Fandango (1985 film)

Fandango
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKevin Reynolds
Written byKevin Reynolds
Produced byTim Zinnemann
Starring
CinematographyThomas Del Ruth
Edited byArthur Schmidt
Stephen Semel
Music byAlan Silvestri
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • January 25, 1985 (1985-01-25)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$7 million[1]
Box office$91,666[2]

Fandango is a 1985 American comedy film directed by Kevin Reynolds. It was originally a student film titled Proof made by Reynolds while he was attending University of Southern California film school. It was a parody of Greek life at his alma mater, Baylor University. Due to his father's presidency at Baylor, though, he did not wish to portray the Baptist institution in an unfavorable light and gave it the alternative location as the University of Texas. The film is now a cult classic.[3][4]

Steven Spielberg saw the film and helped fund a feature-length comedy/drama about five college students from Texas in 1971, who go on a "last road trip" together, celebrating the "privilege of youth" as they face graduation, marriage, and the draft for the Vietnam War.[5]

Fandango stars Kevin Costner (in his first starring role, although an earlier film where he had been the lead actor, The Gunrunner had actually wrapped in 1983, but was not released until 1989), Judd Nelson, and Sam Robards.[6][Note 1] The soundtrack features an original score by Alan Silvestri and music by Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays, among others.

The film was released by Warner Bros. and Amblin Entertainment on January 25, 1985, and a DVD of the film was released on February 15, 2005. Fandango marked not only the directorial debut of Reynolds, but also the feature-film debut of Suzy Amis, previously known primarily for her work in modeling.[7]

  1. ^ "Fandango (1985)". AFI Catalog. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  2. ^ "Fandango". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  3. ^ "30 years later, which movie would you watch: Fandango or Falcon and the Snowman?". Tampa Bay Times. January 26, 2015.
  4. ^ Caldwell, Rob (November 3, 2016). "The Sublime Marriage of Music and Image in 'Fandango'". PopMatters.
  5. ^ McBride 2011, p. 603.
  6. ^ a b Abaius, Cole (May 12, 2009). "Interview: Kevin Reynolds Looks Back at 'Fandango'". Film School Rejects. Archived from the original on May 14, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  7. ^ "Fandango: Miscellaneous Notes". Turner Classic Movie Database. Retrieved February 10, 2012.


Cite error: There are <ref group=Note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=Note}} template (see the help page).