Return of the Killer Tomatoes! (1988)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

John De Bello

Writers:

Stephen F. Andrich (writer)
John De Bello (writer)

Release Date:

13 October 1988 (Australia)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

It'll leave a bad paste in your mouth.

Plot:

Crazy old Professor Gangreen has developed a way to make tomatoes look human for a second invasion.

Plot Keywords:

Tomato | Mad Scientist | Pizza | Product Placement | Plant

Cast

Michael Villani	...	Bob Downs (as Mike Villani)
Harvey Weber	...	Sid
John Astin	...	Prof. Gangreen
Karen M. Waldron	...	Tara Boumdeay (as Karen Mistal)
J. Stephen Peace	...	Wilbur Finletter (as Rock Peace)
Anthony Starke	...	Chad Finletter
John De Bello	...	Charles White
George Clooney	...	Matt Stevens
Gordon Howard	...	Pizza customer
Rick Rockwell	...	Jim Richardson / Tomato dealer
Costa Dillon	...	Prison guard / Man in parking lot / SAG representative / Product placement customer / Reporter (as C.J. 'Clark' Dillon)
Steve Lundquist	...	Igor
Mark Wenzel	...	Mime
Spike Sorrentino	...	Store owner
Devlin	...	Shopper

Also Known As:

Return of the Killer Tomatoes: The Sequel (USA) (video box title)

Runtime:

98 min | UK:94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-11 | UK:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Chula Vista, California, USA

Company:

Four Square Productions

Trivia:

U.S. Congressman Gary Condit, who became a household name in the Chandra Levy disappearance, has an uncredited roles as a patron in the pizzeria. The movie was co-written and co-produced by a friend of Condit's, J. Stephen Peace. Peace, along with Condit, was a member of the California State Assembly at the time.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Chad is talking to the tomato, the clock reads 1:52 am. The scene cuts to a close up of the Fuzzy Tomato and the clock reads 2:10 am. Then, it goes back to a shot of Chad talking to the tomato and the clock is at 1:53 am. The very end of the scene, the clock now reads 2:13 am.

Quotes:

Shopper: Valerian root powder!

Movie Connections:

References Per qualche dollaro in più (1965)

Made me laugh so much I had a side stitch

Picking up a couple of years after the original, tomatoes are now banned - which has ruined the pizza industry - and the unseen mad scientist who chalked up those giant killer tomatoes in the first film, Dr. Gangreen (John Astin) is up to his old tricks again, only this time he's using music to make tomatoes into people, and depending on the type of music being played, that determines who/what the tomato becomes. Playing sexy jazz music produces sexy blond tomato women, playing Salsa music produces Carmen Miranda, playing Church music produces the Pope, playing pop produces either a pre-white Michael Jackson look-a-like or a Don Johnson look-a-like, or if you play rock music, you get big, burly military tomato men.

As Charlton Heston's character from "Soylent Green" would say: "The killer tomatoes are PEOPLE!"

Our hero, Chad Finletter(Anthony B. Starke) falls for the attractive one time tomato Tara (Karen Mistal). Unfortunately, Tara can be changed back into a tomato whenever she hears a certain musical chord.

Full of gags (like the aforementioned multiple musical interpretations of a tomato) that include a prison dividing its cells between "Really bad guys" and "former political aids", the mime stalking Chad & Tara during their musical montage dating sequence, pot shots at how films have to feature tons of marketing in order to have a budget to get made, pot shots at bad movie marathon hosts and game shows, and let's not forget MY personal favorite, the talking teddy bear that calls out for help when Rock Peace tries to smother it. Film also features a more coherent "plot" (as it were) and served as the blue print for the animated series that later aired on Fox Kids.

Keep an eye out for it. George Clooney makes his film debut as Chad's friend and pizza co-worker Matt.