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 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 ****
Review of Johnny Be Good
