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It may look like just another silly high school comedy, but Angus is more than that. It’s about a fat kid named Angus (Charlie Talbert) who refuses to let the “normal” kids write him off. After the school’s most popular jock (James Van Der Beek) rigs the voting, Angus finds himself crowned king of the winter dance. He knows it’s a joke, but damn it, he wants his moment — especially since he’d be sharing it with the girl of his dreams (Ariana Richards). With the help of his mother and grandfather, played by Kathy Bates and George C. Scott, Angus musters the courage to go for it, even though it could mean complete and utter humiliation.

Angus is about bravery and defiance. While it still contains quite a bit of puerile comedy, it never lets go of the loneliness and heartache that so many kids experience growing up. I don’t think I’m giving too much away to say that Angus ends up a hero after the movie’s volatile school dance, a sequence critic Roger Ebert called “wholly the equal of anything in Rocky“. Talbert and the rest of the young cast are all very good. I was glad to see that Ariana Richards’ character ends up serving a purpose other than the objectification of women. Richards is compelling in a moment where she reveals a dark secret to Angus, a truth about herself that further validates Angus’ philosophy: that there is no such thing as “normal”.

The movie also features a great soundtrack that includes songs from the Goo Goo Dolls, Green Day, Peter Gabriel, and Weezer. Love Spit Love performs a marching band arrangement of a song called “Am I Wrong” that opens the movie brilliantly. On a side note, look for director Irvin Kershner (director of The Empire Strikes Back) as George C. Scott’s chess partner. With Chris Owen and Rita Moreno.