FAT CITY NEW ORLEANS

Read the book and bought the movie...basically its "That 70s Show" goes to New Orleans. The opening scene is a montage of the French Quarter, Bourbon Street and the Garden District along St.Charles. Unlike the book, which is more detailed, the hunting scene is reduced to a single double entendre about Paul's teenage appetite for girls. We quickly meet his soon-to-be "try anything" teenage girlfriend Ashley at Kaleb's, a bar in Fat City (suburb of New Orleans) with her two other girlfriends Sally and Stephanie. After sharing a quaalude, they leave the bar for the lakefront...only to be caught by the cops in the backseat of their dad's 1970's Cadillac convertible. The cop has a strong southern accent and despite some harsh actions (no spoiler) ends up letting them go despite having him pour out the Dixie beers from the ice chest in the back seat...this kind of gives you an idea of the 70s mind set for teenage drinking. Paul has late night calls with girlfriends of Ashley after going through the nightly "inquistion" with his parents who discreetly smell his breath when kissing him good night and routinely ask him about drinking. Paul's best friend Billy is around whenever Paul is not on a date and is his confidant. It is through Billy, that we find out Paul has a secret crush on Clementine, the very sexy girlfriend of his weed connection friend, Steve. The scenes of Paul and Billy getting a "shotgun" from Clementine are classic. Background score tranistions by "That 70s Show" composer feels like the TV show especially when they are getting high. Most of the movie is Paul and Billy getting into trouble and meeting new girls with an interesting twist when he gets together with Clementine and her best friend Roxy towards the end of the movie. Throughout the movie there is Paul's old love interest, Tara showing up and lurking as a motivator to Paul's activities. It is Paul's interest in girls that pushes him to try out for cheerleading and expand his female dating repertoire...which only lasts for a while due to his hard core partying. Ashley plays a cute, innocent girlfriend who appears to be in love for the first time. She tugs on our heart strings especially towards the end of the movie when Tara unexpectedly takes Paul away from the billiard tables at the Senior Prom...nice Elvis Costello "Allison" playing in the background gets the tears moving. There are some other scenes with more cute innocent 70s girls such as Samantha in the Babylon Modeling School and Melody at the Lakefront. A theme of the movie is Paul's constant struggle with his parents trying to reign him in without being overly restrictive and Paul almost always taking advantage of their trust. One of the funniest scenes takes place in a restaurant with Paul and Billy using a hotel key from a previous prom to charge drinks and expensive foods to the pretty blonde waitress who looks past their fake moustaches. I'm a big fan of Mila Kunis and "That 70s Show" and this is the kind of light retrospective of the 70s set in New Orleans that I love. Its funny and loaded with the 70s mindset about life. Definitely an independent feature with a "B+" grade

below average

Not a bad movie but there didn't seem to be a plot to the movie other than the kids partying but then what else is New Orleans for. I lived there all my life and it is nothing but one big party. You find things to party for. I was pleased to see scenes of New Orleans unlike the last movie I watched "The Big Easy"

If you want to hears some NOLA names and a few images of that special time buy it. It gets boring after a while but is somewhat accurate. My time in Fat City was a few years earlier and the drug culture had not kicked in 100%.It lacks actual footage of the area ie Butterfly Terrace apts, Morning call etc.

For quality, I'd have to give it four stars. For effort, I'd give it four Stars. For Moral Quality I'd give it one star because me and my bible study group all disapprove of teenage drinking and teenagers smoking pot. So, overall it gets 2 stars. The movie does have a lot of parental disapproval within the film. The script is similar to "That 70s Show" and is shot in That 70s Show style with 70s clothes, 70s posters and locations in bars, parks, French quarter, Bourbon Street and in around the main character's homes. The scenes are accented by 70s warbling and music. I think Elvis Costello, The Knack and K.C. and the Sunshine Band are the main music, but lots of "That 70's Show style music transitions. The French Quarter scenes show the characters on Bourbon Street and many of the bars that are local around New Orleans. The large oak trees in Audubon Park and City Park with its tell tale gray moss are relaxing when the main character is courting his girlfriend. There are a lot of cast members, the movie credits listed 26 and there are multiple actions going on between the main actor, Paul and his girlfriend, Ashley. His nemesis is his old girlfriend, Tara who provides twists throughout the movie. Paul has some good scenes interacting with his mother and father though out the movie and I appreciated the respect he had for his parents. His sister appears only a few times. Paul has quite a few scenes with his best friend, Billy and the scenes where he goes to his drug dealer's house, Steve and is clearly smoking pot with Steve's girlfriend is what I object to in this movie. Paul is so wasted he shows up at the New Orleans lakefront and has a lot of irresponsible actions with the captain of the cheerleading team and with some other girls that accompany them to the prom. While the restaurant scene where they are wearing moustaches is funny, I object to the waitress serving minor's alcohol. There were a lot of interesting plot twists and Paul has a romantic relationship with one of the models he meets at the Babylon modeling school, as well as with Clementine (the drug dealer's girlfriend) and Clementine's girlfriend at the levee. The Babylon modeling school teacher is funny dealing with Paul's other friend who doesn't seem to have the same skills as he does and I was glad to see the cop who pulls him over in his 70s Cadillac convertible eventually books him on a DWI..so there is some justice...but I can't approve of this R rated feature film because of the teenage drinking and driving content. I suspect if you have issues with alcohol and drugs you will also be turned off by the total disregard for responsible drinking in the movie.

Nothing at all like the real Fat City I grew up in!

great product

Hilarious and interesting! Being a huge fan of "Austin Powers" and "That `70's Show," this movie was right up my alley. Cute and fun, this story mimics the coming of age story with a twist. Truly immersing you in the 1970's, you will be entranced with the realistic feel, setting, and story line. Some may dislike the indie, fresh feel, however, it was the best aspect in my opinion. It is so reminiscent of my younger years, getting into trouble, and ignoring my good intentioned parents. Truth be told, I never experimented within the illegal realm, however it adds a little good-natured humor into the story. However, if illegal substances are an issue, you may not enjoy that aspect of the film. Follow the intricate stories of Paul, Billy, and Ashley as they discover the good, the bad, and the memorable aspects of life in New Orleans, anything goes! Run from the cops, avoid the parents, and fall in love! Experience life in the town where the party never dies, and in an era where partying was a way of life. Cute, innocent, and rebellious! 5/5 stars!