Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986)

Terry works for a bank, and uses computers to communicate with clients all over the world. One day she gets a coded message from an unknown source. After decoding the message, Terry becomes... See full summary »

Director:

Penny Marshall

Writers:

David Franzoni (story), David Franzoni (screenplay),

Stars:

Whoopi Goldberg, Stephen Collins, John Wood

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Terry Dolittle
Stephen Collins	...	Marty Phillips
John Wood	...	Jeremy Talbott
Carol Kane	...	Cynthia
Annie Potts	...	Liz Carlson
Peter Michael Goetz	...	James Page
Roscoe Lee Browne	...	Archer Lincoln
Sara Botsford	...	Lady Sarah Billings
Jeroen Krabbé	...	Mark Van Meter (as Jeroen Krabbe)
Vyto Ruginis	...	Carl
Jonathan Pryce	...	Jack
Tony Hendra	...	Hunter
Jon Lovitz	...	Doug, 1st National Bank
Phil Hartman	...	Fred, 1st National Bank (as Phil E. Hartmann)
Lynne Marie Stewart	...	Karen, 1st National Bank

Storyline

Terry works for a bank, and uses computers to communicate with clients all over the world. One day she gets a coded message from an unknown source. After decoding the message, Terry becomes embroiled in an espionage ring. People are killed, and Terry is chased. Throughout she remains in contact with this unknown person, who needs Terry to help save his life.

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Plot Keywords:

bank | computer | computer cracker | dancing alone | title directed by female | 

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Taglines:

A Dangerously Funny Movie

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Knock, Knock

Filming Locations:

Greystone Park & Mansion - 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$25,587,804 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lawrence Gordon Productions, Silver Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kellie Martin's film debut.

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Goofs

After the computer monitors are shot at, you can clearly see text still showing on the broken pieces of screen. This is impossible, and are clearly dummy props.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Male Broadcaster: [click] ... House has issued a series of clarifications of several of the President's statements at his nationally televised news conference last night. In addition to responding to a question about abortion with a three-minute answer about taxes and confusing his Attorney General with his Chief of Staff, the President apparently forgot that Hawaii is a State, referring to it as, "one of our strongest allies in the Pacific." A White House spokesman explained that the President had ...

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Connections

Referenced in Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Tales of the Vienna Woods, Op.325"
(uncredited)
Composed by Johann Strauß (as Johann Strauß, Jr.)
At the British Consulate ball

User Reviews

"It's a gas, gas, gas."

"Jumpin' Jack Flash" is a very funny comedy-thriller starring comedienne and current "Hollywood Squares" star Whoopi Goldberg in the movie she made after her outstanding performance in "The Color Purple". This was her first big comedy and she's terrific in it. Goldberg stars as Terry Doolittle, a computer operator at a New York bank. At the end of a long day of work, she gets an awkward message from a British spy who's in trouble. As a result she gets plunged into a world of international intrigue and danger. Sure the premise of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" is silly. But it's an entertaining movie, thanks to Goldberg's performance. She's the whole show here. One of the best moments in the film is the one when the spy asks her to "sing with me and find the key", and she listens to the lyrics of the Mick Jagger song "Jumpin' Jack Flash" so she can find the word or words to crack the spy's code. This scene is a classic. Just get a load of the way Goldberg acts in this scene. It's hilarious. This scene proves that Goldberg is a great comic actress. There's also the scene where, after almost getting killed, Goldberg confronts a police detective played by "Pretty Woman" and "Runaway Bride" director Garry Marshall (who oddly enough is the brother of the director of this film, former "Laverne & Shirley" star Penny Marshall making her directorial debut here). Get a load of the foul language displayed by Goldberg in this scene. I was laughing hysterically out loud. There are also action scenes that really aren't necessary, but they're exciting and thrilling. And there are good supporting performances by Stephen Collins, Carol Kane, John Wood, Annie Potts, Roscoe Lee Browne, Jim Belushi, Jon Lovitz, and the late Phil Hartman. But the real star here is Whoopi. She alone makes "Jumpin' Jack Flash" worth seeing. And it's far better that Whoopi's next two movies after this: "Burglar" and "Fatal Beauty".

*** (out of four)