Well now I know where the inspiration for Snot from American Dad came from haha. And possibly Barry too?

This movie was absolutely magical for me. I have been a fan of Tangerine Dream's Love on a Real Train ever since I heard it on Solar Stone's Chilled Out Euphoria (about 20 years late to the party, I know I know :P). So when I discovered that they made most of the soundtrack for this movie then I had to check it out (over 30 years late to that party!). The surreal plot and Tom Cruise's hypnotic voice as narrator and protagonist were just perfect. For large chunks of the movie I couldn't tell what was supposed to be real, and what was a dream. I get really immersed in those kinds of movies, when they are done well, which this one certainly was.

So I loved almost everything about this movie - the soundtrack, the quasi-magic realism, the 80s suburban culture in the US, the carefree life of teenagers finishing highschool, the excitement of being independent for the first time and having one's first sexual experience. All those features built up an excellent mood! But the thing that brought the vibe down a peg was the callous way that Lana and Guido treated Joel - stealing from him and manipulating him. Of course that was a big part of the message - that business partners often screw each other (pun intended) - and that to be successful in business one must be resilient to this treatment and not take life too seriously. That point was well made, and I'm sure it is often true, but still, it did bring the vibe down so I deducted half a star.