I remember when this film first came out. It played the local "indie" theatre for about a week. According to a "Details" magazine article on Cusack, he said that when they were promoting the film, did so in their "Actor's Gang" personas, wearing skinny ties and trench coats, and they got kicked off of a morning talk show for trashing the green room.
Judging by the final product, it seems that Robbins and Cusack wanted to have some fun, and brought this film to Michael Nesmith's Pacific Arts Company (not known for its high production values), and banged it out between schedules.
It's always a treat to see John Cusack and Tim Robbins acting in the same film. I believe "Tapeheads" is the first one where they co-headline, and it is great!
As a cult film, it has all of the factors that make it worthwhile (subtle sight gags, quotable lines, a stream of cameos, random tangent scenes (the Roscoe's Chicken and Waffle commercial), and satirical jabs (in this case the music video industry.)
Minor spoilers ahead:
My one complaint is that the ending could have been a little sharper. The final chase and apprehension of the politician's videotape should have been more suspensful, and I didn't buy the Swanky Modes' concert performance. Do you think a concert hall full of people waiting to see Menudo would be won over by one song by two aging R&B stars? Who knows. Maybe this was a subtle jab at Michael Nesmith's former band, who inexplicably gained a new following in the mid-'80s when MTV started airing episodes of "The Monkees" 3 times a day.
Judging by the final product, it seems that Robbins and Cusack wanted to have some fun, and brought this film to Michael Nesmith's Pacific Arts Company (not known for its high production values), and banged it out between schedules.
It's always a treat to see John Cusack and Tim Robbins acting in the same film. I believe "Tapeheads" is the first one where they co-headline, and it is great!
As a cult film, it has all of the factors that make it worthwhile (subtle sight gags, quotable lines, a stream of cameos, random tangent scenes (the Roscoe's Chicken and Waffle commercial), and satirical jabs (in this case the music video industry.)
Minor spoilers ahead:
My one complaint is that the ending could have been a little sharper. The final chase and apprehension of the politician's videotape should have been more suspensful, and I didn't buy the Swanky Modes' concert performance. Do you think a concert hall full of people waiting to see Menudo would be won over by one song by two aging R&B stars? Who knows. Maybe this was a subtle jab at Michael Nesmith's former band, who inexplicably gained a new following in the mid-'80s when MTV started airing episodes of "The Monkees" 3 times a day.