Glum, arty drama about youths in the heart of the American West
Three students from the class of ’85 in small town Utah go their separate ways: Hancock (Jason Gedrick) shoots for basketball stardom, but settles for being a cop; his girlfriend (Tracy Pollan) goes off to college to explore art and romantic possibilities; their meek friend Danny (Kiefer Sutherland) curiously quits school in pursuit of an ambiguous job while eventually choosing companionship with a reckless woman (Meg Ryan). When Danny returns home with his new girl it paves the way for a life-changing Christmas.
"Promised Land" (1987) was the first movie to be commissioned by the Sundance Film Festival and, as such, is a true indie, costing $3 million in 1986 and written/directed by Michael Hoffman. It’s mostly an artistic coming-of-age drama and character study, yet mixed with a little road movie, crime thriller and bleak tragedy. It’s similar to the contemporaneous "Less than Zero" in both content and quality meshed with the locale of the original “Footloose” from three years prior. Like “Less than Zero,” it’s artsy and downbeat.
While it’s almost on par with “Less,” it’s not even close to the excellence of “Footloose” in all-around entertainment or powerful themes, although it tries. On the positive side, the four cast members are convincing with Kiefer notable as the overly docile guy (the reverse of his iconic role in “The Lost Boys” from earlier the same year). It’s no wonder that he connects with Bev (Ryan) because she’s the express opposite and therefore possesses what Danny lacks. Speaking of Meg, she plays against type and is surprisingly effective. This rebukes Oliver Stone’s criticism that she wasn’t able to capture the counterculture vibe of the wild ’60’s in his “The Doors” four years later. If he wasn’t able to cull this out of her, it’s his fault.
The character of Bev, while well-done by Meg, is a turn-off and the root-cause of what goes down. However, this is true-to-life and this story is supposedly based on a real one. We all know such foolish “free spirits” (they’re actually not free, but that’s another subject).
The proceedings are hampered by a vague criticism of American ideals in the dynamic ’80s and the pro-gun stand of the Reagan administration. Hancock’s reaction at the rural firing range at the end is both awkward and laughable. The answer to what happens is simple: Don’t be a dumb fudge by threatening citizens with firearms and there isn’t a problem.
The movie runs 1 hour, 42 minutes, and was shot in various areas of Utah, including Wendover and Provo, as well as Reno, Nevada.
GRADE: C
