Today sucks. Our house is quickly being annexed by Waller Creek, all of the tickets are sold out to the last night at the Alamo and our ‘Stros can’t buy a win. We could use a stiff drink* and a good laugh. Lucky for us, and you, the Onion AV Club and Rio Rita have prescribed a sweet salve to cure our burning wounds as they present Robert Altman’s satirical snarkfest OC & Stiggs.

O.C. & Stiggs is adapted from the National Lampoon magazine’s October 1982 special issue “The Utterly Monstrous, Mind-Roasting Summer of O.C. and Stiggs.” It follows the immature pranks and pratfalls of two fairly typical teenage boys. When they are not tormenting the “useless, bungling, annoying goofball” Schwab family, O.C. Oglevey and Mark Stiggs spend their time bedding as many ladies as possible and trying to glean priceless wisdom from their friend “Wino Bob.”

Needless to say this is a departure for Altman, whose films McCabe and Mrs. Miller and Brewster McCloud are also screening this evening at the Paramount Theatre. MGM wanted a straightforward teen comedy, a genre that was enjoying great success at the time with films like Porky's and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but Altman disliked the teen comedy genre. He decided instead to make a mockery of these types of films and the end result was a film that the studio shelved for three years before a limited release in 1987. Apparently, unlovable, racist, homophobic characters were not exactly what MGM had in mind, but thanks to the DVD release of the film this year, we can forget all of our flooded worries and enjoy on-screen hijinks with a tasty adult beverage.

*Rio Rita now has Liquor!

The Onion AV Club Movie Night presents OC & Stiggs
Wednesday, June 27th
Rio Rita 1308 E. 6th St
9pm, Free!