THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 6, 1994 TAG: 9408050113
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie Review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
IN SPITE OF its title, ``Airheads'' is an irreverent and raucous find. It's much sharper than you'd think it could possibly be.
The reason is certainly not in the plotting, which is totally predictable, but in the character development and sly sense of put-on that director Michael Lehmann brings off with an unlikely, and quite eccentric, cast.
The Lone Rangers, the film's fictional heavy metal rock group, is a hapless, going-nowhere band. Chazz, the leader, is a serious musician who insists on not being ``labeled,'' but no one wants to hear him - whatever his style. He concocts a plan for the group to invade radio station KPPX and demand that its demo tape be played on the air. The rock guys are a harmless lot, in spite of their pretensions to major rebellion.
Things go wrong, though. When Chazz pulls a water pistol, Ian the Shark, the trying-to-be-cool disc jockey, thinks it's a semi-automatic weapon and panics.
When the tape machine eats up the precious demo tape, everything goes wrong. The police arrive, and The Lone Rangers become media heroes. The plot smacks more than a little of the White Bronco ride in an age in which media coverage of bizarre events becomes bigger than the event itself.
Brendan Fraser, one of the best in the new crop of young actors, has long hair and a serious inclination. He was great in ``School Ties'' and very good in ``With Honors.'' He was even charismatic in ``Encino Man.'' This outing proves his versatility, but look for him to become a major dramatic star. Amy Locane, who co-starred with him in ``School Ties'' and also was in ``Cry Baby'' and ``Lost Angels,'' plays his girlfriend, but has little to do other than bicker and whine.
Adam Sandler scores easily in the role of the group's shy drummer, Pip - a guy so dumb that he is content to drift along most of the time. He's a new talent and already set to make two more movies. The hard-edged, dangerous, lean one, Rex, is played by Steve Buscemi, who looks a bit old for the part but brings real sleaziness to it. (He was Mr. Pink in ``Reservoir Dogs.'')
Joe Mantegna plays the rather phony deejay, and there is a cast of varied radio station employees who eventually love being taken hostage - particularly the very funny Nina Siemaszko.
Judd Nelson (once a member of the brat pack) appears as a corrupt recording executive who is quite willing to use The Lone Rangers' newfound fame, regardless of whether they have talent.
Several authentic heavy metal rock bands make appearances, including White Zombie. There's a parody-spoof called ``Don't Blame Me Because I'm Beautiful'' contributed by the Houston-based Galactic Cowboys, playing a gimmick-obsessed band called Sons of Thunder.
The rather pedantic labeling of rock styles gets knocked handily here as the director goes directly for the jugular at the same time he goes for the funny bone. The effort is definitely satirical.
``Airheads'' is a great deal better than anyone would have guessed it could be. As what is probably the summer's only authentic teen flick, it goes for a much wider, crossover audience, and should get it. ILLUSTRATION: MOVIE REVIEW
``Airheads''
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Adam Sandler, Steve Buscemi, Chris Farley,
Michael McKean, Joe Mantegna, Amy Locane, Ernie Hudson, Nina
Siemaszko
Director: Michael Lehmann
Screenplay: Rich Wilkes
Music: Carter Burwell
MPAA rating: PG-13 (language)
Mal's rating: **1/2
Locations: Janaf and Main Gate in Norfolk; Kemps River and
Lynnhaven 8 in Virginia Beach
by CNB