I searched high and low for this movie. Don't ask me why. When I found a copy, I was elated. Don't ask me why. When I settled in with my popcorn and raisinets and pressed play, I held high hopes. Don't ask me why. Very quickly, I was in hell. Let me tell you why.
First, let's talk about the acting. There isn't any. Oh, sure, words are coming out of the mouths of people on-screen, but I wouldn't call it "acting." I'd call it something like "reading lines." Literally. I think people were standing just off-camera holding up cue cards. Or, more terrifying, maybe there weren't, and that's the problem. Oh, sure, Joyce Hyser has some screen presence. She can't act, but she does have a certain something, I'm just not willing to say what it is in public. Then there's Clayton Rohner, who handles himself well and I suspect is the only cast member who ever took an acting class. Aside from Zabka, of course, who is stuck playing the same character he always does. Hard not to feel sorry for the guy, honestly.
Then there's the script. There isn't one. Oh, sure, someone typed away on a keyboard or typewriter and applied words to paper, but I wouldn't call this a script. "Script" implies some level of planning and thought, maybe even a certain amount of skill. This has none of that. Okay, fine. I was told if I couldn't say something nice, to say nothing at all. So, here's something nice: the concept is solid. Not original, but solid; there's a lot of places a movie can go with the good ol' gender switch storyline. The 80s produced some real classics in this sub-genre, so I won't complain about the overall idea. And the "script" isn't a complete write-off. There are some good scenes here and there-the big scene in the cafeteria being the standout-and I may have chuckled once or twice, I'll admit it. Okay, nice over. Now back to tearing it apart. Which is easy, because the holes in the plot are massive. Decisions are made, both by the characters and the writers, that come out of nowhere. I was more confused by this movie than a Fellini picture. This would be a good move to show a screenwriting class to illustrate what not to do.
I could tear apart this movie all day-and I might, just for fun-but you wouldn't be interested in that. You're reading a review. You want to know if this movie is worth your time. Well,
tldr; it isn't.
Hope that helps.
If you like cross-dressing comedies, watch Tootsie or Victor/Victoria. If you want a High School comedy, watch Ferris Bueller or Easy A. Not this. At the end of the day, the best thing about this movie is the poster. Now that I think about it, that might be what caught my interest. Don't ask me why.
First, let's talk about the acting. There isn't any. Oh, sure, words are coming out of the mouths of people on-screen, but I wouldn't call it "acting." I'd call it something like "reading lines." Literally. I think people were standing just off-camera holding up cue cards. Or, more terrifying, maybe there weren't, and that's the problem. Oh, sure, Joyce Hyser has some screen presence. She can't act, but she does have a certain something, I'm just not willing to say what it is in public. Then there's Clayton Rohner, who handles himself well and I suspect is the only cast member who ever took an acting class. Aside from Zabka, of course, who is stuck playing the same character he always does. Hard not to feel sorry for the guy, honestly.
Then there's the script. There isn't one. Oh, sure, someone typed away on a keyboard or typewriter and applied words to paper, but I wouldn't call this a script. "Script" implies some level of planning and thought, maybe even a certain amount of skill. This has none of that. Okay, fine. I was told if I couldn't say something nice, to say nothing at all. So, here's something nice: the concept is solid. Not original, but solid; there's a lot of places a movie can go with the good ol' gender switch storyline. The 80s produced some real classics in this sub-genre, so I won't complain about the overall idea. And the "script" isn't a complete write-off. There are some good scenes here and there-the big scene in the cafeteria being the standout-and I may have chuckled once or twice, I'll admit it. Okay, nice over. Now back to tearing it apart. Which is easy, because the holes in the plot are massive. Decisions are made, both by the characters and the writers, that come out of nowhere. I was more confused by this movie than a Fellini picture. This would be a good move to show a screenwriting class to illustrate what not to do.
I could tear apart this movie all day-and I might, just for fun-but you wouldn't be interested in that. You're reading a review. You want to know if this movie is worth your time. Well,
tldr; it isn't.
Hope that helps.
If you like cross-dressing comedies, watch Tootsie or Victor/Victoria. If you want a High School comedy, watch Ferris Bueller or Easy A. Not this. At the end of the day, the best thing about this movie is the poster. Now that I think about it, that might be what caught my interest. Don't ask me why.