Johnny Be Good (1988)

User Rating:

3.9/10   

Director:

Bud S. Smith

Writers:

Steve Zacharias (written by) &
Jeff Buhai (written by) ...

Release Date:

25 March 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sport

Tagline:

Every college in the country wants Johnny. 'Cause when he's good he's very very good. And when he's bad he's better.

Plot:

It's recruiting time and despite being short and scrawny, Johnny Walker is America's hottest young football prospect...

Plot Keywords:

Football | American Football | Reference To John Wayne | Reference To Liberace | Future

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Anthony Michael Hall	...	Johnny Walker
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Leo Wiggins
Paul Gleason	...	Wayne Hisler
Uma Thurman	...	Georgia Elkans
Steve James	...	Coach Sanders
Seymour Cassel	...	Wallace Gibson
Michael Greene	...	Tex Wade
Marshall Bell	...	Chief Elkans
Deborah May	...	Mrs. Walker
Michael Alldredge	...	Vinny Kroll
Jennifer Tilly	...	Connie Hisler
Jon Stafford	...	Bad Breath
Peter Koch	...	Pete Andropolous
Howard Cosell	...	Himself
Jim McMahon	...	Himself

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:15 | Iceland:12 | New Zealand:M | Finland:K-14 | USA:PG-13 (theatrical version) | USA:R (video rating) | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Georgetown, Texas, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

During a scene where Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall) is drumming, you can clearly see a Charlie Chaplin poster. Robert Downey Jr., who plays Leo Wiggins, played Charlie Chaplin in the movie titled Chaplin (1992).

Quotes:

Georgia Elkans: Well. Since you're not going to speak, you WILL rub my feet.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Bride of the Monster (#5.23)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

Mack the Knife

One good scene in a sea of mediocrity

There is one good scene in this movie, and it's pretty good. Anthony Michael Hall has just been on a recruitment tour of private colleges who want to give him football scholarships and he has come back to his hometown to negotiate a deal with the athletic director of a public university. The interplay between the two, especially the unspoken lines, is done beautifully.

Other than that, this is a pretty standard (sub-standard) teen flick posing as a cautionary tale. I think this movie wanted to be a comedic version of "All the Right Moves", but didn't have the guts to tell a real story.