A rambling exercise in verbal self gratification
The evolution of a Dean Cameron fan (episode I)
It was sometime around 1990 that I first happened upon Dean Cameron. It was late in the summer before my senior year in high school, and a friend of mine had rented a few movies. Among them was Summer School. I thought it was pretty damn funny, but I was especially moved by Chainsaw. Whenever he was off screen, I was anxious to see what he was going to say or do next. Somehow, I don't think I would have had the same reaction if, say, Patrick Dempsey (who, I understand, was considered for the part) had been in the role.
So, anyway, that was my first exposure to Dean Cameron. I rented the film several times after that, and to this day can watch it without tiring. Funny that I never thought to view the credits and find out who that guy really was. As much as I loved the role, I didn't give a lot of thought to the actor that portrayed it for nearly a year.
The next time I saw Dean Cameron, he was delivering a pizza in Men at Work. I immediately turned to my friend (same guy. We watched a lot of flicks together) and said "Hey, it's that guy. Where do I know him from?" My friend, who is an encyclopedia of worthless information, answered without missing a beat. I was thrilled. Suddenly, I was a die hard fan of some actor that I didn't even know the name of. About an hour later, we figured it out... Dean Cameron.
"You think he's related to Kirk Cameron?" my friend asked.
"I wonder if he has a fan club." I shot back.
"Maybe we should start one."
Well, he wasn't, he didn't, and we never even tried. But from that point onward, the task of discovering new Dean Cameron movies was always stirring somewhere in our goofy little brains. That task was pretty daunting, considering (A) We had no point of reference, and (B) We lived in a tiny little town of 2,000 people... Not the best place to find anything about anyone. However, I would occasionally find myself wasting time at the little video store in our hometown, scanning the backs of dozens of movies at a time. I rented Summer School and Men at Work a few more times, and it was quite by accident that I found my way back to Dean Cameron again.
My mother would religiously go to the video store every Tuesday night and rent some new releases. I don't think she had any real criteria for choosing the movies, as long as they were new. I was back from a failed stint at college, and was pretty much taking up space in my mother's home when she put Ski School into the VCR. Wow. I had heard of it, during the marketing for the theatrical release, but never gave it much thought. Just figured it was yet another T&A skiing party movie. Well, it was that, but it had good old Dean in it. As soon as he appeared, I looked at my mother and exclaimed, "That's Dean Cameron!"
She looked a bit uncomfortable and quietly said "Oh. Okay."
It was the first taste of a frustration that nags me even today. That's the problem of being a big fan of someone like Dean Cameron. You just can't express yourself correctly when people don't know who the hell you are talking about. But I digress... Dave Marshak was a loveable guy. You just can't help but admire him. So now I had an archive of material from which to choose. Three whole movies.
It wasn't long after when I discovered Miracle Beach while watching Skinamax one night. I think I actually saw Dean's name in the guide, so he didn't sneak up on me this time. I'm not sure if I understood at the time how bad that movie was. After all, I was experiencing my favorite actor in something I had never seen before. Anticipation builds. It's like a new Stephen King novel... you know it might not be so great, but you read it 'cause it's new... and 'cause it's Stephen King. In any case, I liked what I saw, though for some reason, I missed the ending, and still haven't seen it all to this day. That is going to change soon however.
A few years later, Ski School II came out. I felt that the movie itself was missing something that the first one had, but there was Dean again. His bartending skills alone were enough to crack me up. Even better was his chicken dance. My eleven year old sister jumped up and did it in time with him. Don't ask why my folks let an eleven-year-old watch a movie like that, I simply do not know. An aside note... this is my stepfather's favorite movie, and he has seen it at least a dozen times.
So now I had a plethora of movies to watch with everyone's favorite actor right there. This guy was going to be a big star! So I kept my eyes open, waiting for the next appearance with great anticipation. It would be two years before I would see him again.
One day, while perusing the titles at a new and even bigger video store, I asked my girlfriend if she had seen any Dean Cameron movies. She didn't know who he was. I was disappointed, but not particularly suprised. I made it very clear to her that she must be introduced to his work. I systematically went to each of the movies I had seen previously, and while looking for Ski School, found Dean's face staring at me over an electric guitar. Rockula beckoned me to reach out and pick it up. Without hesitation, I did just that. We spent the rest of the day and most of the night watching his movies, saving Rockula for the end. Kind of like the kid who eats all the crust on his sandwich so he can save the yummy middle for last. I was happy to see him again. It is kind of like being visited by an old friend. I watched it again the next morning.
A few months later, we found ourself in the video store again. This time, as much a I admired Dean Cameron, I was in the mood for something different. Something scary. Something like... One title caught my eye. I'm not sure why that was. The box cover wasn't particularly catchy, and I had a suspision that I might have seen it before anyway. Regardless, I picked it up and turned it over. Dean Cameron's name jumped off the cassette box at me. The movie was Bad Dreams.
"Honey, we have to get this." I called from across the store.
"What is it?" she asked, coming into speaking range.
"It's got Dean Cameron."
"You have to get it." she agreed.
Fortunately, the Dean Cameron marathon had made her a fan, rather than making her think that I was an obsessed lunatic. Apparently, I hide it well enough to function as a normal member of society. So we took it home and watched it. We waited patiently for our man to arrive. When he did, we both smiled. The movie was pretty good too. What really moved me was Dean's performance, though. I was used to having him force me to laugh my ass off. And, not suprisingly, he made me laugh in this movie. But Bad Dreams is not Summer School, and of course he can't be funny all the time in a movie like this. I feel a pang of guilt when I think of the near shock that I felt during a particularly dramatic scene. Dean was a great actor. I had been saying it for years, but now I was getting to see some range. Corny as it may sound, I was truly moved by that performance.
I saw Dean Cameron once more that year. It was another dull night with nothing better to do than make the trip to the video store. I didn't see anything that particularly interested me, so I took a chance on a movie called Kicking and Screaming. After all, there was Eric Stoltz on the cover, and at the time, he was another of my favorites. We went home to watch it, and I proceeded to get fairly intoxicated. What a life, getting drunk and watching videos. Woo Hoo! Anyway, there I was on my seventh beer when some guy in a yellow shirt caught my eye onscreen. I leaned forward, staring at the television with studied interest. There he was again.
"That's Dean Cameron!" I exclaimed.
"Yes. Yes it is." from beside me.
It would be nearly a year before I would watch that movie again. Several cans of beer have a way of making you forget stuff, and upon second viewing, I realized that I didn't remember a thing, except that Dean Cameron was in it. Then again, that's really the only important thing.
So here I am now, rambling on like the annoying drunk that you happen to be seated next to on a very long flight. I have only recently purchased such titles as Sleep With Me, which is a very good movie. Even without Dean Cameron, I would watch this movie just for Quentin Terantino's monologue on the real meaning of Top Gun. Then there is Hi-Life, another good one that I only saw recently. By the way, this title is available for around $19.95 on DVD. It is about $100.00 on VHS. Go figure.
Well, that's how I got here, and that's what I think. Who knows what the future holds for Dean Cameron? As for me, I'm looking forward to seeing him again in new, uncharted territory.
As for you, if you are still reading this, please sign my guestbook and tell me why.
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