*NOTE: This post got a little personal – in a sappy way – so if you’re here for just some humor and some fast yuks, I understand if you want to skip this one*
*WARNING: This post ended up being strewn with digitally rendered images of actual photographs taken during the 1990s when THE IPC was young and skinny.*
Remember when Vince Vaughn was young and thin and kinda awesome and not a douchey wedding crasher or an old schooler or Santa Claus’ kid? Remember when he made fun character actor movies like this and THE CELL?
Remember when Joaquin Phoenix wasn’t a bearded assface who made movies like this and 8MM and, to some extent, GLADIATOR??
Remember when Janeane Garofalo was a hot commodity and kind of – well – hot – in that indy, Natalie-Merchant-is-fading-away type of way? Remember MYSTERY MEN?? AAAAHHHH… sweet nostalgia….
That’s the feeling I got watching this for the first time in years the other day. Nostalgia. The 90s were a weird time for me. I graduated High School in 90 (yep, I’m old). High School was a cinch and I remember me and Scrotey just hanging out all of the time drinking beer, trying to figure out how to make it with the ladies and you still had the protection of your mom (parents) and had no goddamned fucking bills to pay. Then I had to move out – which sounds weird because, I think, kids today stay at home for many, many years – and I had to get a job and go to college. That was fun and all because we had that rent house and we partied like mother fuckers and it was all fun and games until someone got hurt. Let me see if I can find some sort of fun photographs of the time…
Then, after college life began to suck. For four years I wallowed in misery managing that fucking restaurant, working 16 hour days seven days a week, hating my fucking life. Then, one day, after the lunch shift, I was off drinking at this other restaurant to kill the pain and I ran into and old friend of mine who remarked how shitty I looked and told me to get a job where he works – so I did – and starting March 1, 1999 things began to look up. I was living with a girl at the time and she was cheating on me so I dumped her sorry ass and a different old friend moved in with me and before too long I met the beautiful person who would become MRS. THE IPC and she totally saved my life!
I remember sitting around watching this with Rob (my roommate) – as my life was starting to get better, so when I watched it again the other day I was moony with nostalgia of a certain time in my life when I was starting to learn to not feel ashamed of myself. Well, fuck, where has this gone? Someone get me a fucking tissue…
As for this movie – it’s a fun semi-noir about this dude (Phoenix) who just can’t seem to catch a break, especially when it comes to chicks and – of course – dead bodies. In comes Vaughn as a snappily dressed, fast talking drifter who just complicates things even more. It also doesn’t help that he’s a serial killer (that’s no spoiler). Garofalo is actually pretty funny in her dry way and if you have my sense of humor, Scott Wilson is a crack up. This also has Jackie Chiles from Seinfeld : )Sorry to get all droopy on you – hopefully I’ll be back to form tomorrow : )
Isaacs Picture Conclusions 
Clay Pigeons is an old favorite of mine too, ditto to all the points about how the stars of this movie were great in the 90s. Thanks for sharing a bit of your story! If we couldn’t be self-indulgent bloggers, we’d just be plain old movie critics, right?
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EXACTLY!!
I miss fun Garofalo… : (
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Me too! There were a few years there when I would watch anything she was in.
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Yup…
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Agreed on the movie.
Glad the very end of the ’90s was better than the middle. 🙂
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You and me both!! The middle of the 90s was almost a show stopper…. : (
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Thankfully it wasn’t, in the end. 🙂
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Thank you!!!! : )
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You were wrong about the fast yuks, the pictures provided those in spades!
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Perfect!! I love that fucking neck tie I used to wear. I’ll let you borrow it when you come to the Christmas party.
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Neck ties ONLY! 😉
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Bolos are also allowed – we are in the Southwest after all. Just wait til you see Scrotey’s hairy back.
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Ascots?
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Only for the ladies, sir.
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How about a cape? It’s like a giant, reverse tie. Or would that cover the ass too much?
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I’ll allow this.
True story – back in the restaurant days we had a waiter named Jacob. Good guy, good worker. One night my friend and I went out to the bar after work and saw him there with his girlfriend…..
…wearing a cape….
I would expect nothing less from Dr. Goodtimes.
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Like a Superman cape or a Dracula cape? Was he being funny or making a fashion statement?
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Totally a Dracula cape – you know, like maroon satin. I think he was trying to make a statement – we avoided him. He might have had a cane too – I just remember that stupid cape.
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Cane, classy move.
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Especially for that bar. It was a total fucking dump.
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Oh, the 90’s! I was only 3 in good ole ’90, but good times were had.
I love old photos, and those are some gems. Sweet Hard Rock T dude.
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Aren’t they beauts???? Nice hairdo!!
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Oh the 90s, what a time to be alive. Can’t say that I’ve seen this flick though, I’ll need to get on that right away! Awesome post, and insight into what makes theipc ;).
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It’s pretty good – especially if you’ve never seen it!
THANK YOU!!
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I bought this DVD a few years ago, along with a string of other 90’s Vince Vaughn films, and watched them all for the first time, and thought they were all pretty good, including “Clay Pigeons”. I just made a comment to someone on twitter this week “What happened to Vince Vaughn’s career? He needs a new agent.” In the 90’s Vaughn had a string of quality movies, and he made a few good ones in the early 2000’s, as well, but as of the last few years every film he’s in looks terrible. I assume you have seen “Swingers”? “Swingers” was the film that put Vaughn on the map. One of my all-time favorites. The writing, dialogue, acting and directing all top-notch.
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Aww. That was sweet. 🙂 I prefer these kind of reviews anyway! As for the movie, I’ve never seen it because… Vince Vaughn. Are you seriously telling me he wasn’t a douchebag once?? I had no idea! And the 90s sucked ass. That decade sort of went the same way for both of us (except I finished high school two years after you. yep, we’re old). Nice photos! 🙂 Except for the nudity. Nice helmet, though. (That sounded wrong…)
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Hey – THANK YOU!!!
Vince Vaughan use to be all right – in fact I even liked him before he – you know – got big and I don’t just mean fat and bloated.
and LOL – thanks!! I thought you’d like these little slices of life : )
No one was drunk in any of those pictures.
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Aw, nostalgia! I love personal stories so this was one of the bestest posts ever! Also I’ve never ever heard of this movie but I would’ve been too young for it when it came out…definitely looks like fun because I totes dig on Garofalo. Totes. Reality Bites is one of my all time faves and got me through my 20s.
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HA!! Wonderful and THANKS Misty!!!
I bet you’d like this : )
Thanks for hanging around again lately!
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I think I’d love it. 🙂 And I’m trying my best to visit round!
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YAY!!
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Full moooooon! I love this review. I want to hug it. Never seen Clay Pigeons either!
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I just talked to this post and it said it wants to hug you back but you’re too far away : (
THANK YOU!!!
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If I start my slow-mo run now I can make it by mid 2014!
*Baywatch music*
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LOL!!
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