Eddy
Cox is a young man who, like most his age, dreams of being
a rock star. But his dreams are momentarily sidetracked
by the discovery of the Yamaha FS1E motorbike – affectionately
known as the “Fizzy.” Eddy’s friend Thomas
regales him with stories of their friend Ronno and how his
Fizzy somehow magically causes women’s knickers to
“fly off.” Enticed by the prospect of snagging
women, both boys determine to save up enough money to buy
their own motorbikes. Eddy gets a job at a local supermarket,
but working for minimum wage soon becomes boring, and he
and Thomas and their young friend Titch decide to use other
– and 
slightly less legal – means to procure
their Fizzys.
Set
in the early 1970s in Lancashire, England, Fizzy Days
is a classic coming-of-age story about the lengths that
boys will go to all in the name of a bit of tail.
Content
The
coming-of-age story is classic. Every generation had its
James Dean-esque character who becomes the model for change
and the growing-up years. The big challenge for a filmmaker
is to make their own particular story unique and exciting
for their generation. Though Fizzy Days is more of
a comedy, it’s still a great story, one almost reminiscent
of The Wild One. A mode of transportation is the absolute
symbol of independence, rather it be a bike or a Porsche,
and everyone at some point in their life has yearned for
the freedom that any number of wheels will bring. This theme
is echoed in a great dream sequence, in which Eddy and an
attractive girl are sitting on a bench in a tranquil field
of dandelions, the sparkling Fizzy resting like in idol
in the distance.
The
acting in this film was really good; the characters all
had a certain level of quirkiness that made them all interesting
to watch. For instance, when Eddy grows tired of his menial,
he begins hiding in between the display shelves in order
to use his low vantage point to look up girls’ skirts.
And at one point, the boys’ friend Ronno shows up
on his new motorbike and, trying to act cool, ends up dropping
his helmet and having to chase it down a hill.
The
Fizzy Days filmmakers were intending this short to
actually be more of a teaser for a feature-length version
of the film; a self-described Napoleon Dynamite-type movie.
I think this is a great idea – in fact, while watching
the film I thought it would also make a great feature-length,
chronicling the antics of these three crazy characters and
all the things they try in their quest for the illusive
Fizzy. However, the short does stand quite well on it own,
and this should be a great bonus in securing financing for
the feature-length product.
