Set in Florida during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, the movie focuses on a schlock-movie promoter named Woolsey (inspired by real-life producer William Castle and played by John Goodman) who arrives in Key West with his latest Grade-Z movie, Mant, about the raving half-man/half-ant product of "science runs amuck".
Balancing youthful exuberance with the ominous threat of nuclear attack, director Joe Dante finds his alter ego in Simon Fenton, who plays a 15-year-old captivated by Woolsey`s abundance of cheesy showmanship. This affectionate devotion is matched by Dante, who captures the anxiety of the missile crisis even as Matinee delivers an abundance of humour. Director John Sayles and Dante-movie veteran Dick Miller have cameos as Woolsey`s show-biz accomplices, and Cathy Moriarty plays as Woolsey`s wisecracking mistress and Z-movie queen.
All of this makes Matinee a polished gem that`s sweetly entertaining while staying true to the serious context of its story.
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