Have you ever wondered what a gay John Hughes movie might look like? Queer filmmaker Cory Wexler Grant attempts to provide an answer with “Screams From the Tower” (TLA).
How Hughesian is it? In addition to being set in a fictional suburb on Chicago’s North Shore, it features some of Hughes’ trademark inappropriate gags that were offensive in the 1980s and remain so today, including racist humor, and even jokes about people with Down syndrome.
So, is “Screams From the Tower” worth investing almost two hours of your time? The titular pylon is the tower from which high school radio station WNFH broadcasts. At the end of summer 1995, outcasts Julien (Richie Fusco) and Cary (David Bloom) submit an audition tape for their radio show concept, “Screams From the Tower,” which they hope to host during their junior year.
Initially, passed over, the duo eventually earns a spot on the roster. But their chances of keeping it are slim as they are under the watchful eyes of teacher/radio club administrator Mare (Sarah Sevigny) and the station’s imposing tech supervisor Jenn (Amanda Bruton). How will they survive Mare’s three-strike policy when they get their first strike during the debut show?
There are also other forces at play. Cary is a good student, but he is concerned about his grades slipping. He wants to go to law school and must maintain a strong grade point average. Additionally, he has begun a relationship with Sarah-Jane (Maya McQueen), something that becomes a point of contention with Julien.
Cary’s issues are nothing compared to Julien’s. A germaphobe and obsessive-compulsive hand-washer, Julien has no interest in being a good student. He always arrives late to school and never brings textbooks to class. Even after Guffs (Roe Hartrampf), a handsome teacher, expresses his concerns to Julien, he remains indifferent. All he cares about is being famous and he believes doing the radio show is the way to make that happen.
Additionally, Julien is coming to terms with his sexuality. He takes the homophobic slurs lobbed at him by classmates in stride and appears to be unbothered. But when he promises to take fellow student Suzy (Madison Tevlin) on a date, to thank her for helping him get his radio show on the air, he fails to keep his word. When he eventually does take her on said date, she becomes the first person to whom he comes out, with mixed results.
Despite support from listeners, and the growing popularity of the show among the students and teachers, their program begins to rapidly unravel, as does Julien and Cary’s friendship. But fear not, a somewhat predictable resolution, lingers somewhere down the radio dial.
Rating: C+
