The Wild Life (1984) Universal

Written by Cameron Crowe, Directed by Art Linson, produced by both Starring: Eric Stoltz, Christopher Penn, Lea Thompson, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Rick Moranis, Jenny Wright, Hart Bachner, Randy Quaid, Michael Bowen

Another tale of teen capers in the Southland.

Eric has graduated from high school, and being newly grown up and financially independent, thanks to his bowling alley job, he leaves behind his old girlfriend Princess Lea, troubled younger brother Ilan and his home as he gets his own place with wild co-worker Christopher.

The apartment is little more than a dump, but it`s his dump, so Eric sees it more as a Paradise Motel, while Christopher envisions Animal House. The guys and their fomer girlfriends go cruising separately one night, providing a montage of hijinx and capers, most notably when the guys get thrown out of a strip club. Young Ilan is frustrated in an attempt to buy small explosives at a gun store run by a supercilious Ben Stein (his film debut?), and he and his buds become even more perverse.

Eric steps up to defend Lea from a sleazy married cop who`s been using her, and wins her back, but loses his apartment because Chris has thrown the wildest party of the decade, causing their eviction. However they both earn legendary status as a result, and we know that Eric and Lea will soon have their own place together.

Christopher also wins back his old girlfriend, and Ilan, having impressed a girl and received a killer smile of encouragement from her as school starts up again, seems more optimistic and ready to abandon his destructive ways.

Trivia: Music by Eddie Van Halen and Donn Landee. Cameos by Nancy Wilson (who happens to be married to the Director), Lee Ving from the punk band Fear, Sherilyn Fenn and Ben Stein. Also, during the party scene, Ron Wood from the Rolling Stones or a great lookalike crashes through an apartment wall in search of more beer from a neighbor to keep the revelries going.

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