A Farewell Fandango
Coming of age is different for everyone and does not follow a uniform pattern. It is not about achieving anyone else’s definition of adulthood, only yours. In Fandango, a 1985 movie about five friends, called the Groovers, three of these men come of age in a different way demonstrating this idea. The men have a final road trip after they have learned that Gardener, Waggener, and Phil have each been drafted for the military. Gardener, a carefree man who claims he has never cared about a woman in his life while also dreaming about woman he used to date. Waggener has called off his wedding and considers fleeing to Mexico with Gardener to flee his adult responsibilities. Phil is an ROTC colonel who owns the car the men are sing for the road trip and yet he gets no respect from his friends. This farewell fandango gives these three men the chance to grow up and realize what they want from their lives. For the most part, they don’t take things too seriously, tying the car to a train to get a ...