2. Tony Montana Is Not a Role Model
You know how an episode of MTV Cribs is not complete without a glance at the Scarface poster and the DVD collection that has the widescreen, special edition, special 20th anniversary edition, unrated version, and director's cut of Scarface? And then this is followed by a little bit where the celebrity says how cool Scarface was and how he influenced them in their career? WHAT THE ----? Scarface was a convict-turned cocaine dealer sent into the United States by Fidel Castro specifically to unleash a plague of crime upon the streets of Miami. This is the guy that helped you get that record deal? Tony Montana is a drug addict and a cold-blooded murderer... he drove you through those two-a-days in high school training camp? WOW. End this garbage too. Go watch Stand and Deliver for inspiration. At least the kids don't die in a hail of gunfire.