07/19/01: And, now, a real block buster: "PEANUTS: TO RIVERDALE AND BACK AGAIN"

Posted By: Mikurtis


aka "You WERE a Good Man, Charlie Brown".

Written and directed by Robert Altman.

The Peanuts gang is all grown up in their thirties, and they're all getting back together again for their high school reunion. The film opens with Woodstock flying around before crashing into a glass office building and getting killed!

We now see Charlie Brown (Chuck) at an AA Meeting where everyone agrees with him that he is the biggest loser in the world. Lately, Chuck has been down on his luck.

We see Chuck's ex-wife, Peppermint Patty, sitting with a bunch of her girlfriends (no, Marcy isn't there) watching her video of Chuck on "Weakest Link" where the host makes him cry and threaten suicide! They all laugh. Peppermint Patty says how she tried to stay with him for the kids' sake but she just couldn't stand his alcoholism any more. She felt like he was killing her spirit.

Sally and Linus have been married for a few years. He was a successful lawyer but then, his lucky blanket got destroyed in the wash. Now, Sally's the bread winner while he sits at home watching talk shows and rubbing his huge beergut belching. They have one other problem too now... he's impotent.

Shroeder is a conductor at the Metropolitan Opera. He can have any of the women in the chorus but ironically has shacked up with Pigpen.

The group's only real success story of course is Lucy. She first got an advice column of her own in the New York Times. This lead to her getting her own radio show where she espouses a right-wing conservative agenda jamming her message down people's throats. She's also married to Jesse Helms.

Marcy lives in the kitchen a Buddhist monestary where she works as a cook. She's extremely depressed and tells some of the Buddhist monks about her one true love... Peppermint Patty. We now see a scene set back in their high school days. Marcy asks Peppermint Patty to go to the Prom with her infront of all the cool kids. In an effort to keep her friends from thinking she's a lesbian (this was before it was a fashion statement to be one), she verball rips Marcy to shreds. Marcy tries to slit her wrists, and her foilks send her to a mental institution where she hooks up for a while with Angelina Jolie. Marcy's reluctant to go to the reunion but the monks think she should.

It's the day of the reunion. Everyone gives each other a big hug pretending to be happy to see each other. Lucy still hasn't arrived. Marcy confronts Peppermint Patty who pretends not to remember her. Marcy runs off sobbing. Linus catches Sally in the bushes outside the school having sex with Beetle Bailey.

They all worry what she's going to be like. Linus reveals a copy of the National Enquirer... inside, there's a story about Lucy! Linus is enjoying every minute of this. Turns out Lucy did some pornography back in her days as a journalism student. As she arrives, she is ambushed by protestors who feel she's a hypocrite.

It is now another ten years later, and the gang's all in their forties getting ready for yet another high school reunion. Sally and Beetle Bailey now have five children and live in a trailer park but she's glowing and happy none the less.

Peppermint Patty has now been stalking Chuck all over the globe threatening to kill him. Their kids have all moved in with Aunt Blondie and Uncle Dagwood having not been in a stable home. Alcholic father. Psychotic mother. Oy vey Maria.

Lucy is obviously no longer married. She is now a man-hating dominatrex!

Marcy now lives with Ellen DeGeneress and is trying to get artificially inseminated. The two are very happy.

Pigpen overdosed at Studio 54 and is now dead.

Schroeder is now living with Kiri Tekanawa! They enjoy a heated passionate but non-sexual relationship throwing things at each other and screaming in Italian when they're angry. When they're happy, she sings, and he plays the piano.

Linus is now a drooling vegetable and is unable to make it to the reunion.

Peppermint Patty, Marcy, Sally, Beetle Bailey, Schroeder, and Lucy all go to the reuinon. They all hug each other, and this time are all happy to see each other. Marcy and Peppermint Patty make up and promise to keep in touch. Soon, they all notice somebody is missing... "Chuck! Where's Chuck?"

They all go off looking for him... they see him in the middle of a graveyard... of course! Why didn't they think of it sooner? He's at Snoopy's grave. He tells them all how he was nine years oldf when Snoopy got rabies, and his father shot the dog right infront of him! That was the beginning of his deep depression which led to his drinking. He reveals he has a gun and hands it to Peppermint Patty begging her to kill him. She breaks down. She can't do it. She loves him. She drops the gun and hugs him...

...Lucy decides however that she CAN kill him so she picks up the gun and blows his brains out! The gang descends on Lucy threatening to kill her. Peppermint Patty stops them. "No! It'll do no good. It won't bring Chuck back." She then takes the gun and shoots herself. Lucy feels guilty and admits she may have made a mistake here.

It's midnight. And yet, none of them wish to leave the graveyard. They all lay down on the ground and stare up at the sky. We now see the next day. They're looking up at the clouds saying what they think they look like. Soon, they see a cloud that looks like... Snoopy. They all hug and vow never to be apart again before getting up and singing "We Go Together".

The end.


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