Summary
- Fandango
was Kevin Costner’s first starring role, sparking a cult following and admiration from Quentin Tarantino. - The film was released in a few theaters with little promotion and is based on Kevin Reynolds’ short film.
- Quentin Tarantino watched
Fandango
five times in theaters and praised the film and Costner’s performance extensively.
As a film enthusiast who has had the privilege of witnessing the evolution of cinema, I must say that the story of Kevin Costner and his connection to Quentin Tarantino is nothing short of captivating. It’s fascinating to see how a single film like “Fandango” could leave such an indelible mark on a budding director’s life.
Prior to Kevin Costner’s Hollywood fame following the successful 1987 crime film “The Untouchables”, his breakout role was in the 1985 Western film “Silverado”. In this movie, his captivating portrayal of Jake, a quick-tempered gunslinger who acted first and asked questions later, solidified Costner’s reputation as an electrifying and enigmatic actor who seemed to have limitless potential.
Without a doubt, my most striking debut as a leading actor can be traced back to the 1985 comedy film “Fandango.” In this movie, I stepped into the shoes of Gardner Barnes, a University of Texas grad from 1971, embarking on one last road trip with college friends before our paths diverged due to life’s unavoidable decisions – marriage and the Vietnam War.
Although Fandango received mostly favorable critical appraisals in 1985, it had a limited theatrical distribution and ended up being a financial flop at the box office. Nevertheless, even though the film earned less than $100,000 during its short stint in cinemas, Fandango has developed a devoted cult fanbase, with filmmaker Quentin Tarantino among them, who has publicly praised the movie as one of the best ever made.
Five College Friends Face Uncertain Futures in Fandango
Similar to movies like American Graffiti and Breaking Away, which depict the start of a new life phase accompanied by the bittersweet goodbye to the past, the movie Fandango unfolds at a universal crossroads. In these films, the end of high school symbolizes the transition, but in Fandango, it’s five college friends who grapple with their uncertain futures, heightened by the looming threat of the Vietnam War, as exemplified by the draft notice received by the group’s leader, Kevin Costner’s character, Gardner Barnes.
In May of 1971, the movie Fandango premieres at a fraternity house on a university campus, where Gardner and his four companions, called the Groovers, are hosting a graduation celebration. However, the mood sours when Kenneth, who was planning to get married soon, announces that he’s been drafted and thus decides to call off the wedding.
Following Gardner’s disclosure of his draft notice, we, the Groovers, decide to seize our remaining freedom by embarking on one last road trip across Texas. Yet, the ambiguity surrounding our future brings a growing sense of unease among us, particularly between Gardner and Kenneth, whose fear of Vietnam intensifies after encountering a recent tombstone of a 19-year-old soldier who perished in the ongoing war.
As a long-time friend and confidant of Gardner, I have witnessed his deep affection for Debbie over the years. In a heartfelt effort to bring happiness to my dear friend, I felt compelled to contact Debbie and encourage her to renew her engagement with Kenneth. Arranging a beautiful wedding ceremony in a quaint border town was a selfless act on my part, despite the emotional toll it took to let go of the love I once shared with Debbie. Watching them dance at their sparkling venue before Gardner’s departure and the Groovers dispersing was bittersweet, but I knew that I had played a small role in helping my friend find happiness again. It is moments like these that remind me of the importance of friendship and putting others first.
Fandango Transformed Kevin Costner’s Career
Reflecting on the film Fandango now, it’s fascinating to ponder how a 28-year-old Kevin Costner, who started shooting this movie in Texas during the spring of 1983, might feel knowing what his future held. Around eight years later, he would win two Academy Awards for his directorial debut, the epic Western Dances with Wolves, released in 1990, and rise to become one of Hollywood’s most influential stars.
Fandango started a lengthy professional partnership with director Kevin Reynolds, who counseled Costner during the production of Dances with Wolves. Later, Costner chose Reynolds to direct the 1991 action-adventure film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which was the second highest-grossing movie of that year. Their subsequent collaboration on the troubled 1995 post-apocalyptic thriller Waterworld, which flopped at the box office compared to its high production cost, led to a rift between Costner and Reynolds for several years. Eventually, they rekindled their working relationship with the 2012 Western television miniseries Hatfields & McCoys.
Quentin Tarantino Saw Fandango Five Times in a Theater
The movie “Fandango” was inspired by Kevin Reynolds’ 1980 short film “Proof,” which garnered a positive reaction from Steven Spielberg, leading him to finance “Fandango” through his production company Amblin Entertainment. Despite Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, longtime collaborators of Spielberg, being listed as executive producers for “Fandango,” which had a production budget of $7 million, Spielberg chose not to be associated with the film’s title, presumably due to dissatisfaction with the final product.
Despite being released in only 27 cinemas in January 1985 with minimal advertising, Fandango managed to captivate a passionate fan – a 21-year-old Quentin Tarantino. During the movie’s short stint in Los Angeles, Tarantino watched it no less than five times. In a 1994 interview with Vanity Fair, Tarantino shared:
1) “Kevin Reynolds is set to be the Stanley Kubrick of his era, with his directorial debut, Fandango, being hailed as one of the greatest in cinema history. I watched this movie five times at the theater during its brief week-long run, and I was captivated by Kevin Costner’s performance. To me, a truly cool actor is one whose performance inspires you to emulate them, and after seeing Fandango, I wanted to imitate Kevin Costner – from dressing like him to adopting his speech patterns. The idea of wearing a worn-out tuxedo, living carefree in a car driving through the desert, seemed incredibly cool to me. Reynolds made even a filthy tuxedo look stylish.”
Quentin Tarantino highly appreciates the movie Fandango, and this admiration extends to Kevin Costner’s dark 1990 thriller Revenge, which Tarantino has called a masterpiece. Interestingly, Tarantino even offered Costner the lead role in the Kill Bill films, but Costner declined to instead direct and star in the 2003 Western film Open Range. Almost ten years later, Costner came close to playing the villainous Ace Woody in Tarantino’s 2012 Western film Django Unchained, but had to turn down the role due to scheduling conflicts with Hatfields & McCoys and Man of Steel. Currently, Fandango is available for rental on Prime Video and Apple TV.
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2024-08-19 02:02