My Favorite Year (1982)

**** out of ****

There are some movies throughout cinematic history that, no matter how many times I’ve seen them, I still enjoy seeing them again. “My Favorite Year” is one of those. Spurred on by a tour-de-force performance by Peter O’Toole and set in the golden age of television, it is a fun, loveable and heart-warming story about being what we are instead of what anyone else wants us to be.

But don’t get me wrong; this is no pseudo-“Rudy” about toughing it out and seeing things through. It is a simple piece of story-telling done extremely well. It's 1954 and Benjie Stone (Mark Linn-Baker) is a sketch writer for the weekly “Comedy Cavalcade” on NBC. The “Comedy Cavalcade”s star is an absolute loon (but in a fun way, not a scary one) named King Kaiser (played with great glee by Joe Bologna). The film covers one specific week on the show when great and aging matinee idol Alan Swann is the guest star. Swann is played by Peter O'Toole in what I think of as the most entertaining performance of his career.

The problem? Swann (clearly modeled after Errol Flynn) is a notorious womanizer and alcoholic that can't seem to keep his antics out of the newspaper. He shows up smashed to his first meeting with the network, and Benjie is assigned the task of keeping him sober and out of trouble for the week. Hijinks ensue.

The greatness of this film is centred entirely on two things – the charm of the story and the strength of O’Toole’s performance. I won’t devalue it by saying it was the role he was born to play, but instead will suggest that I'm sure it was written with him specifically in mind – that’s how perfect he is for the role. Swann has basically given up on being a performer (his most famous line in the film is, “I’m not an actor, I’m a movie star!”) and instead makes a point of living up to his reputation of debauchery. Benjie’s attempts to rein him in are all half-hearted, as Swann is his hero and just being in the great man’s presence is enough to ensure his desire to come along for the ride.

Some secondary plot devices add greatly to the enjoyment of the film, primarily a mobster who wants King Kaiser to drop a mobster sketch from the show that he feels is based on him. Kaiser’s refusal to cooperate and the ensuing retaliations are great fun. Events like a dinner party at Benjie's mother's apartment and discovering Swann's long-lost daughter add to the heart of the film.

But make no mistake, this is O’Toole’s movie. His drunk act, the good-heartedness of his character and the bad-boy antics he is constantly up to are what makes this movie so enjoyable, and one I revisit every couple of years. If you’ve never seen it, you are missing out on a wonderful movie experience.