SHOPLIFTERS OF THE WORLD is a humorous and tender coming-of-age film about four teenage friends, (Cleo, Sheila, Billy, and Patrick) during those four hours, and how that night, and the music of The Smiths changed their lives forever. Imagine an 80’s “American Graffiti” or a new-wave “Dazed and Confused.” Imagine the kids in The Breakfast Club grew up and made their own film about what it was like to live through those halcyon John Hughes days While these four friends run around Denver in search of one, last good night out before they all have to inevitably make decisions about the rest of their lives,
out of every car radio, at every 7-11, at their favorite coffee shop, and at every party – everyone is tuned in to the radio and everyone is listening to The Smiths – and the songs that saved our lives will shape and reflect the unfolding narrative. And faced off across a turntable, our young gunman and an aging classic-rock DJ, adversaries in a culturewar, will develop a mutual respect for each other and each other’s musical point of view, and bond over vegetarianism. In 1987 greed was good and infidelity would get you a boiled bunny. The Berlin wall was still up, and the American president Ronald Regan was involved in.
Iconic. Everything about The Smiths – from the anthemic rallying cry of “I am human and I need to be loved” to Morrissey’s quiff, cardigans and gladiolas, to the album titles-as-political declarations: “Meat is Murder”, ”The Queen is Dead” – it was all instantly iconic, instantly shaping the emotional lives and fashion sensibilities of an entire generation from London to LA and beyond.
And then there was the album artwork, the appropriated movie stills, frozen in duo-tone, each one part of a grand whole, from the 12 inch singles to the LPs, completely consistent, immediately identifiable, standard-setting.
I want to approach “Shoplifters” with this in mind – iconic images, defining moments, simple yet classic. I want to balance a level of nostalgia with a sense of timelessness – capturing that precious moment in the 80’s not with the obvious glare of retro-selfconsciousness but with a subtle sensitivity that could make anyone of any generation think, “this is me, this is my life.”
I will not be ironic or post-modern about it. Like The Smiths songs that helped shape my own sensibilities, it will speak directly to you, intimately, with real wit and passion, and it will connect deeply, and hopefully be like “the song that saved your life” for future generations of Shoplifters.
The next part of the story you know… MAGIC MIKE became the indie underdog smash of 2012, going on to become not only a financial home run for all involved but a legitimate cultural phenomenon, igniting some very interesting discussions about hot button topics like objectification and post feminist relations between the sexes.
Throughout all of MAGIC MIKE’s success, the one prevailing compliment/complaint I received from just about everyone who saw the film was that they wanted more of the guys. People were unanimously interested in knowing more about our characters, who they were, where they lived, how they grew up, who they dated, etc. So, when my brother and I started our production company 3:59 in the late fall of last year, we decided that as our first order of business, we’d take a small crew to Dallas to see if we could find a story capable of satisfying everyone’s curiosity.
What we found was a goldmine.
Much to my surprise, there were no Victorian era male strippers. The profession owes its birth to the opportunities created by late 70s feminism and LA BARE, DALLAS was one of the first clubs in the world to open its doors. We had unknowingly stumbled onto the “Mt. Ararat” of the entire male entertainment profession and along with it, its “Noah.” Enter Randy “Master Blaster” Ricks, the self professed “205 lbs. of twisted steel and sex appeal.”
He’d been dancing since LA BARE opened its doors in ’78-’79 and was still going strong. Backing up Randy, was a motley crew of characters no screenwriter could have cooked up in their wildest dreams. They were unique, and funny, and likable, and full of wisdom about men and women. They opened their lives to us extrapolating on the perils of navigating their wild lives of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, living as rock stars in a bubble filled to the brim of every temptation a young man could possibly fathom.
1987. Denver, Co. One crazy night in the life of four friends reeling from the sudden demise of iconic British band.
