When I watched Corvette Summer I wasn't expecting it to be such a fun movie. It's a wacky little coming-of-age story that follows Californian teen Kenneth "Kenny" Dantley Jr. (Mark Hamill) as he tries to find a stolen Corvette Stingray that his auto shop class had rebuilt. This car meant a lot to Kenny because not only did he find the car at the junk yard, he put in a lot time and hard work rebuilding and customizing it. After the car was stolen, the police told Kenny and his classmates that it was highly unlikely that it would be found.
Despite recently graduating from high school, Kenny still had a desire to find the car. While he was working at the gas station, a customer mentioned seeing the Corvette in Las Vegas, this was just the good news Kenny had been hoping for.
Getting to Vegas had Kenny hitchhiking where he first caught a ride from a lowrider. However, the guy was driving so slow, Kenny decided to take another chance hitchhiking. He eventually caught a ride with Vanessa (Annie Potts) a somewhat recent high school graduate who was on her way to Las Vegas to start a career as a hooker. She was planning to use her customized van as her business of operation.
Once in Vegas, Kenny and Vanessa parted ways with both pursuing their own goals. Kenny was having terrible luck tracking down the car and dealing with life in Vegas (someone stole his wallet). It wasn't long before they crossed paths again with Vanessa realizing that the life of a wannabe hooker was not going the way she thought it would.
After a few hits and misses, Kenny and Vanessa were getting closer to not only finding the car but with each other as well. An exciting bike chase to get the car back, unfortunately placed Kenny in a dire situation with the car thieves. As bad as that was, a startling revelation from someone Kenny thought he knew caused him to question his current situation and consider making a very questionable decision about a job.
This might be a fast-paced comedy adventure but it does have an emotional aspect to it. I like how Kenny and Vanessa learned to trust each other and developed a bond that continued to grow as they fell in love. Which is why Vanessa moved on from him when Kenny changed and turned into someone rather sleazy. After the unexpected reveal and accepting the job, it seemed like he had lost a part of himself. However, since this is a feel good movie, Kenny eventually shakes off the unscrupulous behavior and mindset and was back to his old self. He got the Stingray back and was also able to get Vanessa back.
However, happiness wasn't going to last long for Kenny and Vanessa because the car thieves were not going to let Kenny get away with taking that car. In an action packed chase, Kenny and Vanessa are in a race for their lives to get away.
I adore Vanessa and Kenny, they both have a determined spirit, were full of energy and not to mention a little kooky. Despite the unconventional way they met, their romance was very sweet and caring. I can see why this move is considered a cult classic, the true magic is in how the story manages to be funny and exciting while also having quiet and moving moments where the characters get to be indelibly human.
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