Watch Johnny Be Good For Free

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

RELEASED IN 1988 and directed by Bud Smith, "Johnny Be Good" is a high school comedy starring Anthony Michael Hall as Johnny Walker from central Texas, America's most wanted football prospect. Should Johnny take one of the tempting offers from scores of talent scouts or should he attend the local state college with his babe (Uma Thurman), giving up his football dream? Paul Gleason plays his dubiously motivated coach while Robert Downey Jr. is on hand as his amusing bud.If you remember Hall from "Sixteen Candles" (1984) and "The Breakfast Club" (1985) you might think he would be too geeky to play a quarterback stud, but he's older here and more beefed up, not to mention 6'2". He and Downey Jr. have great chemistry and the movie scores pretty well on the feminine front with Thurman in her debut, as well as Jennifer Tilly, Hayley Ladner (Juicy Dorfman) and some other peripherals. On the other side of the spectrum, Steve James is a stunning example of masculinity as the coach at the state college (too bad Steve died so young from cancer of unknown origin). Jim McMahon has a quality cameo. While there's some semi-serious drama, the tone is often silly, but the movie's kinetic and offers numerous laughs. Anyone who criticizes the film for being goofy might as well criticize water for being wet. Unfortunately the story's awkwardly uneven and there are curious lulls. If the script were tightened up this could've been a hit in the 80's teen comedy genre.Lastly, the flick features a fun rockin' soundtrack with the likes of Judas Priest's "Johnny B. Goode," which plays over the end credits. THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour 31 minutes and was shot in the San Antonio area (Georgetown & Alamo Heights) and Texas Stadium, Irving (near Dallas). GRADE: C+

Just three years after "The Breakfast Club", this film reunites Michael Anthony Hall and Paul Gleason. It aims to achieve the irreverent humor of a film like "Stripes" combined with the titillation of "Porky's". Almost every character in this film is a caricature. You can tell a lot of people put a lot of work into this film, so where does it go wrong?First, the film's primary story--about a football phenom who is unscrupulously recruited by every powerhouse program in the country--is a serious drag on the humor. There is nothing funny about the sacrifice of educational values to the football money machine.Secondly, the film tries to include every standard feature of every youth comedy film--the clueless adults, the topless scenes, the humor centering on sex and alcohol--and in so doing, becomes a parody of itself.I am deducting one point just for the colossal waste of talent.Robert Downey Jr. is wasted here, playing the wacky sidekick. Uma Thurman's performance as the hometown girlfriend is lost in the silliness. The entire film is predictable, sometimes cringe-worthy, and boring.In a scene near the end of the film Hall, Downey and Thurman drive off in a convertible to begin their post-high school lives and there is a sense of what this film could have been: an interesting exploration of the lives of three kids who have issues to face and things to learn. It might even have been funny, too.

Dreadful would-be vehicle for Anthony Michael Hall has a high school football star--unable to decide where he wants to play college ball--catered to by slavering University recruiters, each of whom are offering the kid a lucrative scholarship. What makes this young man so incredibly special? Judging from Hall's extra-bland demeanor, he certainly isn't capable of arousing a large crowd with his enthusiasm for the sport. The three screenwriters (who also served as co-producers!) do charmless work; they cannot wait to get the leading character out of town in order to incorporate wild parties and strip-joints into the mix. The raunch is most likely what sold the movie to Orion Pictures, who were obviously hoping to tap into the then-popular John Hughes market (the company later added more sex to the home-video version after the film did modest business in theaters). Unfortunately, writers Steve Zacharias, Jeff Buhai, and David Obst show absolutely none of Hughes' comic sensibility or sensitivity, and director Bud Smith directs with a leaden touch. True to form in '80s teen flicks, all the adults are ignorant, money-grubbing whores while our well-scrubbed hero stands head-and-shoulders above the chaos. Sports announcer Howard Cosell and real-life athletes make cameos, Uma Thurman is attractive in one of her earliest roles, but Hall and smutty buddy Robert Downey Jr. are one-dimensional. * from ****

I'm surprised at the negativity. It's a great dumb comedy with a tiny bit of morality thrown in. The recruitment tactics may not be an exaggeration of reality - trying to schmooze the all-American QB.How is it possible that Yes Man averages a 7 out of 10 and this movie is a 4.? Yes Man was barely watchable.The cast was perfect and the movie probably wouldn't have worked without them. Robert Downey Jr.'s character is so disturbed and hilarious. It seems to be a carryover from his role in Back to School. Which is another great 80's comedy. Uma Thurman is so cute in one of her first acting roles. Paul Gleason plays is a-hole character to perfection.Maybe I am just old enough to still love the John Hughes-style high school comedies of the 1980's. This isn't the best of breed, but definitely worth enjoying.