Copper Mountain: A Club Med Experience - Dir. David Mitchell (1983)

I always knew that Jim Carrey was good for something. Actually, I don’t want to mock the guy (”Eternal Sunshine” showed even people who can’t stand him what he’s truly capable of). As far as first leading roles go, he could’ve done better, but “Copper Mountain” got him to where he’s at now, so who am I to judge. This movie is a dud in just about every sense of the word. If you set out to make a movie that almost no one could enjoy, this would make great research material.

The Plot: Jim Carrey and Alan Thicke head off to Club Med to chill out. Jim’s character, Bobby, is no ace with the ladies. While Thicke’s character plans on spending his time on the slopes and insulting everyone he runs into, Bobby does his best to meet chicks by doing impressions and bouncing around like a dumb-ass. What a set-up! Not much really happens. There are a TON of musical numbers that are okay for their camp value, as well as plenty of shots of folks heading down the slopes, which I imagine is impressive to those who ski. If your local video store has a copy of this film, and you’re really into movies where the plot barely exists, give Copper Mountain a shot.

What Makes it Watchable: It’s sort of fun to see Alan Thicke portraying a young man with poor social skills and the priorities of an over libidinous teenager. If Mike Seaver had gotten a hold of a copy of “Copper Mountain”, he’d have had some great ammo when Maggie or the Doc caught him coming in late (remember that time when Mike went to the party with Boner and everyone was doing cocaine in the bathroom?) or his mouth got a little too sassy.

So, what was the deal with skiing in the 80s? I have no idea why everyone liked that stupid sport so much (of course it’s only stupid because I’m no good at it). You’ve got tons of movies coming out where skiing is the focus, in whole or in part, of the plot. Now I understand, and even sympathize with all the movies that came out with plots surrounding a computer or a video game, but those things were relatively new, right? It’s not like skiing came out in 1977 and people had a reason to get so gung ho about it. Where are all the movies about pogo-balls? Having seen the Garbage Pail Kids movie (look for the review under “What I’ve Already Watched”–it’s horrid!), maybe we’re better off without a film that follows every 80s trend. Seriously, though, skiing?! Personally, I think side-hacking makes a far better sport for a film to revolve around…

Another thing about 80s movies that I don’t really get is the nearly universal presence of a character that spends the entire film trying to impress/bed a woman. Didn’t those kids have stocks to buy? I’d also like to know what the chances really are of your car landing in a swimming pool when you lose control of it. I can only imagine that the likelihood increases as the make of the vehicle becomes more expensive. A few other things that the 80s had that don’t seem to show up too much anymore: fun, frivolous frat parties, wet t-shirt contests, pet turtles, phone booths, asymetrical sunglasses, pleats, hot tubs, expensive dinners with tiny portions, cool people who smoke, kids getting stuffed in their lockers, secret “peep-holes”, and short cuts. Also, today’s actors don’t do enough rhyming when they talk (i.e. “Big John is in, let the fun begin”).

Anywho, this film probably isn’t worth your time. I actually had a little fun watching it because I dug the band, but I doubt that most people will (great rendition of “Lodi”, and a stage presense that is great, though difficult to describe). Alan Thicke fans (yeah, I know you’re out there) might get a kick out of seeing him in this type of role. Jim Carrey fans should definitely stay away. 

Averted Eyes: 0

Breaks Needed to Complete Viewing: 0

Overall Rating from 1 to 10: 3.5

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