The FINAL movie of the John Hughes season, we’ll be heading back to 1998 to cover his last writing credit of the 90s today - a movie I’ll bet you’ve not heard of, let alone seen - Reach the Rock and of course some 1998 memories to set the scene.

I hope you like the episode even if you haven’t seen the movie…

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Hello, hello.

2

I'm Katie, and this is "Retromade,"

your pop culture rewind.

3

Rounding out the John Hughes season today,

4

his last writing credit of the '90s.

5

His last producing credit as well.

6

The last film that he

wrote and produced today.

7

It is a movie that I bet that you've

not heard of, let alone seen, especially

8

given the box office numbers, and

we'll get to that, but I do hope that

9

you'll stick around with me to talk

about this movie, "Reach the Rock."

10

And of course, really the

reason to stick around is the

11

1998 of it all, the memories.

12

We're gonna get into that to set the

scene because it's a really, really,

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really good year especially if you were

in high school at that time, which I was.

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We will get into that, but

first I just wanted to let you

15

know I'm gonna be solo today.

16

No guest.

17

This movie is the most hard-to-find

movie, I've ever done on the show.

18

You wouldn't believe the lengths I

went, but it's near impossible to

19

watch, to make a very long story short,

so you're stuck with just me today.

20

Couple quick updates.

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This is the last regular episode of Season

2, John Hughes, "Shermer High" and Beyond.

22

I will be closing the season

with a wrap-up finale episode,

23

however, so that is still to come.

24

We'll talk about some of the themes,

what we've learned, and that was a lot.

25

And of course, some of my rankings.

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You guys may, have thoughts or comments

of your own that you would like to

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share, and I would love to read them on

that episode if you do reach out to me.

28

So please email me at

[email protected]

29

or catch me on social media to do so.

30

I'll be, be recording that

very quickly, so hurry up.

31

Get your get your thoughts, comments,

et cetera in for the last episode,

32

the finale of Season 2, John

Hughes, "Shermer High" and Beyond.

33

Okay.

34

Enough of that.

35

Let's open the time capsule from 1998

in order to set the stage for the

36

movie that we'll be talking about.

37

It's a very strong year for

38

nostalgia, the pop culture

landscape was super packed.

39

It was extremely varied as well.

40

Um, You had the peak late '90s

optimism mixed with weirdness.

41

There was boy bands, Jerry Springer ca-

chaos, Titanic aftermath, TRL culture.

42

Does anybody even know what TRL is now?

43

The internet was becoming

mainstream at the time.

44

Can you even imagine

that that was a thing?

45

That the internet was just a, just a

newbie becoming mainstream at the time.

46

Pokémon arriving in America, and of

course, the Monica Lewinsky scandal

47

was dominating the headlines.

48

I can picture this place and time very

vividly and I think that you will too.

49

If you were in high school in the late

'90s, this should be peak nostalgia

50

for you, as it will be for me.

51

So get comfortable, guys.

52

Music.

53

We have "Too Close" by Next.

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Oh my God, that was, you know, like the

high school dance clubs, that was…

55

It was a hot song, I

gotta say, but it was…

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Everybody was dancing

to "Too Close" by Next.

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It was the number one song of the

year, the year-ending Billboard song.

58

Number one, "Too Close" by Next

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Really, really, really good song.

60

Britney Spears debuts, debuts.

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Britney Spear- I mean, it's just wild.

62

This is, it's, it's so interesting

how how time has changed things, but

63

she's a baby-faced little, little

pop star with "Baby One More Time."

64

The TRL era explodes.

65

Gosh, MTV was still playing

music in a little bit of a

66

different format, but TRL, anyone?

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Also, boy bands were everywhere.

68

Backstreet Boys and NSYNC

were probably the top two.

69

I also remember 98 Degrees kind of

being that edging in on those two.

70

And then again, so there's a lot of

poppiness, but Lauryn Hill, so you get

71

some , soulful um, thoughtful um, very,

very good beats with Lauryn Hill, with her

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album, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill."

73

Oh my God, who else wore this CD out?

74

So that's the music.

75

'98, you guys.

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As we talked about from a movie

perspective, "Titanic" came out in '97,

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but it is still dominating into 1998.

78

We also have "Saving Private

Ryan," "Armageddon," so

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these are some blockbusters.

80

And then in the '90s, we were

still getting some more independent

81

movies that you were able to

kinda catch a wave with these.

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Like "There's Something About Mary" became

a huge hit, but it was not, you know,

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it's not your blockbuster, so to speak.

84

And then also "The Truman Show."

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So these are the movies dominating 1998.

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We're kind of ending the disaster movies.

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Well, maybe not ending, but they

were kind of at their peak, I

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would say, maybe in the late '90s.

89

Disaster movies, right?

90

And then, like I said, you didn't have to

be a blockbuster, and this was why I s-

91

I miss the '90s a lot, especially now in

the movie landscape, because there were

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so many mid or even low budget comedies.

93

They were thriving, and I loved it.

94

There was just a lot to choose from when

you were walking around Blockbuster.

95

And speaking of which, we

were still renting VHS.

96

Speaking of "Titanic,"

I had the double tape.

97

It was such a long movie that it required

two VHS tapes to get the whole movie.

98

So if you purchased it, it was two tapes.

99

So we hadn't fully crossed

over into DVD land yet.

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So this is, again, '98.

101

We're still renting VHSs.

102

We're getting some DVDs,

but it's, it has not…

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It's not the dominant medium for

watching movies, which is wild that

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we're now streaming, we're not even

doing DVDs anymore or Blu-rays, whatever.

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There's just, we've gone through so

many, we've gone through so many mediums.

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We'll probably end up back somewhere.

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So that's movies.

108

Does anybody remember, what TV show, it

was a sitcom, aired its finale in '98?

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Sitcom aired its finale,

over 70 million viewers.

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It is, of course, "Seinfeld,"

the finale of "Seinfeld."

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I think people, now looking back probably

have a more positive view of that finale,

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but I do remember at the time people being

really upset with the way that it ended.

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But I'll have to give it a rewatch.

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I don't…

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"Seinfeld," I like it, but I

wasn't a religious watcher of it.

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However, I was a religious

watcher of "Friends," and this

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was peak "Friends" popularity.

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And another show, this, again, this,

so all of these are NBC, right?

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"Seinfeld," "Friends," and then "Will

and Grace" debuts in '98, which was

120

also part of the m- Thursday night NBC

must-see TV, and it was must-see TV.

121

What a lineup.

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Yes.

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So "Seinfeld" ends and "Will

124

What a year.

125

Also, I don't remember That

'70s Show being this old,

126

but it also debuts in 1998.

127

Another TV show that I sort of thought

was a little bit later, but it became

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a phenomenon on a little channel called

HBO Now, I did not buy into this.

129

Most women probably did, but "Sex

and the City" also premieres,

130

and it became a juggernaut.

131

I don't dislike it, but it just,

it wasn't I-- It wa- I didn't,

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I didn't have to watch it.

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I do think it's good, but it

is no "Will and Grace," and it

134

is no "Friends," in my opinion.

135

At any rate, that's TV.

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What a time.

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So the music, the movie, the TV,

it was all really, really good.

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Solid, solid, solid.

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Now I'm a little old for toys at

this time, but I do remember some of

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these things being really just part

of the, part of the landscape because

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it was before internet was super

mainstream, so there was still…

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Just the way that we learned about

things, the way things became popular

143

was just a little bit different.

144

So in terms of toys, games, tech,

I alluded to it a little bit, but

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"Pokemon" Red and Blue launch in the US.

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I don't know anything about Pokemon.

147

I know of its existence, and

I know there's lots of stuff

148

surrounding it, and that's it.

149

It's not for me.

150

But I al- But I do remember

Furbies being a huge deal.

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I did not, again, I did not have

one but I remember it being a thing.

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It's sort of like your Pet Rock,

but the '90s version perhaps,

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I, is maybe how I thought of it.

154

I could be wrong 'cause I didn't have one,

but I remember Furbies being a huge thing.

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Game Boy Color releases.

156

Again, I'm not a gamer, so, I

remember Game Boys in general.

157

I don't know if the color version

was super spectacular or not.

158

But this is wild.

159

Google is founded in 1998.

160

The internet is synonymous

with Google now.

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Like it, what it has become,

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I- I mean, there's just like no

words because it is a verb now.

163

We Google something, and in 1998, this

makes it sound like it was the Industrial

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Revolution or something like that.

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It was so long ago, but I

was in high school, like it

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can't be that long ago, right?

167

But yeah, almost…

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Wow, that's…

169

Wow, almost 30 years ago.

170

Hmm.

171

I'm not sure how I feel about that.

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But yeah, Google was

founded in '98, you guys.

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Mm-hmm.

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Also, MP3 players begin appearing.

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I certainly didn't have one.

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I think that whole, that skipped me.

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Like I did not fully embrace the

MP3 player, so I, that technology

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skipped me and I don't know, whatever.

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I just have a phone.

180

That's, yeah, no MP3 player.

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And we were talking about how DVDs

had not fully taken over yet, but

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they're starting to accelerate.

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So the adoption of the DVD and

the DVD player is accelerating.

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So this is where we are in

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I did see this little tidbit that I

was completely unaware of and didn't

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realize that Furbies were used by adults.

187

But of course they were.

188

They got banned apparently in

offices and government buildings

189

because people thought they were

secretly recording conversations.

190

Why were people bringing

them to their office at all?

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Why- I thought this was a child's toy.

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Someone please explain this to me.

193

Yeah.

194

People are wild.

195

Celebrity culture and news.

196

We're in the midst of the

Clinton-Lewinsky scandal.

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It was everywhere.

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In addition to Google being

founded, another hmm, aid in

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life, particularly men's life, was

was also approved at this time.

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Viagra, '98.

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Mm-hmm.

202

France wins the World Cup.

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This was the home run chase between

Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in '98.

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I do recall that.

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The Matthew Shepard murder

becomes a major national story.

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Again, I don't know why some

of these things I'm remember…

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I'm like, "Wow, that was '98?"

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Hmm.

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And then Princess Diana

had died in, I think '97.

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so paparazzi culture peaks post Princess

Diana's death the, the year prior.

211

Okay, so you guys, , the TRL of it

all and the boy bands is reminding

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me of some fashion and trends.

213

Tiny sunglasses and frosted tips.

214

The hair, yes, I'm picturing these

music videos very specifically.

215

Also the cargo pants in

them, the wallet chains.

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That's guys mostly.

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And then metallics and shiny fabrics.

218

Very, very much like "Romy and

Michele's High School Reunion"-esque

219

is kind of what I'm picturing.

220

But I yeah, I'm, I'm picturing a lot

of the fabrics and stuff that I wore at

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the time, and that was definitely true.

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Shiny a lot of like pleather and stuff

like that, but metallics, platform

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sandals, also they're, they've come

back around as everything does.

224

It's like a 30-year cycle.

225

And those butterfly clips

in the hair, women's hair.

226

That is a trend I did not

partake in 'cause I thought it

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was, it, I thought it was…

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E- Just like now, there are trends I don't

partake in because I think it's silly.

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It looks ridiculous, and I thought

that about the butterfly clips.

230

I thought it was a stupid look.

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But, mm, pretty much everybody

wore them except for me maybe.

232

Okay.

233

Am I missing anything?

234

That's barely scratching the

surface, but I remember all of it.

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It was very pervasive

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I don't know.

237

A lot of the…

238

Did it age well?

239

Yeah.

240

A lot of these things became

enormous like the Google and Viagra.

241

A lot of the TV and the music,

they're, they're classics,

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similar with many of the movies.

243

But it does, a lot of it does scream 1998.

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But what am I missing?

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I don't know.

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What do you remember about 1998?

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Please let me know.

248

So now that we're primed in that

mindset, not that this movie seems

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very 1998, in fact, it doesn't at all.

250

But now that we're in that frame of mind,

let's get into the movie Reach the Rock

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This movie was released

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It's rated R.

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It's over an hour and a half.

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It's about an hour and 40.

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The IMDb here is a 6.6,

256

and I would say that might be a

touch on the high side for, for

257

me, but not, not outrageously so.

258

But I will say that film critic Roger

Ebert gave it one out of four stars,

259

and I th- but he loses credibility

with what he says, why he says that.

260

He compared it negatively to Hughes'

"Planes, Trains and Automobiles,"

261

and complained that the movie

was very sad and felt like…

262

it felt like it was

playing in slow motion.

263

Now that is true.

264

It is very sad.

265

It's very melancholy.

266

I can see why he says that it felt

like it was playing in slow motion.

267

But, but Roger, you're cr- you have

no credibility when you say that

268

it's negative because it's like

"Planes, Trains and Automobiles,"

269

'cause that movie's awesome, and I'm

pretty sure everybody agrees with me.

270

So I don't know what you're talking about.

271

Actually, before we talk more about

the players for this movie, because

272

none of you have probably seen it

let me tell you what it's about.

273

"Reach the Rock" follows Robin, a

directionless small town outcast

274

haunted by the accidental drowning

death of his best friend years earlier.

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And I just wanted to point out that

the small town, it's not Shermer,

276

Illinois, it's Shermerville.

277

Probably because it's meant to

be like a really small town, and

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I don't think Shermer is a, like

a tiny town, so Shermerville.

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During one chaotic night of vandalism,

jail escapes, and confrontations with

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locals who still blame him, Robin drifts

through grief, guilt, and unresolved

281

feelings for his former girlfriend.

282

Written by John Hughes, the film

blends dry humor and melancholy into

283

an understated story about regret,

isolation, and emotional paralysis.

284

So this is very different from

the run of movies that we've

285

been covering running up to this

286

probably more getting back to the,

what we know of, of John Hughes and

287

a lot of his dialogue-heavy movies.

288

So it's more in keeping with that

than his "Home Alone" or a lot

289

of his other kid-centric movies.

290

William Ryan or AKA Bill is

the director here, and this

291

is his only directing credit.

292

But he has produced a number of

other Hughes movies, mostly the, the

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kid-centric ones like "Dennis the

Menace," "Baby's Day Out," "Miracle

294

on 34th Street," and 101 Dalmatians,"

the '96 remake, and "Flubber."

295

Now Chris Columbus, remember when

we talked about the "Home Alone"

296

episode and the National Lampoon's

"Christmas Vacation" episode?

297

So we talked about Chris Columbus turning

down "Christmas Vacation" because he was

298

like, "I cannot work with Chevy Chase."

299

John Hughes was like, "No worries.

300

I'll get ya, you know,

I'll get you next time."

301

And so he offered him two, two movies.

302

One was "Home Alone" in 1990, and the

other was this movie, and I think you

303

know which one Chris Columbus chose

which became a huge commercial success.

304

So I think Chris Columbus is

very happy with his choice.

305

Now this William Ry- Bill Ryan, while this

is his only directing credit, I do think

306

he played a big part in the production

company and maybe even ran it at a certain

307

point, of Hughes' production company.

308

So John Hughes is the writer here.

309

So while this is the final film where

he wrote the story and the screenplay

310

by himself, he did collaborate with some

others on other films that he's credited

311

for writing until his death in 2009.

312

But he, you know, like as a co-writer

or helping with the story some of which

313

are under his pseudonym Edmond Dantes,

so clearly not, not ones he's proud of.

314

But this is largely known as his

last solo writing credit, and the

315

last movie that he wrote and produced

316

Pretty small cast, and it is very

"Breakfast Club"-esque in a few

317

ways that I'll probably talk about

throughout the course of the discussion.

318

But one of which is that

it, it's a very closed set.

319

It takes place basically in

the police station in the

320

downtown of this, of this town.

321

And there are very few characters,

so it's very dialogue-heavy.

322

The cast there are some people

you would know, but at the

323

time it was, it was unknowns.

324

The most well-known is probably

William Sadler, who plays Sergeant

325

Phil Quinn, and you guys will know him.

326

He's, he's a familiar

face, William Sadler.

327

Solid working actor.

328

You'd probably know him most from playing

Heywood in "The Shawshank Redemption.

329

He was also Stuart in "Die Hard 2,"

the Grim Reaper in "Bill & Ted's

330

Bogus Journey," and he played Jim

Valenti in the "Roswell" TV series.

331

I didn't watch that, so I'm not sure

who that character is, but I think he

332

was a regular in that, in that TV show.

333

So he is our sergeant

at the police station.

334

Robin is played by Alessandro Nivola

335

I didn't know who he was, and I

actually think he's one of those people

336

who He looks better now, I think.

337

He's aged very nicely.

338

No, not that, not that he was…

339

He looked fine at the time, but he

was just young, and you know how

340

some people, takes them a minute.

341

Men especially, it takes them a minute

to kinda grow into their Their manliness.

342

But he looks very nice now.

343

But he was also this Alessandro Nivola.

344

He was in Face Off, which I

think was probably his most

345

known or, or breakout role.

346

I haven't seen that in a really long time,

so I can't picture who he was in that.

347

He was also in Disobedience, Selma,

American Hustle, and I ha- I haven't

348

started watching this yet, but there's

a series called Love Story, a current

349

series, maybe on Netflix, I can't recall.

350

But it's about, I believe it's JFK Jr.

351

and Carolyn Bessette's love story,

and Alessandro Nivola plays Calvin

352

Klein in that TV series currently.

353

So there you go.

354

That's our main character.

355

The other policeman, so there's

Sergeant Phil Quinn, and then there's

356

Ernie, who is-- reports to, to Quinn.

357

He's the other policeman,

and he's more junior.

358

He's played by Bruce Norris.

359

His character's kind of the

comedy relief in this movie.

360

He's, you know, plays this small-town cop.

361

He's silly and unserious.

362

He was in The Sixth Sense, All

Good Things, a single episode

363

of three Law & Order episode…

364

the three different

properties of Law & Order.

365

So the regular Law & Order, an

episode in that, an episode in SVU,

366

and an episode in Criminal Intent.

367

I thought that was interesting.

368

And then Robin's ex-girlfriend, Lise,

L-I-S-E, is played by Brooke Langton,

369

and she looked a little bit familiar, but

I think her name sounds more familiar.

370

She was part of Second City and Upright

Citizens Brigade, which you wouldn't

371

necessarily know from, from this movie.

372

But maybe I saw her in Melrose

Place because I think she

373

was a series regular on that.

374

I didn't watch Friday Night Lights,

but I guess she was a recurring

375

character in that TV series as well.

376

And but movies maybe that you might know

her from, she played the infamous Nikki

377

in Swingers, and she starred opposite

Gene Hackman in The Replacements.

378

That's Brooke Langton playing

Robin's ex-girlfriend.

379

The friend who dies, Danny is his name.

380

Played by Norman Reedus, and if

that name sounds familiar, he played

381

Daryl Dixon in "The Walking Dead."

382

That is one that I have not watched.

383

I can't decide if I would like it

or not, and it's a big commitment.

384

I don't know.

385

Maybe I'll give it a

go one of these times.

386

Zombies aren't really my

thing, but I hear it's good.

387

Anyway, Norman Reedus before he got

famous playing Daryl Dixon in "The

388

Walking Dead," in 1998, he played Danny,

the friend who dies in "Reach the Rock."

389

I don't know how you

guys didn't know that.

390

Additionally, we have a woman named

Donna in this, and I don't know

391

if she's Ernie's girlfriend or

if they're just having an affair.

392

It's a little unclear, but the, it's

kind of the running joke throughout

393

the movie is they're trying to get

it on and and they keep getting

394

interrupted by these acts of vandalism

and these mishaps and things like

395

that, and it's meant to be funny.

396

But anyway she's played by Karen Silas.

397

And she looks very familiar, but she

too was in a couple of Law & Order

398

properties, the TV series Under

Suspicion from the mid-'90s.

399

I don't think I saw that.

400

Sour Grapes, Simple Men,

and What Happened Was.

401

So that's Karen Silas.

402

So that's our cast, very small cast.

403

I remember when I was watching the credits

it says for the music supervisor was John

404

Hughes III, and that is John Hughes' son.

405

So I thought that was really interesting.

406

But the actual score, the composer

for this, for the movie is done

407

by John McIntyre, and he's not

particularly known for movie scores

408

or compositions, but he is an

American recording engineer, producer,

409

drummer, and multi-instrumentalist

based in Chicago, Illinois.

410

And I don't know if you guys

have heard of these bands.

411

I haven't because I'm not cool.

412

Tortoise and The Sea and Cake,

those are bands that he is in.

413

John McIntyre.

414

This is one of those movies that

415

I couldn't find a budget.

416

I don't know how much it cost to make.

417

But do we have any guesses how

much movie this-- how mu- sorry.

418

Do we have any guesses how

much money this movie made?

419

Anyone?

420

Anyone?

421

Bueller?

422

So initially it had been

planned for a spring release.

423

It was released-- It was

actually released in October.

424

But Universal Pictures ended up

giving "Reach the Rock" an extremely

425

limited theatrical run in the United

States on October 16th, where the

426

film only played in three theaters

in three cities for one week

427

Grossing $4,960, less than $5,000.

428

I didn't even know that

was a thing that could…

429

I, I didn't know that was

possible Of course it is.

430

Okay.

431

So this really doesn't give you

any indication what this movie's

432

about while I, you know, I, I

gave you a very brief description.

433

Let's, let's talk through it and see

if you guys are sad you missed it or

434

glad, glad that you gave it a miss.

435

So it opens, it's very dark.

436

It is at night, but it's the whole movie,

like the, the cinematography is very…

437

It's just very dark, giving

it kind of a heavy feel, and

438

the music is really somber.

439

It opens, we're in a really small town,

like the downtown of a very small town,

440

and it's empty 'cause it's at night.

441

And a young man breaks the window

of Kendall's Hardware Store.

442

He clearly gets arrested.

443

Like, he's not trying to run from it.

444

He, he j- he's just sitting there.

445

He does that, and then he sits in a

chair, and a fan is just, like waiting

446

for the police to come pick him up.

447

So he pur- is purposely doing this.

448

He gets arrested.

449

Now, this is Robin, we learn.

450

He's our main character, and based on

some interactions throughout the movie

451

with the police, especially Sergeant

Quinn we learn that this type of

452

thing is a, is a regular occurrence.

453

Nobody's surprised by what's happening.

454

We do get a flashback to the scene with

his friend Danny, and we see they're

455

in high school, they're drinking by

the river, and they kind of get in

456

a, a fight about Robin spending too

much time with his girlfriend and that

457

they wanna get out of this small town.

458

And then Danny proposes a contest or a

bet who can swim across to the other side.

459

There's a big rock on the other side of

the river, and who can reach the rock

460

to the other, on the other side first.

461

Hence the movie name, obviously.

462

Well, Danny ends up dead, and

it is a little bit ambiguous.

463

We assume it's drowning, but because

it's ambiguous in a couple of other

464

flashbacks, it's clear that Robin

feels some guilt over this and that

465

there is probably some blame placed

on him from people in the community

466

and, and family members of Danny.

467

It was an accident.

468

Now it's just, like an open police

station, and there's two cells, so

469

it's not separate rooms or anything.

470

So the desks of the officers and the

sergeant are, it's all right there.

471

And he is given a chance

to make a phone call.

472

And we see that he makes it

to Elise or Lise, L-L-I-S-E.

473

It's the name that's engraved

on a pocket watch that he has.

474

We gather that this is his

ex-girlfriend, and while he's making

475

this call, he's-- It's just at a desk.

476

It's not a payphone or anything.

477

It's one of the officer's desks, and

the, he opens the drawer, or maybe it's

478

in sight, but he steals a set of keys,

and he uses that to break out of his

479

cell when the sergeant falls asleep.

480

He takes a police car downtown, back

downtown, and this time he shoots out,

481

I think with the police rifle, too.

482

He takes their car and their

gun, and he shoots out the, the

483

window of a coffee shop that's

next door to the hardware store.

484

So Ernie, this is when we're

introduced to Ernie, the police

485

officer that gets radioed.

486

He's the patrol cop, and when we meet

him, he's in the backseat of his patrol

487

car with a woman that we assume is

his girlfriend, and her name is Donna.

488

They're, you know, it's late at

night, and there's probably nothing

489

going on in this small town.

490

So Ernie picks his girlfriend up.

491

They obviously get interrupted, and there

is an overhead shot approximate at this

492

time when Ernie is racing t- downtown.

493

You know, he's, like, zipping his

pants up, getting in the front seat.

494

He's driving, and he just misses the

other police car that Robin is in.

495

This is the only, the, the intersection

of the town, and there's an overhead

496

shot where they just miss each other.

497

Robin sneaks, and where he's going

is back to the police station.

498

He does this bit of vandalism,

and now he sneaks back in to the

499

police station into his cell.

500

So we're back at the station

now, and Robin somehow locks

501

Ernie into the other cell.

502

Donna is still waiting for him.

503

So this is kind of the thing.

504

They're constantly being interrupted.

505

She's waiting for him.

506

She gets dropped back off, back at home.

507

Then he goes and picks her

up, and she's super annoyed.

508

For some reason, I don't know

why I-- Again, it's unclear,

509

and it doesn't really matter.

510

Like, there's not really a payoff to this.

511

I don't know why, because they're

kind of sneaking around a little bit.

512

I assume maybe just 'cause he's not

supposed to be doing this on work

513

time, but I sort of assumed they

were having an affair, and at first I

514

thought perhaps it was the sergeant's

wife, but that's not the case.

515

I, I, there's no, there's no

secret scandal of any sort.

516

I don't know if she's married to

someone else, but it doesn't come up

517

at all in the movie, so doesn't matter.

518

We also learn that Robin is very smart,

but that he didn't go to college.

519

So the sergeant knowing full well

why, and there's a lot of things said.

520

So this movie is a lot of breadcrumbs and

it's kind of an annoying way, breadcrumbs,

521

and then you learn later, but it's

not really a good payoff, I feel like.

522

L- you know what I mean?

523

The secret is kept, and

then it's kind of not for…

524

It's like, okay, and great.

525

But he-- We're seeing him

kind of poke at Robin.

526

He knows why he didn't go to college,

and it's because Robin never finished

527

high school, alluding to the reason

is likely linked to the accident

528

that happened with his friend Danny.

529

And we also later learn that Danny

was Quinn's nephew, so there's clear

530

animosity with Robin and Quinn during

the, the vast majority of the movie.

531

They're kind of poking

each other the whole time.

532

And there's also Kendall's Hardware Store

is the first place that gets vandalized.

533

Bob Kendall is apparently the

big deal in town, and he owns a

534

lot of things in this small town.

535

And we also learn that

Lease is his daughter.

536

So at least two more times in this

movie, Robin escapes somehow to commit

537

more vandalism in this downtown.

538

And after the coffee shop, there's a third

store window, the real estate office,

539

that that, that gets broken into as well.

540

But at the real estate office,

Quinn's badge gets left there.

541

So Robin is doing all these sneaky

things just to mess with these

542

guys, or particularly Quinn.

543

So there's a point in the movie,

this kind of leads the other officer,

544

Ernie, to potentially think that

Quinn was doing all of these…

545

Be- because then Robin is

always ending up back in jail.

546

They don't know that he's doing it

547

For a while.

548

And so Ernie is thinking, "Well, maybe

Quinn, Sergeant Quinn, is doing all

549

this just to pin it on Robin as payback

for his nephew," you know, because

550

they, Robin is always back in his cell

when they come back to the station.

551

And we also then learn that all of the

stores that he is vandalizing are all

552

owned by Bob Kendall, his ex-girlfriend's

father, you know, the big man in town.

553

And we then see Lise show up.

554

She does arrive to, I guess, post bail.

555

However, there's no bail.

556

Like, it hasn't officially

been set because I don't

557

think he's been charged yet.

558

You know, it's a, probably a Saturday

night, so he would have to wait

559

until morn- or maybe a Sunday night.

560

At any rate, he would have to wait until

morning before anything is official.

561

So anyway, she is allowed in his cell.

562

It's, you know, it's a

small town, doesn't matter.

563

She's a Kendall, so of course they're

gonna kinda do whatever she wants.

564

So She's in the cell with Robin

talking, and, and this is where

565

we-we're kind of learning a lot.

566

We learn that I think the next

day she's heading to New York

567

City to start her new life.

568

This is after college now.

569

So it's a, it's been four or five years

since high school, it sounds like.

570

They talk about she's done during

her college career, where she is.

571

She's got this whole life ahead of her.

572

She's been living this whole

life with a new boyfriend for

573

the last four years or so.

574

And Robin has not been doing anything.

575

He has remained completely stagnant,

and there's a lot of dialogue that leads

576

us to believe that there was also an

issue in their relationship, that it was

577

sort of like a class cloud over them,

and either he didn't feel her equal

578

or she didn't think he was her equal.

579

They're really kind of

talking in circles a lot.

580

They're saying, at least he is, he's kind

of saying things but not saying them.

581

And they, they talk about their past.

582

They talk about how they

cannot be together now.

583

And there's a point at which he

kinda reels her in, and just one last

584

time, and they kiss, and she's into

it, and it's about to go further.

585

But then he turns her down,

which we didn't see coming.

586

But so Sergeant Quinn

is hearing all of this.

587

So they've been…

588

There's this, this animosity.

589

There's kind of been this cat and

mouse, breaking out, coming back in.

590

They're learning more about each other.

591

You know, he's had this

animosity, not really move

592

for-forward with his life either.

593

And so he's hearing this,

and he's starting to feel

594

a little empathy for Robin.

595

And after Elise, after Lise leaves.

596

I keep wanting to say Elise,

but it's just Lise, L-I-S-E.

597

After she leaves, Sergeant says

to Robin, "Why don't you go home?

598

Your dad has insurance."

599

So it has been the whole, the

course of the whole night.

600

So I don't know, maybe like, again,

sort of Breakfast Club-esque.

601

This takes place during, probably

over the course of eight hours,

602

similar to Breakfast Club.

603

It's just before dawn, and he

says, "Why don't you go home?

604

Your dad has insurance."

605

So this whole time he

could've let him go as well.

606

And we've seen that this is, again,

just as a reminder, we see throughout

607

the movie clues that this has

happened, like he's been here before.

608

And so this is probably what is

sparking Robin to do what he's doing.

609

But so after he says this, they

kind of look at each other now with

610

a mutual understanding, and it,

there's no more animosity And then

611

the music kicks in, and, and the

sergeant says, "Go on with your life."

612

And I guess throughout the movie,

throughout the course of the movie,

613

they have had a lot of interactions

and talks that kind of allow them to

614

make peace and understand each other's

point of view, but it doesn't…

615

It's missing something.

616

It's, it falls a little

flat, in my opinion.

617

It doesn't-- It's not, it's not earned.

618

It's a great idea.

619

I just don't think it was executed well.

620

I'm not connected to this.

621

I don't feel it.

622

I don't see it, really.

623

Maybe that's just me.

624

But I th- but we're supposed to,

so maybe we were missing something.

625

I, I'm not sure.

626

There was definitely something missing

because we were really supposed to have

627

this really profound feeling of them, you

know, seeing each other, you know, as,

628

like, two sides of the same coin, I think.

629

Because Robin leaves, and now we

see Sergeant Phil Quinn, reflecting,

630

and we're shown that he has a tattoo

of a hawk now as he's reflecting.

631

And the reason that I bring that up is

because throughout the movie, Quinn is

632

telling a seemingly random story about a

hawk and a tattoo, and now it's clearly

633

tying the story directly to his own life.

634

Both men we see are stuck in the past.

635

They're carrying old

wounds and old regrets.

636

But again, Quinn, I guess we're seeing

that a little bit, but aside from

637

kind of holding onto this animosity

with his nephew, what w- we're not

638

shown a whole lot else about him, or

maybe I'm just misremembering because

639

I did watch this a little while ago.

640

It's taken me a really long

time to get this episode out.

641

Sorry, guys.

642

So I watched this a while ago.

643

So anyway, we're seeing this moment with

the music and the sergeant is reflecting.

644

We see, oh, there's the tattoo.

645

So I think we're meant

to have a, a bigger…

646

More feelings about

this than I did anyway.

647

Representing freedom, escape,

perspective, the ability or inability

648

to move on because they're both--

they both had the inability to

649

move on, but now they're free.

650

Robin has spent years frozen by

guilt over Danny's drowning and

651

his failed relationship with Lisa,

and Quinn has spent those same

652

years nursing blame and resentment

653

But that's it.

654

Like, I, I feel like we needed more

from Quinn for him to feel this way.

655

But by the end, the tattoo reveal

hints clearly that Quinn has been

656

telling the story about himself the

whole time, and they both need to

657

let go of the identities that they've

built around this particular tragedy.

658

Yeah.

659

The freedom that they both have

been denying themselves for years,

660

I think is, is supposed to be this

661

Wow, gotcha, gotcha, like

isn't this poignant moment?

662

I don't know.

663

I think this is what Hughes was

going for, that they're like

664

mirror images of each other.

665

The rebellious young man stuck

in the past, and then there's the

666

authority figure stuck in that past,

and that this Hawk is representing

667

what they're both denying themselves.

668

But like I said, it--

And maybe this is me.

669

Maybe I was just not…

670

You know how sometimes it depends on your

mood in watching something, and maybe…

671

I actually do think I went into it

open-minded, and maybe maybe I was

672

just not in a, in a deep thinking mood.

673

But it didn't hit.

674

It did not land for me.

675

Like I see what he was going for,

but it was not earned in my opinion.

676

Like I said, we needed to

see more for from Quinn.

677

And even Robin.

678

Like it's, it was kind of strange

interactions and, and breadcrumbs

679

for the sake of breadcrumbs.

680

Like, like I said, there, ooh, there

was a lot of kind of purposeful

681

mystery, and then as we learn about

it, it was like, "Oh, well duh."

682

Like it, it wasn't

anything super revealing.

683

It was like, yeah, that's kinda

what I assumed it was or, or it was

684

just a, not a, it's like a nothing.

685

Now I don't think this movie is bad.

686

It's just now that I'm kind of

talking through what happened

687

in the movie, 'cause, it's

been a few weeks since I saw it

688

The storylines, quote unquote, like

again, I say that quote because

689

there's not really storylines really.

690

It's just a bunch of things happening

and conversations that are meant to be

691

really meaningful, deep, thoughtful,

thought-provoking con- conversations,

692

and I just didn't think that they were.

693

Like, yes, there's some good themes

in there about what, what you expect

694

of yourself, what you can let go,

like you're in charge of your journey.

695

Why, you know, if you want something,

don't, don't stay stagnant.

696

W- feeling equal.

697

There are a lot of really good themes.

698

I just think that it's been told better in

other, even in other John Hughes movies.

699

But there's a nice ending.

700

We get this, the music, the

reflection by the officer.

701

Robin leaves.

702

It's dawn now, and all storylines are

tying up if, if there are more storylines.

703

So Ernie and Donna are,

they're napping now.

704

They've been trying to do this

whole thing this whole night,

705

and now, now they're sleeping,

actually s- eyes closed, sleeping.

706

The r- it's raining, so, you know,

this is washing away the town clean

707

of the events that have happened.

708

It's also, just cleansing

everything that's happened.

709

It's lighter now, and that is evident.

710

The, the movie has been really dark

and melancholy the whole time, and now

711

these men have both let go of all their

shit, and they're kind of being, you

712

know, baptized into their new lives

with this rain, and it's l- it's dawn.

713

It's light out now.

714

We cut to the river where Robin

is now emerging, laying on the

715

rock as it's raining, and it zooms

out and says, "Reached the rock.

716

Credits roll."

717

Now, there is a post-credit scene.

718

And like, so Ernie, like I mentioned,

was supposed to kind of be the comic

719

relief, but it just, it wasn't funny.

720

It wasn't particularly funny.

721

The Breakfast Club, it's a drama,

but there's so many funny moments

722

in it, quotable funny moments.

723

So that was done masterfully,

and this just wasn't.

724

Like, the parts that were meant to be

comic relief weren't funny, and there was

725

setups that I guess there were payoffs.

726

They just weren't good.

727

This, the post-credit scene is a payoff

to something that happened earlier.

728

One of the times that Robin breaks out,

we see him, take a big paint bucket

729

and a rope, and he's rigging it up

at the clock tower, and noth- like we

730

don't see anything happen-- then he

goes on to do something else, and , you

731

kind of forget that that happens.

732

Well, here's the payoff to that.

733

It strikes 7:00 a.m.,

734

and this allows the paint bucket to

drop, swinging on a rope, down into

735

the bank's window, which is probably

also owned by this Kendall fellow.

736

So yes, that, that's the post-credit

scene, the payoff to something earlier.

737

I know I'm-- I sound like I'm

kind of harping on this movie.

738

It's not, it's not a terrible movie.

739

It's just, it's okay.

740

And perhaps

741

You know, I'm learning as I'm just now

thinking through this, I think maybe

742

I'm a little disappointed because I

had higher hopes from the last entry

743

from John Hughes, and really for the

podcast, 'cause I've learned a lot

744

about who John Hughes wasn't and, you

know, who he wa- who I thought maybe

745

he was, and what I'm learning by doing

this season of John Hughes, which we'll

746

talk more about in the finale episode.

747

So, you know, stick around.

748

And also don't, don't forget to tell me

what your thoughts are about the season,

749

anything Retro Made, you know, whatever

you wanna, whatever you wanna say really.

750

But I'm just kind of realizing now as

I'm talking that I think that's what it

751

was for me, that Reach the Rock had so

much potential and I think I was a little

752

disappointed per- maybe because I had

higher hopes for it given all of these

753

kid movies that just were not great.

754

Aside from 101 Dalmatians,

that was really good.

755

Miracle on 34th Street was all right.

756

But a lot of them were just not great

leading up to this, you know, through

757

the mid-'90s into now we're, You know,

the last one before this I think was

758

Flubber, so don't even get me started.

759

Or maybe it was Home Alone 3.

760

Either way, Home Alone 3 or Flubber was…

761

Maybe they were both in '97

and they were both really bad.

762

So this is '98, his last entry.

763

I brought up a few times that it, it

had some vibes very similar to The

764

Breakfast Club, and I, I guess I'll

talk a little bit more about that.

765

I love The Breakfast Club, so

I'm like, "Yes, bring it on."

766

So some of those things, some of the

parallels, it's very dialogue-driven.

767

It's s- you know, all happening

in a really contained space.

768

There's some class-divided

romance happening.

769

There's some animosity

with authority figures.

770

The tone is very serious.

771

Although there are some playful

bits, in this movie, it is much,

772

much darker and just not as well

executed or as well-written really.

773

I mean, it's, it's sort of like what?

774

This plot is odd and really not

very interesting I guess you could

775

argue if, if j- if you hadn't

seen "The Breakfast Club"…

776

No, on, even just on

paper that sounds better.

777

So no, the, I, I, I'm, I'm,

I guess I'm doubling down.

778

Just on paper and executed,

this doesn't really sound very

779

interesting, and it's not.

780

So I guess after this barrage of phoned-in

kiddie movies, it was nice to have him end

781

the decade on a more thoughtful project.

782

It did seem to me like it still was

a little half-hearted effort, lacking

783

the magic and the passion that was

so evident in some of his, of his

784

early works like "The Breakfast Club."

785

So, this is how we're ending

the John Hughes season.

786

This is how he ends

really his work in '98.

787

One little bit of trivia,

which after I read this, I was

788

like, "Okay, I can see that.

789

I, I actually can see that."

790

So, one of the, one of the people

who worked as a sound engineer, his

791

name's Richard Lightstone, he stated

somewhere that this was made really

792

out of a contractual obligation

to Universal Studios, who per the

793

stipulations of a contract with

Hughes, were owed a film made by him.

794

So this is really-- That's it.

795

It, it was a contractual obligation,

and Hughes only visited the set

796

once, and mainly left William

Ryan in charge of the production.

797

So I guess that super tracks, but what

a want, want way to end, you guys.

798

I don't know, man.

799

If anyone has even heard of this

movie, you have to let me know.

800

If you've seen it, I

will be beyond shocked.

801

But that does bring us to

the end of "Reach the Rock."

802

It's an odd, overlooked little film.

803

It also happens to mark the end of John

Hughes' run as writer and producer.

804

I would re- genuinely love to hear from

you if you've seen it or even heard of it.

805

Additionally, where does it rank in

the catalog of Hughes movies for you?

806

Even if you haven't seen it, just

based on what I've just discussed

807

with you, the, the plot, what, what

I've kind of said about it, where do

808

you think this lies in the catalog?

809

We will go through some rankings

definitely in the finale episode.

810

But do you think that this is

maybe an underrated hidden gem?

811

Do you think that there's a reason that

people don't talk about it, aside from

812

the fact that nobody saw it 'cause it was

only in three th- three theaters for one

813

week, so, and it's impossible to find.

814

So maybe if it was on streaming, peop- a

bunch of people would watch it and have

815

wildly different thoughts than I have.

816

So very curious to see.

817

Like I said, it has a 6.6,

818

so clearly some people really like it.

819

I think I was just, had higher hopes

for it, and maybe I was just not

820

in a very thoughtful mood perhaps.

821

But with that, we've officially reached

the end of the Season 2's journey

822

through the films of John Hughes.

823

The season finale is coming very soon.

824

Like, I'm gonna record it very, very

soon, so I'd love to include your

825

thoughts, memories, rankings, surprises,

disappointments, favorite episodes maybe.

826

Anything that you've got.

827

Please don't wait.

828

Please send me an email, leave a

comment on YouTube or Facebook,

829

reach out however you want to.

830

It is [email protected],

831

or, you know, you know where to find

me, Facebook, YouTube, all the things.

832

And if you have enjoyed this

season, now would be a great

833

time to leave me a review.

834

If you've left a rating,

leave a re- review.

835

Yeah, it does help people find the

show, so I would very much appreciate

836

that as kind of my little, nice little

bow tie at the end of the season.

837

Thank you so much for coming along

this incredible Hughes journey with me.

838

If you have made it this far, if

you've listened to any episodes, if

839

you're new to the show, I, I'm so glad

that you're here, and I will see you

840

very soon for the Season 2 finale.

841

Until next time, be kind.

842

Rewind.