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Oxford Blues
Oxford Blues (1984)...Colin
Plot Synopsis: an American student tries to fit in at the prestigious English university. Julian plays one of the students, the top rower at the rowing-mad university, who just happens to also be the fiancé of the Rob Lowe character's dream woman. Julian manages to be a fine rival without making us hate the guy just on principle.
Review: No offense to Rob Lowe, but in watching this, I kept saying to myself: why is it that Rob Lowe is nearly a household name (especially with the benefit of some personal scandal) and Julian, after a nearly-20 year career, is still virtually unknown? I watch the two them rowing together, and there's no question who is more attractive. I watch the two of them facing off over Lady Victoria, and there's no question who's the better actor (even back then!), with Lowe's predictable performance as the brash American being completely outshown by Julian's subtle portrayal of the oh-so-English fiance. That only reason Lowe's character manages to stay center-stage is the overblown, dramatic nature of the man. Julian, on the other hand, manages to make the guy completely likeable while still being the rival for the girl of Nick's dreams (and schemes). We can see why Victoria would stay with him. (Though I do have problems understanding why he'd want to he'd take her back after her escapades with Nick.)
When
things turn around and the two men have to team up, you've got to
believe there's no overwhelming malice to keep them from working
together, and only a skillful performance from Julian, as the
intelligent, calm, thinking man makes that possible. As the second of
Julian's big-screen roles, this is also one of his oldest films, and
as we near the millennium, it really does start to suffer from its
age. It nearly screams "I was made in the early 80's". But
Julian took advantage of the opportunity to prove what he was capable
of, and it's no wonder that it wasn't much longer before he got some
fine leading roles in After Darkness and A Room With a View.
Availability: available for rental at many video stores, and occaisionally available for sale.