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John Grisham wrote the screenplay for and produced the enjoyable Mickey, a family drama that explores--typical of the bestselling author--seemingly unresolvable conflicts between the personal and the ethical. Harry Connick Jr. plays California attorney Tripp Spence, a widower whose recent bankruptcy has come under scrutiny from the IRS. Admitting wrongdoing to his son, Derrick (Shawn Salinas), Tripp vows to avoid jail, and the two head for Las Vegas under assumed identities. Rather than stay out of sight, however, Tripp talks the manager (Mike Starr) of a first-rate Little League team into drafting Derrick, a 13-year-old, talented pitcher who claims to be younger. Soon Derrick is attracting national attention, precisely what Tripp doesn't want, yet he refuses to squelch his son's brilliant ride to the top. Hugh Wilson (Guarding Tess) directed this brisk, smart feature, which includes a generous amount of on-the-field baseball action and an intriguing subplot about Cuban ball players. --Tom Keogh

Stills from Mickey

Harry Connick Jr. as Tripp Spence

Shawn Salinas as Derrick, a.k.a. Mickey

Writer/producer John Grisham cameos as a Little League Commissioner

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Reviews (4)

Mickey
Everyone is aware of John Grisham's great ability to create stories of high intrigue courtroom thrillers. Although he is hardly a versatile writer of stories, he has shown a love of sports in his writing, most notably in his recent novel "Bleachers", which I have not yet read but of which I have heard much about. He clearly has a love for both politics and sports.
"Mickey" is a family film written by John Grisham, and in it Grisham combines both the world of politics and the world of sports to create a well-constructed story in which political intrigue collides with the baseball diamond as a father and son attempt to conceal their true identity from slimy tax agents as they live and breathe the high-flying world of baseball.
Although the story is well-constructed, the blend made of politics and sports is not seamless. The key players in both arenas are in a world of their own, a field of their own, an expertise of their own. When both worlds collide, the story's plot thickens. Still, the distinction between politics and sports is clear. That somewhat lessened the dramatic effect the story tries to convey to the audience.
The acting quality of this movie is below average. The performances in this film are, for the most part, don't come across as being realistic in their portrayal of the various characters. Still, newcomer Shawn Salinas deserves a round of applause for his top-notch performance as the title character, a 13-year-old boy who, along with his widowed father Glen (Harry Connick Jr.), is on the run from the law as they both alter their identity and flee justice after Glen evades taxes and falsifies tax info in desperation after his wife passes away. Salinas turns out the best performance in this film, which is impressive seeing as this is his debut film performance. He is a highly talented young actor who shows great promise as an actor.
If you are looking for a family-friendly movie telling a very good story that provides some food for thought concerning honesty and integrity, I can heartily recommend "Mickey". If you are a die-hard John Grisham fan, you may be highly disappointed with this story, for which I had good expectations for because of the potential it had for becoming Grisham's best. If you are somewhere in between, there is a middle ground in this film for you that you may or may not find is worth your time.

An excellent film for the little sluggers!
'Mickey' is a WONDERFUL family-friendly film that reinforces the concept of fairness in both sports and life. It'schalk full of baseball action and delivers a powerful possitive message that makes keeps you on your toes through the very end last moments of the film. 'Mickey' is perfect for a pizza night at home with the kids or even a rained out sporting event.

I highly recommend this film.

GREAT BASEBALL FILM
Tripp (Connick jr.) and derrick (salinas) decide to change their identities and flee to las vegas. Derrick's new identity as "Mickey" is a year younger, which means he enters little league as a 12 year old. they thought the fraud would be over at the end of the year, but they didn't count on the team having a dream season!
Written by John Grisham and played perfectly by Connick and salinas, this is a great family movie and a great baseball movie.

Mickey is a Great Little League Film
I thought this was a great film.Although it's story is about something negative that happens in Little League, through the story it shows the positive and amazing aspects of the organization. It'swell written and carries you into the story.The impact of one person's actions on many comes out clearly.Anyone who has ever played Little League, or is involved in the organization should really enjoy this film.I highly recommend seeing it! ... Read more

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Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, and Diane Keaton prove that revenge is a dish best served cold. Former college buddies, they reunite at the funeral of a dear friend who took a swan dive onto Fifth Avenue. All three discover they share the same unhappy history of husbands who dove into middle-age by dumping them for trophy wives. Forming a warring triumvirate, they decide to get even, and along the way remind themselves of long-forgotten capabilities. The action gets a little too "wacky" at times, but the gals are great. Portraying an aging actress, Hawn is sometimes a little too flamboyant, but there is much fun to be had in her flashiness, especially when she pokes fun at Tinseltown and her persona. Instead of her usual brashness, Midler stretches herself and shows us a woman who is not just unhappy, but also deeply sorrowful. Not that she isn't quick with a wisecrack, but her expressive face alone tells the story of her marriage. As the repressed and guilt-ridden spouse of a self- involved ad executive, Keaton finds her anger, and her voice, when her psychiatrist (Marcia Gay Harden) oversteps ethical boundaries. Watching Keaton grow from an ineffectual homemaker into a powerful businessperson reminds us that it has been far too long since she has done a comedy. Director Hugh Wilson smartly chose supporting players who each brought something unique to the film. However, he does not maintain the first hour's effervescent humor throughout the film, as the ending is weakened by a softening of the wives' resolve. --Rochelle O'Gorman ... Read more

Reviews (64)

Wives get their revenge and earn strength
Director: Hugh Wilson

Stars: Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, Diane Keaton, Stockard Channing, Maggie Smith, Dan Hedaya, Sarah Jessica Parker, Victor Garber, Stephen Collins, Elizabeth Berkley

Released in 2001

College friends lose track of each other after graduation until one of them, Cynthia Swann Griffin, played by Stockard Channing, commits suicide after her husband leaves her for a younger woman. Elise, Brenda, and Annie, played by Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, and Diane Keaton respectively, reunite at the funeral and find that their lives are not as great as they may seem on the surface. The three have a fun filled lunch and discover their middle-aged husbands have dumped them all for younger women. They decide that it is time to quite being mad and unhappy and start getting even. They support each other in this endeavor and find they have strengths they have forgotten about. Elsie, an actress with financial means to back this endeavor is fun and paired with Brenda and Annie make their ex-husband's and soon to be ex-husband's lives miserable. Elsie who is having to split her assets with her soon to be ex-husband as well as pay alimony decides to sell all of their assets to Annie for a dollar. Annie then auctions it off to build enough reserves to buy her soon to be ex-husband's partners out of their share of an advertising firm. The three women find the self-confidence they lost over the years and decide to help other women in similar situations find their strengths and lost self-confidence. Watching these three great actresses get their revenge is entertaining and added bonus is the witty, bitter character Gunilla Garson Goldberg played by Maggie Smith, who has been made wealthy by her several ex-husbands. First Wives Club is a movie that is fun to watch again and again.

Hilarious and Entertaining
Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler and Diane Keaton star in FIRST WIVES CLUB, a movie about three women who's men have traded them in for younger models, and they set out to get revenge. The movie starts when Brenda (Bette Midler), Elise (Goldie Hawn) and Annie (Diane Keaton), all find out their friend Cynthia has commited suicide. At the funeral they meet up again, as they were college friends, and they start hanging out with each other more often. Annie's marriage is in the dumps, she's seeing a therapist, and later finds out the therapist is seeing her husband! Brenda is separated from her husband Morty but is still raising her son, and Elise is divorcing her husband Bill who in turn wants alimony. These women, furious, decide to take a stand and fight back, and they sure do! There are some really memorable moments like when the ladies go to a lesbian bar, when they break into Morty's condo and escape on the window washer stand, and more. Other stars in the movie include Sarah Jessica Parker, Eileen Heckart, Stephen Collins and more. And yes the book is much different, but this movie is still very entertaining. Overall a great movie, one of my favorites.

Funny but over-acted
For a movie with a pretty big idea--that women whose husbands leave them for younger women can regain their dignity, control, and even, in some cases, their husbands--this is a pretty trifling affair. It's embarrassing to listen to Diane Keaton reduce all her acting talent to a 90-minute stream of shrill screams and whines and whimpers. Goldie Hawn's character undergoes plastic surgery, but that's not enough to explain the way she contorts her face throughout the film. And when Bette Midler and the other two get together to burst into song, watch out. You'll probably wince.

Still, this is a funny movie, with a decent heart, a pat but semi-satisfying ending, and a really great cast: Stockard Channing, Sarah Jessica Parker, Elizabeth Berkeley, Dan Hedaya, Balki from Perfect Strangers, the dad from Seventh Heaven, and Maggie Smith all make appearances. You probably shouldn't buy it, but you could do a lot worse than this flipping through channels on cable.

entertaining, but some propaganda
I found the movie entertaining. However, a central plot is that
four women friends from the same college are dumped in their
middle age by their husbands for younger women. In reality, women
initiate most divorces. They get preferential treatment with
ownership of the house, custody of the kids, and alimony.
So, I think this movie is disguising the fact that, statistically,
it's more like a First Husbands Club out there.

Great, Great, Great, movie
I love this movie. Me and my mom saw this in the theater and it was so funny. Me and my mom are huge chick flicks fans. But this is our favorite. We watch this whenever were sad or when we just want to laugh. Goldie Hawn is one of my favorite actresses if not my favorite. So really with the cast that they got, how could this movie go wrong. I didn't give it 5 stars is because it is a chick flick and guys wouldn't like it. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Best comedy western of all time
I love Rustler's Rhapsody. It's easily one of Tome Berrenger's best flicks ever. While most people view Blazing Saddles as the best western comic spoof, Rustler's to me blows it away. It's not nearly as raunchy and not quite as stupid.

Every time I watch this movie it leaves my stomach hurting because of all the times I'll laugh. There's a great cast to this movie. Tom Berrenger, Andy Griffith, Sela Ward, and many more people you'll recognize. That's another reason I can't beleive people haven't seen this.

The story is a western spoof. The hero comes to the western town being used and abused by the evil cattle baron. The hero must stop them and overcome some of his own problems. The story also reveals why the bad guys always lose and why the good guys always win.

The movie is great. I guarentee it will make you laugh and laugh hard. If you don't like spoofs then you probaly won't like Rustler's Rhapsody. If you like Blazing Saddles you will definetly love Rhapsody. This is a must own. It's one of the greatest and funniest movies nobody has ever heard of.

HOW THE WEST WAS FUN
RUSTLER'S RHAPSODY is a marvelous, witty and entertaining satire on those old westerns of the 30s and 40s. Tom Berenger is great as the hero, Singing Cowboy Rex O'Halloran. Playing against type, Tom moves effortlessly through the role, and has a fabulous wardrobe to boot. G. W. Bailey as the town drunk and wannabe sidekick is wonderful, too. His deadpan deliveries are priceless. Sela Ward is comically proficient, too, as the ranchowner's daughter who gets drug around by her horse; Marilu Henner doesn't have a lot to do, but as the hooker with the heart of gold and business savvy is good in her brief appearances; Andy Griffith is funny as heck as the ranch baron with a proclivity towards his ranch hands; Fernando Rey does well as the Italian train mogul. The whole cast is perfect; the direction is right on--congratulations, Mr. Wilson. There are a ton of priceless scenes, too many to mention. This movie should be considered a classic but somehow got overshadowed by BLAZING SADDLES, which is funny, too, but RHAPSODY is a lot less crude and overall, more consistent in its flow. Enjoy this one..it is a hoot!!!!

Very Amusing
A western comedy? Not too many of those out there. Maybe that's why Rustler's Rhapsody isn't as well-known as it deserves to be.

I had a great time watching this. The humor level is above-average in terms of sophistication. It doesn't take itself too seriously but never degenerates to the point of absurdity. A good cast helps round out the film's enjoyment.

It's too bad there aren't any special features found on this disk. However, the low price makes up for it. Add the fact that this DVD is in anamorphic widescreen (the quality all widescreen movies should be in but aren't) and you have a terrific value. Highly recommended.

Wonderful Western Satire
"Return with us now to the thrilling days of yesteryear. From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great hourse Silver, the lone (st)ranger rides again."

For anyone who can remember and quote these words and was raised watching Roy Rogers, Gene Autrey, Hopalong Cassidy, The Cisco Kid and Saturday morning westerns on radio and black and white TV, this film is a hoot and a half. I rarely laugh out load at a film at home, but I was constantly laughing at this wonderfully funny film.

What take offs on the typical western film characters and situations. The lone cowboy in clothes no self respecting cowboy would wear. A fantastic horse names Wildfire, who danced better than Gene Kelly or Fred Astire. The music hall hostess who charged $600 a night, but only talked to her clients (Miss Kitty from "Gunsmoke" maybe?)The twon drunk who wants to become the hero's sidekick. The mysterious "root" that makes anyone eating it feel soooo good.

Tom Berenger is great as the virginal, overdressed hero. He kids this stereotype magnificently. G. W. Bailey almost steals the film as the drunk/sidekick. Marilu Henner is just right as the sexy hostess. Sela Ward is perfect as the villain's daughter who has a special problem with her horse. Andy Griffith makes a delightful comic "villain". The whole cast is wonderful.

Anyone who doesn't know the old westerns might be lost and think this film not too good, but for those who remember the "cowboys" mentioned earlier, this is a comic treasure!

Be sure to watch the credits at the end of the film to hear a lovely balled, "Lasso You The Moon", sung by Gary Morris.

This film is so much better than "Blazing Saddles" (which is a very funny film) without being crude or making rude ethnic jokes that leave today's audiences uncomfortable as does "Saddles".

Underrated Western Spoof, but missing a scene
This movie is a clever parody calling out all of the western cliches. Be warned that the movie inexplicably is missing a scene. It is the scene where Rex gains his heterosexual confidence after he backs down from the other good guy. This deletion prevents the movie from resolving Rex's confident heterosexuality problem, which was actually one of the more sophisticated gags in the movie. It is inexplicable because even the television version of the movie contains this scene. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Unexpected gem...
When "Guarding Tess" was released eight years ago, I ended up watching it in the theater because I was bored and because it looked a little more promising than the rest of the pack. That thought proved to be an understatement. To date, I have seen this movie at least eight times, and I tend to enjoy it more with each viewing. Nicholas Cage is perfect as the disgruntled Secret Service agent who feels he has been banished to his current duty -- namely, doting on a cantankerous former First Lady, played to the hilt by Shirley MacLaine. "Guarding Tess" is alternately funny and moving, and even includes a bit of a mystery for Cage to solve. Far more than a one-dimensional film, "Guarding Tess" is satisfying for so many reasons -- the witty script, the fine performances, the deft direction, and the mostly even pacing, to name a few. While you can catch this on a regular basis on TBS (which has made the movie one of its most reliable staples), "Guarding Tess" is definitely worth owning for more frequent viewing.

A delightful folie-a-deux between a guard and his First Lady
"Guarding Tess" opens with a dapper and cheery Doug Chesnick (Nicholas Cage) fleeing a three-year stint as Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service, during which he was responsible for guarding a recently-widowed former First Lady (Shirley MacLaine) in her mansion in rural Ohio.

It's not only ditching the rusticity that puts a spring in Chesnick's step, but the opportunity to flee his employer, the authoritarian, aristocratic former First Lady, who has zeroed in on Chesnick while largely ignoring the rest of her staff. Her specialty, one quickly learns, is what the armed forces call the "psy-op" or, more simply, psychological warfare.

It is part of Tess Carlisle's modus operandi to let Chesnick believe that he is finally free, and waste to his time reporting to Washington for a new assignment. Chesnick yearns to join the elite who guard the President. Instead, in D.C., Chesnick is told that Carlisle already has called the President to request that Chesnick be reassigned to another three-year "tour", a tour of a truly martial sort.

The current President was the late President Carlisle's Veep, which permits Tess to continue to brusquely address him as the underling he always was to her. Tess's wish is the new President's command, not least because it was her private say that got him the winning Carlisle ticket.

In a fury, Chesnick is forced to return to Ohio. A kind of dance of death begins as Tess tries to break the spirit of the Special Agent in Charge, a title she cannot resist deconstructing, while Chesnick's fury mounts and he becomes all the more fanatical about adhering to the strictest (and most deadening) regulations of the Secret Service.

It is quickly apparent that Tess Carlisle is vastly too clever and even (almost secretly) high-minded to have summoned Chesnick as a dimwitted mouse to bat around, yet she sincerely loathes his fastidiousness about seatments in cars and the tedium of being followed and observed 24-7. There is no denying the emotional S&M the Tess and Chesnick mete out, but it is curiously bilateral. For reasons unexplained for much of the film, Tess cannot quite afford to have Chesnick quit (or actually quit, more precisely).

The power struggles that break out over her attempted use of agents as golf caddies and her recurring jailbreaks with a fearful chauffeur are as uproarious as they are petty.

When the humiliated Chesnick is forced "by regulation" to alert the local sheriff, for example, that Tess Carlisle and her driver have lost their detail yet again, the sheriff puts the brokenly dignified agent on speakerphone. The deputies snigger en masse when the Sheriff intones mockingly: "That Mrs. Carlisle sure is slippery...for a senior citizen and all." Formal as always, Chesnick does not permit himself so much as a note of sarcasm in his response. He communicates in rare tics and elaborate, furious pronunciations of basic instructions, but at no time does he debase his office.

Sure enough, Chesnick quits over his inability, courtesy of the eccentric, tantrum-throwing Tess, to do his job "properly" (read: perfectly). And, sure enough, Mrs. Carlisle has the new President on her speed dial.

The calls put through from the President, a snarling and barking Texan, are episodes of comic sublimity. Each time, Chesnick, like virtually anyone other than the formidable Mrs. Carlisle, freezes with terror when told via a sudden phone call to "hold for the President".

The disembodied voice, emanating variously from the Oval Office and from Air Force One, is an uncanny, flawless mimicry of LBJ. Johnson's private threats, manipulations and vaunted coarseness are preserved in an inimitable Texan patois which melds obscenity, patriotism, blackmail and phoney good-ole-boy charm.

The President is required, for example, to investigate Mrs. Carlisle's story that her agent "ripped up some flowers". Chesnick speaks carefully about the distinction between fact and fiction: it was only a single flower, and he merely snapped off the bud. Though the President is whipped by the retired Mrs. Carlisle, he is fully alert to the lunacy of how his time is being wasted. The solution? Fix it, Agent Chesnick, "or next time, you'll be guarding my dog, do you hear me son?"

When we learn at last of the origin of Tess Carlisle's fixation on Agent Chesnick, it is suitably poignant and ennobling. Rather than trying to break him, as it first appears, she is "merely" trying to get him to break the rules. We see Tess at her bullying worst and then her impossibly gracious best, in two very rare encounters with "her" public.

No less a figure than Barbara Bush is said to have told MacLaine that the film was a perfectly accurate rendition of the relationship between agent and protectee. It is very revealing that such a remark should have come from the Grand Dame, Mrs. Bush, who is usually described as being as vicious and petty in private as she is marvellously patrician in public.

The gun Chesnick is required to place on a table outside Mrs. Chesnick's room must go off, by the fifth act, according to the rules of drama. It does, and Chesnick's attention to detail is finally rewarded. Rather than "some sick [sexual] thing" going on, as the President earlier, hilariously, suggests, there is a courtly love which unfolds between Tess and her devoted agent which gives a final unity to this first comic, then poignant story.

TBS Superstation.
I just watched the second half of Guarding Tess on TBS. It's now 11:30PM, and I am writing this review when I should be in bed 1 and half hour ago. Nicolas Cade and The old woman in the movie both turned in great performances. The story was lightly funny at first, but didn't really go anywhere. The relationship between The FBI agent and ex-first lady was strange, and though the movie tried to give their intimacy an explanation, it was still weird. The climax came at the end, and was very entertaining, for it broke a long line of fairly boring plot. There is much meaning in the movie; it tried successfully to bring the emotions of a smart first lady widow who dearly wants attention to life. I was touched by the movie. Thank you. I should go to bed now.

Better Than Guarding The President's Dog
Nicholas Cage stars as a Secret Service agent assigned to protect former first lady Shirley MacLaine. MacLaine has a difficult personality, and being guarded by Cage, a by-the-books man, causes a lot of friction between the two. She won't let him be reassigned, yet she seems bent on messing with him every chance she can get. It turns into one of those love-hate relationships that have fueled many a film, but this one works better than most. Cage and MacLaine are both excellent choices for their roles, giving the kind of quality performances you'd expect, with an unexpectedly good chemistry between them. I wish Cage would appear in more films like this, since I often find his choice of pictures puzzling. The rest of the cast takes a backseat to the star performances. The writing is good, allowing the relationship to develop naturally between the characters. I do wish there had been a few more laughs and that the ending had not come so quickly. I don't know if relationships develop between Secret Service agents and the people they are assigned to protect, so I don't know how realistic this was, but I really liked the characters, found the story amusing, and enjoyed the film a lot.

Wonderful character story
This is the film that made me like Nicolas Cage. He and Maclaine are terrific as the protector and retired First Lady who must maintain a working relationship despite their opposing views. Lots of amusing character revelations, and an increasingly absorbing pace. I watched the ending again and again because I liked it so much. ... Read more

Description

When the mayor decides that the doors of the police academy be open to any and all, the applicants swarm forth like hordes of losers in a colorful assortment of nonregulation sizes, shapes and eccentricities. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Coasting on the successes of Gods and Monsters and George of the Jungle, Brendan Fraser turns in yet another winning performance in this fish-out-of-water comedy in which Pleasantville meets modern-day Los Angeles, with predictably funny results. Fraser stars as Adam, who was born in the bomb shelter of his paranoid inventor dad (a less-manic-than-usual Christopher Walken), who spirited his pregnant wife (Sissy Spacek, in fine comic form) underground when he thought the Communists dropped the bomb (actually, it was a plane crash). Armed with enough supplies to last 35 years, the parents bring up Adam in Leave It to Beaver style with nary any exposure to the outside world. When the supplies run out, and dad suffers a heart attack, Fraser goes up to modern-day L.A. for some shopping and long-awaited culture shock. More of a cute premise with lots of clever ideas attached than a fully fleshed out story, Blast from the Past is also supposed to be part romantic comedy, as the hunky Adam hooks up with his jaded Eve (Alicia Silverstone) and tries to convince her to marry him and go underground. The sparks don't fly, though, because Silverstone is saddled with the triple whammy of being miscast, playing an underwritten character, and suffering a very bad hairdo. Fraser, however, carries the film lightly and easily on his broad, goofy shoulders, mixing Adam's gee-whiz innocence with genuine emotion and curiosity; only Fraser could pull off Adam's first glimpse of a sunrise or the ocean with both humor and pathos. Also winning is Dave Foley as Silverstone's gay best friend, who manages to make the most innocuous statements sound like comic gems. --Mark Englehart ... Read more

Reviews (130)

Light, smart comedy
Brendan Fraser seems to specialize in `fish-out-of-water' characters, and he plays it to the hilt in this smart comedy. Fraser plays Adam Webber, the son of a Cold-War-obsessed scientist (Christopher Walken) and his wife (Sissy Spacek) who hunker down in a fallout shelter for 35 years, when they believe the big one has destroyed the earth.

In truth, a plane fell on their house, and their now-grown son only wishes to go and see the world. Their neighborhood has changed a lot, from quiet suburbia to punk clubs and adult bookstores, but Adam, who only wishes to meet a nice girl, manages to meet his match in the appropriately named Eve, nicely played by Alicia Silverstone with the right mix of incredulousness and sweetness. Dave Foley (The Kids in the Hall, NewsRadio) as Eve's gay roommate and Joey Slotnick as a stoned club owner who becomes a cult leader (you'll have to see why) are also very funny.

Director/writer Hugh Wilson has created a sweet, satirical film that features romance with light, satirical humor. It also has terrific sets (especially the Webbers' shelter) and a terrific dance scene. Blast from the Past is a light comedy that is well worth watching.

Adam & Eve in Modern Day
I've seen this film a lot of times, more than I'd care to admit to, and I never tire of it. The first five minutes are pretty dull, so I tend to skip past them, as it really starts when the plane crashes into the house.

Christopher Walken & Sissy Spacek are the perfect people to play Brendan Fraser's parents, both as quirky as each other. Sissy plays the perfect wife, drinking to escape her husband and life below ground. Christopher is perfect as the Dad, teaching his son everything he knows.

Alicia Silverstone is kooky, "psychic", and is a perfect match for Adam's character, and of course she has to be called Eve. How original.

Troy's character is brilliant, playing the stereotypical gay guy, which Adam thinks means "happy". Troy and Eve live together, and have a very similar relationship to Will & Grace in the TV show. The girl who has a gay guy for a roommate - tell me, how many times has that been done?

The first fifteen minutes go quickly through the first 35 years of Adam's (Brendan Fraser) uneventful life, cutting back and forth between what's going on above the family.

I couldn't imagine anyone else in the part of innocent Adam, apart from Brendan. He comes out with the funniest expressions! He is brought up to be the perfect gentleman - opening doors for women, calling them ma'am, doing all those things, the guy who every girl would like but then quickly get fed up of!

Some parts of the film aren't explained, leaving you wondering how they had enough supplies to last 35 years, how none of them got seriously ill, until the dad does twenty minutes in, forcing Adam to go up into the big bad world, and how the money hasn't changed in 35 years!

The funniest bits of the film are when Adam talks to complete strangers, in his off-hand way. The best sequence in the whole film is The Mask-reminiscent dance scene, when Adam goes to a club and dances with the two women. It's very similar to when Jim Carrey & Cameron Diaz dance together in The Mask; both are great & memorable. And like any dance scenes in films (Grease, The Mask, Saturday Night Fever) the crowd instantly makes a circle around the main people dancing and watches them. This wouldn't happen in real life, so why do they keep repeating this in films?

The storyline is pretty predictable: boy meets girl, boy loses girl, and boy gets girl back.

There aren't many extras on the DVD. There are trailers; cast & crew biographies; deleted scenes and a B-roll. They're your basic extras - not worth watching more than once, if you can last through them. According to the back of my DVD, there's a "Love Meter" but I can't find it amongst the extras so god knows where it is.

This is definitely for sentimental fools, like me, who love a good romance, and think Brendan Fraser is so cute - just not when he sings!

BEAVER REDUX
Brendan Fraser is remarkably good in this good-natured comedy about a young man born and raised in a fallout shelter. Fraser manages to parlay his rugged good looks and youthful exuberance into an intensely likeable hero named Adam. Once released into the modern world, Adam is gleefully joyful to watch. Alicia Silverstone is fine as his "Eve" who is both enamored and repelled by Fraser's childishly kind behavior. Dave Foley as her gay friend is marvelous as well. I also liked Joey Skolnik as the bartender who metamorphoses from a happy teenager to the self-proclaimed monk of a new religion. Kudos also to Nathan Killion (Firefly series) as Alicia's macho boyfriend who gets put in his place by Fraser. Also to the delightful dance scene where Fraser and two girls jitterbug to high heaven. But one cannot overlook the truly marvelous performances from Sissy Spacek and Christopher Walken as Fraser's paranoid parents. They are both brilliant, and one can see how these two won Oscars for previous performances. Director Hugh Wilson keeps it all together and I found myself smiling and chuckling all the way through. A delightful find!

Very funny commentary about how nice people used to be
This is a nice, funny movie, which along the way makes an interesting point. The plot is pretty straitforward, but this is a comedy not a drama, and it is plenty good enough to get us from joke to joke.

Films lately seem to be saying that really nice guys come from some other decade, or even century (Kate & Leopold). This might say more about the audience (do we more readily accept niceness if it is ancient?) than the writers, but it is something the film makes you think about, when you're done laughing.

Entertaining, Witty and Extremely Likeable Comic Fantasy
Calvin Webber (Christopher Walken) is a slightly mad genius living in Los Angeles at the height of the Cold War. Paranoid about the communist threat, he has made a vast and elaborate nuclear bunker under his house. And, at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, he takes the precaution of going into it with his pregnant wife Helen (Sissy Spacek). By bizarre coincidence, just as they get down underground, a military aircraft crashes on their house. Convinced this is the dreaded nuke, he locks in and they prepare to stay there for 35 years until the radiation reaches safe levels. Finally come the 1990s and son Adam (Brendan Fraser) is sent out to reconnoitre and get look for fresh supplies in what they are convinced is a nightmarish and disintegrated post-apocalyptic world. (The neighbour has gone badly downhill in a way that makes this a more than understandable mistake.) Out he goes armed only with an indefatigable innocence and decency, an unshakable conviction that Perry Como is at the cutting edge of popular music and what he does not yet realize is a huge fortune in vintage baseball cards. After a few hours he is seriously at sea and hopelessly lost. Then he meets Alicia Silverstone's wordly and cynical Eve...

The central conceit of this film is the clash of what is basically a 1950s sensibility with the harsh and cynical realities of 1990s America. That way it strongly recalls 'Pleasantville', made a year earlier. But this is a much better film. While 'Pleasantville' rather condescended to the past, with its knowing modern kids teaching stuffy old 50s types how to be cool and have sex, this film is much more intelligently ambivalent about the blessings of modernity and has a very nice satirical edge. Not to mention much funnier. It is Eve who learns from Adam far more than the reverse. It's essentially an unusual romantic comedy with a bizarre fantasy premise. But it's an unusually sharp, witty and unintelligent romcom. A certain mismatch between British and American senses of humour may partly explain why I seldom laugh out loud at American movies. Several lines in this were notable exceptions. Its best moments recall, as very very few contemporary films manage to recall, the sharply observed intelligence of the great Hollywood romantic comedies of the 30s and 40s. Fresh, entertaining and extremely well-acted, it's well worth a look. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Burglar may not be one of Whoopi Goldberg's best outings, but itdoes offerher several opportunities to cut loose as a comedian.She plays a bookshop owner with a shady past who is being blackmailed by a crooked cop and mustperform one last heist. Naturally, everything goes wrong and a handsomelothario winds up dead.Whoopi must find his murderer before the police findher.There are a couple of unexpected twists to this formulaic tale though Hugh (First Wives Club) Wilson's direction can't always navigate thetonal shifts between comedy and murder mystery. But Whoopi holds it alltogether with strong assistance from a stellar cast including Bob Goldthwait,John Goodman, Anne DeSalvo, and Lesley Ann Warren.Goldthwait, who plays adog groomer and Whoopi's wacked-out best friend, has several priceless momentsfeaturing his squeaky-door crazy-man vocal delivery.Goodman and DeSalvo,both crackerjack comic actors, don't have nearly enough to do while Warren plays a curvaceous dentist and the ex-wife of the murder victim who seems tohave suspect written all over her. --Richard Natale ... Read more

Reviews (11)

One of Whoopie's Best
My favorite Whoopie movie. Even better than Jumpin' Jack Flash. It's a fun movie which doesn't take itself too seriously, yet remains a believeable mystery which leaves you asking, "Who did it?" I won't say who did, but if you use your ears, they tell you twice who the killer is.

Any Whoopie fan must see this movie. If for no other reason than it's a great movie, Bobcat has his funniest movie scene to date in here. I need to get this sampled for my MP3 collection.

Not bad for a movie that's supposed to be about a Jewish Man
I don't have anything against this movie -- it's a pleasant little romp. I just remember that I was sorely disappointed when it came out because I'm a fan of the series of books that it's based on. I suppose I should say "loosely based on," because this doesn't even come close to the books. The books were written by Lawrence Block and featured an aging Jewish man named Bernie Rhodenbarr. Rumor has it that Bruce Willis bailed on the production, so it was given to Whoopi. Not a bad decision, I suppose. But not a good one, either. If you like harmless mystery/comedies from the decade of The Mullet, then you will enjoy this.

By the way, the books are also available here at Amazon, so you ought to do yourself a favor and pick them up, too.

It's not Whoopi's best, but it's still quite funny
I remember when this movie came out - on the tail of "Jumpin' Jack Flash". People expected it to be as good as that, because Whoopi was the flavour of the month. It was a disappointment in some ways, yet contained some hilarious moments. Scenes include the female policewoman falling backwards after attempting to kick in Whoopi's front door. The best scene is when Whoopi, disguised as a home maid, breaks into the rich man's home and steals his goodies - and nearly gets caught.
DVD EVALUATION: Warner have released this in Full Frame which is a disappointment. A Widescreen version is, of course, preferred by DVD fanatics! Sound is 2.0 Dolby Digital. No special features are included on the disc.

Distracting Fun
While I agree that this is not Whoopi's best movie, it is blithe comic fun that's good for two hours or so of pleasant distraction. Whoopi's irreverent character, Bernie, is a reformed thief forced to do one last job to pay off a blackmailing cop. Along for the ride is the divine Lesley Ann Warren as a nutty dentist, Anne DeSalvo and John Goodman as two bumbling cops always a step behind, and Bobcat Goldthwait in what is probably his only tolerable performance.

Tons of profanity, absurd plot twists, and an easily-descerned plot make for a fun farce that is guaranteed to make you laugh.

Me likey on the flipside!
This is not a Academy Award winning movie. However , I can't help but love it! Its one of my favorite Whoopi movies! ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Police Academy
A new mayor, forces the local police academy to open its doors to all. Naturally a variety of people show up, for training. There's Mahoney, a guy given the option of jail or the police academy, Jones the human sound effects machine, Barbara, the film developer, Hightower, a florist, etc. The Commisioner has Capt Harris, try to force the undeserable people out of the academy. Typical 80's comedy, is enjoyable and funny, and holds up after many viewings. The DVD version of the movie, looks good and sounds good, but there aren't to many extras.

THE MOVIE THAT STARTED THE WHOLE SERIES
A MALCONTENT [STEVE GUTTENBERG] GETS FORCED TO ENLIST IN THE POLICE ACADEMY. VERY FUNNY AND ENTERTAINING ON ALL LEVELS. THE HIGHLIGHT OF THIS FILM IS MICHAEL WINSLOW, THE MAN WHO PLAYS LARVELL JONES, WHOSE A HUMAN SOUND EFFECTS MACHINE. A CULT CALSSIC BY ALL MEANS. OF COURSE, THERE'S NOTHING SPECIAL ABOUT THE SCRIPT OR ITS STORY, BUT IT'S JUST FUNNY. A MUST FOR ANYONE THAT LIKES TO LAUGH THEIR A.. OFF. FOLLOWED BY SIX SEQUELS, AN ANIMATED TV SERIES, AND INSPIRED A LIVE-ACTION TV SERIES.

Some of the most humourous police work ever performed!
First there was TV's Barney Miller,then the short-lived Police Squad,and now the first of seven POLICE ACADEMY films. Steve Guttenberg,who appeared in DINER two years before this film,is Carey Mahoney,a parking lot attendant who is arrested following termination from his job. At the police station where he's booked he meets Larvell Jones(Michael Winslow) who himself has been arrested for disturbing the peace. Winslow is famous for vocal impersonations of objects in action. So Carey and Larvell join the Metropolitan Police Academy as an alternative to jail. Also joining are Eugene Tackleberry(the late David Graf) who's a gun-lover,Karen Thompson(Kim Cattrall) who becomes Carey's girlfriend,Moses Hightower(football great Bubba Smith) who's a florist,George Martin(Andrew Rubin) who pretends to be Latin to score with women,Doug Fackler(Bruce Mahler) who joins against his wife's wishes(she joins 2 sequels later against HIS wishes!),Kyle Blankes,a mean-spirited fella and his buddy Chad Copeland,also mean-spirited. Carey misbehaves as much as he can to get evicted,because he initially didn't want to join the PA. He later changes his mind. George Gaynes is Commandant Eric Lassard and George R. Robertson is Commissioner Henry Hurst. G.W. Bailey of TV's M*A*S*H,is lieutenant Thaddeus Harris,who with the help of Kyle and Chad,rids the academy of undesirables("scumbuckets" as Lt. Harris calls them). Memorable scenes include Carey teaching Schwarzenegger-ish Hightower how to drive in Chad's car! The car is damaged and Chad and Kyle put the blame on Carey who dare him to "throw the first punch",since Carey was initially scheming to be evicted. Also part of the cast is Marion Ramsey as Laverne Hooks,a short,soft-spoken African-American woman. Take note of how in another scene,she gets loud and nasty towards a criminal("DON'T MOVE,DIRTBAG!"). That quote would be used in the sequels as well. Leslie Easterbrook of TV's Laverne & Shirley is Seargent Callahan who along with Lt. Harris,trains the cadets. Another memorable scene is where a concealed hooker performs oral sex on Commandant Lassard while he stands behind a podium. Carey was co-concealed inside the podium,the hooker emerged,Carey remained,and Lassard thought Carey performed the sexual act! Also,Martin,in drag,sneaks into the girls' dormitory and is finally caught by Callahan,who removes his wig,brassiere and dress. This popular film was directed by Hugh Wilson,who'd subsequently direct THE FIRST WIVES CLUB. Guttenberg stuck around for PA2,3 and 4.

Way better than I thought it would be
When I went to rent this yesterday in the 20th anniversary edition, I wasn't expecting alot, but I liked it so much I ended up buying it. I'm gonna buy some of the other Police Academy movies too.

I still don't own it.
I still want this movie, but I don't got it yet. I know it's funny because I saw it in theatres back in 1984. I almost died laughing. Same with my dad. Yes you heard me right, my dad who let me see any movie brought me into this movie when I was 9. My mom didn't like my dad taking me to any movie out there. Soon or later I will get this movie and maybe get the box set that was just realesed. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Brendan Fraser (George of the Jungle, The Mummy) bringshis considerable charm to this awkward live-action version of the classic cartoon Dudley Do-Right. The first half of the movie lays out the basic elements of the cartoon (none-too-bright Canadian Mountie battles melodrama villain Snidely Whiplash with pluck and dumb luck) with little wit or imagination, but lots of pratfalls and broad gags. But about halfway into it, when Whiplash has taken over the town of Semi-Happy Falls and become its leading citizen, the movie takes a curious turn: Since Whiplash has become, to all appearances, a good guy, Dudley decides the only way to fight him is to turn into a bad guy. Next thing you know, Dudley is decked out in black leather and cruising around on a motorbike while Whiplash fumes impotently. Bullwinkle fans may decry this departure, but it gives the movie a much-needed burst of energy and the opportunity for some entertainingly surreal images--like Whiplash up to his neck in a mudbath with cucumber slices on his eyes, consulting with his henchmen about dealing with that unpredictable Do-Right. With Alfred Molina, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Monty Python's Eric Idle. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Way Too Funny for TV
WKRP in Cincinnati was one of the (if not "the") most side-splittingly funny sitcoms of the late 70's/early 80's.The ensemble cast was custom-tailored to its various roles, and the dialogue was priceless.Invariably, the well-written scripts often made you think about larger issues in life (even when you disagreed with the writers' point of view) while making you laugh your brains out.Unlike so many shows of that era, you didn't need to be (a) smoking weed or (b) snorting coke or (c) otherwise brain-dead to "get" the humor.Truly a classic, beautifully done TV.Do everyone a favor.Put it on DVD.It was an "all-timer."

As God is my witness...
"As God is my witness...I thought turkeys could fly."
That is from the most popular episode of this hilarious series called "Turkeys Away".It was thier Thanksgiving themed episode which should be aired traditionally every Thanksgiving!Sadly the station manager didn't realize his free turkey give-away from a helicopter at a shopping center would end with such "carnage".Poor Les Nesman was left to report the live feed on air.

As God is my witness, I thought this would be out on DVD by now!!

INFINITY STARS!!!!
C'MON, GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT!!! JOHNNY FEVER ZONING OUT TO THE SOUND OF DOGS BARKING ON THE AIR, HERB AND HIS SLEAZY USED CAR SALESMAN SUITS, LES NESMAN'S BROADCAST OF THE TURKEY TRAGEDY, MR. CARLSON'S TOY COLLECTION, SCUM OF THE EARTH, AND PHONE COPS EVERYWHERE!!!!!!

Release Senior Rod-wi-geez, please!
I recently was at the video rental shop here, which has a huge section of TV series to rent.Every time I go down this isle, I have to sigh a bit, as WKRP isn't there, among the really really lame air headed stuff they do have.Every week I check several sites online, including amazon to see if its release is pending.I rarely watch network TV, but being a huge music fan, I'll always remember this series fondly.I even have a WKRP t-shirt that I wear from time to time.I always get comments about that.Like, "oh yeah, Lonnie Anderson, I remember that!"But despite us male fans admiration, she was not the main reason we watched.Who didn't want to be like Johnny Fever or Venus Flytrap, and work in a rock n' roll radio station?Whatever, it's just that this series had so many memorable moments, that lifted it above the usual 70's drivel of cop shows and more cop shows.I've got one rule of thumb, if it's memorable, it's probably great.So get the liscensing business straightened out, 20th Century Fox, and give us back our 'KRP!!!(I'll buy it all...)

WKRP the best
I can't understand why the best sit com ever, WKRP, hasn't come out on DVD yet and some of the worst junk ever already has. This is a classic comedy and should have been on for 10 years if you go by what "Friends" or "Seinfeld" did.Please, get this great show out there so we can laugh again. ... Read more