That agreed with Vic? I remember watching this movie as a child and thinking he was an a-hole. I watched it recently and felt like Alan was just a little coward crybaby right from the beginning and Vic wouldnt feed into his antics. Vic was trying to show them how to survive in the wilderness and Alan refused to listen and learn.
I'm Running This Monkey Farm Now Frankenstein, & I Wanna Know What The *beep* Your Doin With My Time!
You do have a point. The movie is oddly ambiguous in that way...Vic only wanted to show his boys how to be true outdoorsmen. He pushed them, but didn't abuse them. However, that's a debatable point. Many would say he pushed them way too far for a summer camp. I would agree that leaving Alan hanging there was pretty harsh.
In my opinion, he wasn't abusing them in the long run. He just should have reasoned with them better when he is pushed over the edge by their rebellion.
He had some good points but he went way too far in his methods. First of all, he shouldn't have chastised Alan for coming up with an elaborate trap to catch fish. He was using ingenuity and was using the tools at his disposal and he should have been commended for it, not chastised for it. It's obvious that Bacon was both a bit jealous and angry that Alan didn't adhere to his way of catching fish, and that was wrong in itself. Also leaving the kids to fend for themselves for a night was irresponsible, even if he was trying to teach them a lesson. And leaving Alan hanging on the ledge was deplorable. Imagine if the rope did somehow break and Alan died; he would not only lose his license but go to jail. If he didn't take things too personally and laid out more ground rules at the beginning (no radio for example), I think he would have been an excellent guide.
shareNo, I agree with Vic too. His problem was that he was too late. The generation he grew up and was raised in was gone. The new "who cares, I can slide through life without lifting a finger, it's not my problem, I'd rather sit around all day playing nintendo" generation was already well on it's way, and the kids were not digging his lessons. They just didn't get it. I think that Alan was probably the only one who really benefited from Vic's teachings. He'll definitely have a lot to rely on later in life.
Of course, I also think Vic took things too far. He took too many chances, and he ended up not being a very good leader in the end. True, Alan learned the lesson. But he could also have fallen to his death.
* I Bent My Wookie *
I love the idiots who want to go with the "Im MY day...we were tougher" without realizng what a jjoke that statement is. No...leaving 4 inexperienced kids alone in a major thunderstorm is not a good thing to do. Nor is leaving a kid hanging from a rope over a gorge.
And no...that would not have been acceptable in the 70s, 60s, 50s, 40, or ANY decade. So unless you are 150 years old or so, you never grew up in a time when this would be considered acceptable.
My advice to you is don't have chidlren. Which based on your attitude, it probably not ging to be a problem.
I agree, I also used to think Vic was an a-hole. Watching it now I think the kids were in the wrong.
shareBut I have to argue: when Vic dismisses Alan's fish trap and dumps the fish back into the water, THAT was unnecessary. Alan didn't follow Vic's rules, and that's wrong, but that kind of self-sufficiency was still a natural way of catching A TON of fish for the group. Vic was being a total d*ck when he dumped those fish back in.
Also, he shouldn't have left Alan there all day
and he shouldn't have let Alan dangle off that bridge (remember how he said he watched the whole thing>?) ... that's not only poor leadership, that's sadistic.
I think Vic acted excessively.
I really cannot say anything because it has been forever since I have seen this movie and I do remember seeing Vic play the jerk in this movie. I did somewhat thought Alan played a wimp though in the movie.
See I use to see this all of the time on USA UP ALL NIGHT on the USA Network. I also use to see this shown during the day sometimes as well on the USA Network. So I have not seen this movie in like forever.
I wish that they would put more of these movies back on again you know.
Check it out: http://deefilmroll.com/usa-uan/
I agree. Vic took things to far, but Allen was just as stubborn and set in his ways. Everything would have been fine if Allen wasnt such a complete tool. He was whiny and refused to just do what he was supposed to do.
shareYes Vic did take things too far at times, but like you said Allen was stubborn and set in his ways. He did not want to over come his fear when Vic was only trying to help him out.
Allen seemed just like a whimp in the movie.
Dedicated to USA UP ALL NIGHT and the fans of the show! www.deefilmroll.com/usa-uan/
No, you're not the only one that felt that way. My older cousin made it known that he thought that Alan was a crybaby whenever we watched the film, which was often.
On a sentimental and sappy note, I watch this movie everytime it comes on TV, and it always brings back memories from my childhood. Whenever I would go up to Syracuse with my sister and older cousins for the summer, we would always watch this movie. The cousin that I was talking about earlier used to always compare me to Alan, due to the fact that I cried a lot as a little girl and was scared (and still am, to be honest) of heights and certain amusement park rides---mainly roller coasters. As a matter of fact, he compared all of us to the characters in the movie. That's okay though...because if I'm like Alan, in the end, I wound up being the big hero! LOL!
Love,
Notzi
Well that is good that I am not the only one who felt that way about Alan. That is cool that you watch this movie everytime it comes on TV, and it always brings back memories of your childhood. I am sure they are of pleasant thoughts for you. COOL That you would always watch this movie with your sister and older cousins. I am sorry to hear that your cousin would always compare you to Alan. Well do not worry about it Notzi I had a younger cousin in Spain that would cry a lot if we mimiced her. I just think that some little girls are that way but not all of them though. I think we all have fears but they can always be over come though if you work at it. That is cool that your cousin compared all of you to the characters of the movie. Yes you did wound up being the big hero! LOL!
Dedicated to USA UP ALL NIGHT and the fans of the show! www.deefilmroll.com/usa-uan/
[deleted]
To a certain point I do agree with some of Vics strategies on what he was trying to teach the boys but in other ways it was wrong though. You just do not leave a child hanging like that on a rope where he had to swing across you know. That is what I did not agree with at all.
He was trying to push Alan which was a good thing but still it was wrong though.
Dedicated to USA UP ALL NIGHT and the fans of the show! www.deefilmroll.com/usa-uan/
Vic's a bit extreme but I too have done a complete 180 about the movie. Alan is definitely a crybaby and what Vic was doing was ultimately good for him.
It's a sad thing that your adventures have ended here
I'm directing this at your post because it's pretty succinct and sums up what most within the topic are saying...
I seriously can't believe people are actually supporting Vic. I, too, agree with his overall intentions, but I don't find his character ambiguous at all; he's an insecure, jealous, power-tripping villain. I'll explain.
At the start of the movie, I agree with most that Alan is a bit of a whiny brat and needs to learn a few things. Hell, all four of the kids are, in their own ways. However, as the story develops, we see Vic trying to teach these kids lessons by leading them to learn them on their own (remember Alan's bit talking about how authority figures never saying what they mean?). The further they get, the more frustrated and annoyed Vic gets with Alan, especially as he realizes how intelligent and ingenious Alan can be. At the same time, Vic seems as though he feels belittled and upstaged by Alan when he shows his resourcefulness (the fish trap incident followed by criticism and punishment). It's immediately clear that none of the other kids agreed with Vic's actions at that point as well, but are too fearful of him to resist and, besides, cleaning fish wasn't all that big of a deal really. I agree that Alan spent the night on the island through his own stubbornness, however.
After the other kids go pick up Alan the next morning, they're simply amazed that Alan is fine. Of course, it doesn't take anything more than a touch of common sense to realize how irresponsible it was of Vic to leave him there alone - in the cold and rain - all night, and the kids clearly echo that sentiment with their excitement towards seeing he's alright. By now, all four of them - in spite of their personal squabbles and disagreements - obviously are beginning to doubt their leader.
Learning they'd been ditched by Vic and left to fend for themselves for the night, it becomes pretty clear that the three older or larger boys are more afraid of their situation than Alan. While they all argue/fight/panic, Alan keeps his composure while assessing the situation (no one noticed him figuring how close the lightning was?). Still, none of them realize it as they are probably to insecure themselves to accept this younger, nerdy kid as their leader. So, Vic returns and they're just so relieved that they are willing to ignore how they've been treated so far.
Fast forward past Vic leaving Alan swinging on the cliff (which everyone should've clearly seen how the other kids felt, and how inexcusable it was) and by now the kids rightfully realize that this guy - no matter his intentions - is dangerously irresponsible. By the time Alan shows up they were already arguing with Vic to go back for him, and after he catches up they only want to go home. After refusing to let them leave (or lead them out), they try to leave on their own. Vic realizes then that Alan is indeed capable of leading them out after he follows them and sees that Alan finds the boat (nevermind the scene with Vic alone at his campfire looking rather.. demented). Frustrated, jealous, and wanting to stay in control he specifically targets Alan, clearly with the intent to hurt him. The other boys try to stop him, even hitting him with a paddle, and he still goes for Alan. Finally, one throws a rock at Vic and down he goes. How this scene is confusing by this point in the movie is completely beyond me.
This grown man, responsible for the lives of four young kids, is looking to physically attack a child. I don't care what his reasons were, his actions leading up to and especially at that time were completely inexcusable. Ironically, the very same child illustrates more emotional control, maturity, and responsibility than Vic did for the entire movie, minor childish flaws aside. Sure, after being incapacitated, taking a knock to the head, a good 20-30 foot fall and losing a few pints of blood Vic finally calms down and likely comes to terms with the fact that he'd mishandled things, but his prior actions were still wrong, and he was damn lucky Alan didn't get seriously hurt or killed.
In all; I thought he was an *beep* when I saw this as a kid, and as an adult, I still think so, and worse. Pretty decent movie with some interesting character development, though.