Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Fandango Blu-ray Movie Review

"Hi, I'm Kevin Costner. Welcome to Jackass."

Reviewed by Randy Miller III April 7, 2022

An early detour on Kevin Costner's road to success, Kevin Reynolds' Fandango is based on the director's 1980 USC student film Proof that satirizes his own time in a college fraternity; it was so well received by Steven Spielberg that he wound up producing the feature film through Amblin Entertainment*. This rollicking road trip follows five college boys† (nicknamed "The Groovers") on the way to nowhere circa 1971, wringing out the last of their youthful energy before facing down real life: graduation, marriage, and being drafted into the Vietnam War. Fandango's tone lies somewhere between Animal House, Diner, and The Last Detail, mixing reckless male behavior with genuine character growth amid an extremely loose, anything-goes backdrop. The end result ain't always pretty, but it's pretty entertaining.

In a rowdy frat house at the University of Texas, charismatic Gardner Barnes (Kevin Costner) sells his car to throw a wild party celebrating the recent engagement of fellow "Groover" Kenneth Waggener (Sam Robards)... who promptly announces that the wedding's off. In honor of Kenneth's new freedom and the receipt of draft papers, Gardner rounds up the rest of the Groovers -- uptight Phil Hicks (Judd Nelson), strong and silent Dorman (Chuck Bush), and perpetually tired Lester Griffin (Brian Cesak) -- for an impromptu 400-mile trip to the Mexican border to dig up "Dom", whatever (or whoever) that is. Phil's got a car and some extra cash, so before we know it they're on the road.

The rest of Fandango is a series of episodic adventures that mirror the opening scene: lofty plans fizzle out disastrously, each flavored by the infectious charm of short-sighted youthful enthusiasm. The Groovers' road trip almost ends after the opening credits when their gas tank dries up in the middle of nowhere. A ridiculous attempt to hitch Phil's clunker to a passing train takes the whole front end with it. Bottle rockets are launched at each other within the walls of a local cemetery. A bruised ego leads to near-fatal results at a third-rate skydiving school run by local burnout Truman Sparks (Marvin J. McIntyre). But the whole's more than the sum of its parts: Fandango earns our goodwill with a few poignant moments and genuine character growth, building to both the planned destination and a new one after Kenneth decides to make things right with his fiancée Debbie (Suzy Amis), who also doubles as Gardner's ex-girlfriend. Once their short weekend is in the rear-view mirror, The Groovers are not who they were when this whole thing started.

On the surface, Fandango may look like a pointless waste of time, and in some ways it is. But it's also a deceptively moving "snapshot" film that captures pivotal moments in the young life of its core group and even carries a satisfying emotional resolution that gives this seemingly feather-light production plenty of added weight. It's also supported by a strong visual sensibility, as well as a great soundtrack with classic cuts by Cream, Elton John, Los Lobos, Steppenwolf, Blind Faith, and more. Sadly, Fandango's debut was a total misfire (see below) but it's famously been resurrected as a cult classic during the last several decades. Warner Archive's Blu-ray takes another step in the right direction, with its reliably solid A/V presentation clearly overshadowing the disappointing lack of bonus features.

* Unfortunately, Spielberg was notoriously not as impressed with the feature film; not only did he have his name removed, but his lack of confidence prevented the film from earning a wide theatrical release. Ouch.

† Kevin Costner carries enough youthful charisma and charm to play the de facto leader of this group, but his age is a problem: although still early in the actor's career, he was 30 during the production of Fandango and in no way passes for a credible college boy. (Costner's fellow Groovers, on the other hand, were in their early to mid-20s.)

Fandango Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The ever-reliable Warner Archive has made lemonade out of Fandango, which by all accounts is no visual powerhouse. Detail, textures, and saturation are limited by its source material, with nighttime scenes often overpowered by chunky grain and noise that all but completely swallow shadow detail. (The opening surprise party doesn't fare too well either, particularly footage shot under crimson red lights.) Scenes in bright sunlight are a much different story, of course, and a handful of "magic hour" moments likewise look great and suffer from no such shortcomings. Either way, Fandango is still dominated by drab earth tones and medium grays that nonetheless match its grungy, lived-in locations such as a disgusting rest stop bathroom and, of course, the frat house's everything. But it's easy to tell where the film's baked-in flaws end and the Blu-ray's strengths begin: reportedly sourced from a "brand new restoration" per Warner Archive (which usually indicates a fresh 2K scan of the interpositive), it's blemish-free, dense and film-like, and suffers from no obvious compression-related issues. So while Fandango may not be the first disc you'll reach for to test the limits of a new TV or projector, it's at least a quality presentation that easily eclipses past home video releases.

Fandango Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Fandango was originally mixed in Dolby Stereo, but all of its digital home video releases have included a 5.1 remix rather than a true two-channel presentation. (This time, it's at least been bumped up to DTS-HD Master Audio.) And while I'd normally complain about the lack of original sound, that's kind of what we get here: much like Warner Bros.' 2005 DVD edition, the surrounds are mostly inactive and this results in a pretty front-loaded mix that benefits slightly from the discrete LFE channel. Dialogue is perfectly clear in most cases, background effects are well-prioritized, and the sound field narrows and widens appropriately depending on the location. Fandango's solid soundtrack benefits the most from this sonic upgrade, though, with plenty of pop cuts sounding especially rich and dynamic along the way. Overall, this is a perfectly good presentation as long as you aren't expecting an incredibly immersive mix.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only.

Fandango Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This release ships in a standard keepcase with pretty bland cover artwork (this poster is much better) and no inserts. Extras are disappointingly minimal and, while that's typical of most Warner Archive releases, Reynolds' original student film Proof (seen here) or deleted scenes (like these three) seen during rare TV broadcasts would have been nice.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:42) - This charming promotional piece can also be seen here.

Fandango Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Though writer/director Kevin Reynolds' name would later be chained to the notorious Waterworld and corny but likable Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, his rowdy debut film Fandango remains a brisk, unfiltered firecracker that isn't perfect but is still pretty damn entertaining. Featuring an early lead role for Kevin Costner alongside a solid supporting cast of fellow misfits (as well as a memorable soundtrack and visual sensibility), this cult classic plays well on Warner Archive's welcome new Blu-ray edition. Its occasional A/V limitations and complete lack of real bonus features don't exactly make this a standout catalog release for the boutique label, but fans will certainly get their money's worth.