The People Next Door | Through the Shattered Lens

Guilty Pleasure Weekend

Last night, while my sister and my boyfriend were watching the Cowboys lose to the Eagles, I took refuge from it all by watching Big Brother (Go Ava!) and then an episode of the Dark Side of Comedy. The Dark Side of Comedy episode was about Dustin Diamond, the actor who will forever be known for playing Screech Powers on Saved By The Bell.

Watching the episode on Diamond reminded me of the fact that, in 2015, Lifetime turned his terrible, lie-filled memoir into a made-for-TV movie. They didn’t actually credit Behind the Bell as being the source material for 2014’s the Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story but it was pretty clear that it was. That said, The Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story was entertainingly daft. The actor who played Dustin Diamond bore a surprising resemblance to him. The rest of the cast was not quite as well-selected. Still, if you like cheesy and over-the-top behind-the-scene docudramas about mediocre TV shows, The Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story is the gold standard. It can be viewed on Prime.

The Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story was such a hit that, in 2015, Lifetime gave us The Unauthorized Beverly Hills 90210 Story, which featured a nice nod to continuity by casting the same actress as Tiffani-Amber Thiessen who played the role in the Saved By The Bell film. Thanks to the Vanessa Parise’s direction, The 90210 film was surprisingly good and it also featured an excellent performance from Degrassi’s Samantha Munro as Shannen Doherty. The film portrays Doherty as being a bit of a diva but it also makes a compelling argument that Doherty, as a veteran of the industry, understood that, in Hollywood, you could either fight for respect or you could be a victim. It can be viewed on Prime.

Lifetime followed up their 90210 film with The Unauthorized Melrose Place Story, which was a bit of a disappointment when compared to the other two films. (The main theme seems to be that everyone got along.) It’s a film that I recommend only because I’m a completist. It can be viewed on Prime.

Usually, I only recommend films that are streaming for free but, since we’re talking about the Lifetime Unauthorized series, I will mention that 2015’s The Unauthorized Full House Story is available for rent on Prime. Unfortunately, most of the really interesting stories involving the cast of Full House (like Aunt Becky going to prison for a nothing crime) occurred after this film aired. The most interesting thing about this film is how little any of the actors resemble their real-life counterparts. Still, if you’re a completist and you don’t mind paying for it, it’s on Prime.

While I was rummaging around on Prime, I discovered that From Justin To Kelly (2003) is currently streaming! I can’t help it. As bad as this film is, I just love it. Some of it is because Kelly and I are both from Texas. (From what I understand, Kelly doesn’t like this movie. While it is clear that neither she nor Justin Guarini were trained actors, they were both very liable.) Some of it is because it’s just so unbelievably bad that it becomes oddly charming. Justin and Kelly are cute together, even though they have zero romantic chemistry. Apparently, American Idol was envisioned as including an annual film as well but they abandoned that idea after the commercial failure of From Justin To Kelly. We were robbed of a Taylor Hicks/Katharine McPhee romantic comedy! From Justin To Kelly is on Prime.

Remember Buford Pusser?

Two weeks ago, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation held a press conference about the legendary Sheriff Buford Pusser, whose life and death in the early 70s inspired the Walking Tall films. A huge part of Pusser’s legend is that his wife was killed by the Dixie Mafia. The TBI, however, is now of the opinion that Pusser murdered his wife, shot himself, and then made up a story about having been ambushed …. which, when you think about it, actually makes a lot more sense than anything portrayed in the Walking Tall films.

That said, the saying goes that you should always print the legend. The original 1974 Walking Tall, starring Joe Don Baker, is streaming for free on one location. Unfortunately, it’s a pretty suspect site and I’m not really comfortable linking to it. However, the sequels — 1975’s Walking Tall Part 2 and 1977’s Walking Tall: Final Chapter — are both on YouTube. Part 2 actually opens with Buford getting plastic surgery that makes him look like Bo Svenson. (I don’t care how much plastic surgery someone gets, there’s no way someone could go from looking like Joe Don Baker to looking like Bo Svenson). Part 2 features Buford going after the Dixie Mafia. The Final Chapter is more of a family drama, with Buford losing reelection but discovering that Hollywood wants to make a movie about his life. Part 2 and Final Chapter are both on YouTube.

Finally, 1978’s A Real American Hero is a made-for-TV movie that features Brian Dennehy as Buford Pusser. Needless to say, it’s not easy to watch Brian Dennehy play a redneck sheriff without immediately assuming that he’s going to arrest John Rambo for wanting to get a cup of coffee. A Real American Hero is on a lot of sites, including YouTube.

Speaking of Sylvester Stallone….

All of the Rocky films are currently available to stream on Prime. I used to be very critical of the Rocky films but I’ve actually come to appreciate them over the past few years. (A lot of that is due to Sylvester Stallone’s performance in Creed.)

For instance, I still occasionally roll my eyes at the first Rocky (1976) but I’ve come to appreciate Talia Shire’s performance as Adrian and Burt Young’s performance as Paulie. The raw sincerity of Stallone’s performance eventually won me over (even if I do think Stallone was better in First Blood) and I actually now better appreciate the fact that Rocky lost the big fight but was still a winner. Rocky II (1979) is a bit too slow for me. One got the feeling that Stallone was trying too hard as both an actor and a director with this one. But, on the plus side, at least Carl Weathers got his own redemption arc as Apollo.

Rocky III (1982) is where things really start to work for me. With Rocky III, Stallone fully embraces the melodrama, stops worrying about the Academy, and he truly gives us a wonderfully over-the-top film that one can’t help but enjoy. Mr. T’s Clubber Lang is a great villain. For fans of Burt Young, the film features Paulie at his slovenly best. And I dare anyone not to cheer as Rocky and Apollo jump up and down in the ocean. Rocky IV (1985) features Rocky defeating the Russians and delivering a heart-felt plea for world peace. Again, how can you not love that? Apollo Creed died to teach us all to appreciate our nation. Remember that during the 250th birthday celebrations next year.

Rocky V (1990) was supposed to be the final Rocky film and it featured Stallone giving a performance that was so bizarre that it simply has to be seen in all of its glory. Everyone realized that Rocky V really wasn’t the ending that the franchise deserved and, many years later, Stallone tried again with Rocky Balboa (2006), an undeniably touching film about a 70 year-old risking his life in a boxing ring. Somehow, Paulie outlived Adrian.

Finally, the first two Creed films are also available to stream on Prime. Creed (2015) featured perhaps Sylvester Stallone’s best performance as Rocky Balboa. Creed II (2018) allowed Rocky to forgive himself for Apollo’s death and, to its credit, also gave Drago a hint of redemption. Creed III (2023) does not feature Rocky, which I was actually kind of happy about, if just because it indicated that maybe Rocky had finally found some sort of life outside of the ring. Creed III does, however, feature excellent work from Michael B. Jordan and (yes, I’m going to say it) Johnathan Majors. Creed and Creed II are available to stream on Prime. Creed III, you’ll have to rent.

Odds and Ends

In The People Next Door (1970), Eli Wallach and Julie Harris play a suburban couple who discover that their kids have gotten involved with hippies and drugs! This is the type of over-the-top melodrama that I love. It can be viewed on Tubi.

If you really want to depress yourself, follow up The People Next Door with The Death of Richie (1977), a true story about a suburban father (Ben Gazzara) and his teenage son (Robby Benson). Benson gives a surprisingly good performance as the out-of-control Richie. Gazzara brings his trademark intensity to the role of the Dad. Don’t watch this movie unless you’re ready to cry. It can be viewed on a lot of streaming sites, including Tubi.

Finally, since James Nguyen’s celebrate a birthday earlier this week, I will just mention that his best film, Replica (2005) is currently available on YouTube. Some films defy description and that’s certainly the case here. Find it on YouTube.

Click here for my previous weekend film recommendations!

For the past week, I’ve been reviewing — in chronological order — fifty of the most, for reasons good and bad, memorable film melodramas of all time. I started with a film from 1916 called Where Are My Children? and now, as we reach the halfway mark, we also reach the 70s. There were several reasons why I wanted to start the 70s with the 1970 drugs-in-the-suburbs melodrama, The People Next Door. First off, not many people seem to have heard of it and I always enjoy discovering and sharing previously obscure films. But, even more importantly, The People Next Door stars Eli Wallach, the great character actor who recently passed away at the age of 98. Needless to say, Wallach is great in The People Next Door but then again, when wasn’t Wallach great?

At first glance, the Masons appears to be your typical suburban family. Patriarch Arthur (Eli Wallach) may be a bit strict but he works hard to provide his family with a good life. Wife Gerrie (Julie Harris) may seem to be a bit nervous at times but she still works hard to maintain a perfect home. Son Artie (Stephen McHattie) may have long hippie hair and he does devote a lot of time to his band but otherwise, he seems to be a good kid. And then there’s 16 year-old Maxie (Deborah Winters), who is blonde and pretty and overall the ideal American girl. Even better the Masons live next door to the friendly Hoffmans, perfect David Hoffman (Hal Holbrook), his perfect wife Tina (Cloris Leachman), and their perfect teenage son, Sandy (Don Scardino).

But guess what?

Nobody’s perfect!

Arthur is actually a smug and overbearing bully whose constant bragging hides his own dissatisfaction with how his life has turned out. He is jealous of his son’s future and his over protectiveness of his daughter takes on a distinctly disturbing tone as the film progresses. Arthur is also having an affair with his secretary (Rue McClanahan).

Gerrie knows about Arthur’s affair but chooses to look the other way. She goes through her day in a haze of smoke provided by the cigarettes that she is constantly smoking. Like Arthur, she cannot understand her children. Unlike Arthur, she does realize that she doesn’t have all the answers.

Artie may be a good kid but he feels totally and thoroughly alienated from the rest of the family and, because of his long hair, he is the constant subject of Arthur’s abuse.

And then there’s Maxie, who everyone believes to be perfect and wholesome until one night when she’s discovered tripping on LSD. Arthur immediately assumes that Artie must have given his sister the drugs and kicks Artie out of the house. However, what Arthur doesn’t realize, is that Maxie is actually getting the drugs from clean-cut Sandy. Sandy doesn’t use himself but he has no problem with dealing.

To Arthur and Gerrie’s shock, Maxie tells them that she’s been using drugs for a while and she’s sexually active as well! When Arthur subsequently discovers Maxie snorting cocaine and living with a naked biker, it’s naturally time for everyone to get into family therapy. Unfortunately, the therapy doesn’t really help that much and soon, Maxie is again dropping acid and dancing naked on the front lawn…

As you can probably guess from the description above, The People Next Door is one of those families-in-crisis melodramas where everything that possibly can be wrong with a family is wrong with this family. It’s always easy to dismiss well-intentioned films like this and The People Next Door has its share over-the-top moments. But, at the same time, the film actually works better than most of the Suburban Hell melodramas of the early 70s.

That’s largely due to the performances, with Eli Wallach in particular giving an explosive performance as an all too plausible monster and Hal Holbrook and Cloris Leachman very believably bringing to life another family which turns out to be not quite as ideal as they first appear to be. And then there’s Deborah Winters, who starts out as being so mannered that you think she’s going to give a bad performance but then, as the film progresses, you realize that Maxie is the one giving the performance because that’s the only way she can survive her “perfect” family.

I first came across The People Next Door on YouTube and, considering how much I love exposing people to obscure films, I was really looking forward to sharing it with you on this site. But guess what? In the three weeks between me watching this film and me staring this post, The People Next Door was taken down from the site. I guess somebody is really dedicating to protecting the copyright on a film that hardly anybody in the world has actually heard of.

So, unfortunately, I can only share the trailer.

Watch it below!