Theory

Fandango (1985) was the Garden State of an earlier generation. It has a killer soundtrack, effective if over-earnest acting, a coming-of-age tale, and a mystical woman that everything seems to hang around. Can anyone prove or disprove this theory?

However, I enjoyed Fandango much better, if only because it replaces the slow-paced ennui with film student vigor. It's the story of 5 roommates after college graduation in 1971 going on an epic road trip to have one last hurrah and find some closure. It has some overly long scenes and was never terribly involving, but it's just so sincere you have to like it.

And mostly, it had me at "Badge":


Did I mention Judd Nelson and Kevin Costner?