Mystery Date (1991)

A teenage boy would like to meet with a very pretty, blonde girl who lives next door. His elder brother helps him with a car and a credit card to be successful. This simple story gets ... See full summary »

Director:

Jonathan Wacks

Writers:

Parker Bennett, Terry Runte (as Terry Runté)

Stars:

Ethan Hawke, Teri Polo, Brian McNamara

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ethan Hawke	...	Tom McHugh
Teri Polo	...	Geena Matthews
Brian McNamara	...	Craig McHugh
Fisher Stevens	...	Dwight
BD Wong	...	James Lew
Tony Rosato	...	Sharpie
Don S. Davis	...	Doheny
James Hong	...	Fortune Teller
Victor Wong	...	Janitor
Ping Wu	...	Vince
Duncan Fraser	...	Crully
Jerry Wasserman	...	Detective Al Condon
Terry David Mulligan	...	Mr. McHugh
Merrilyn Gann	...	Mrs. McHugh
Stephen Chang	...	Ben

Storyline

A teenage boy would like to meet with a very pretty, blonde girl who lives next door. His elder brother helps him with a car and a credit card to be successful. This simple story gets complicated because of the corpse in the trunk. From there, other nightmares begin .

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Plot Keywords:

teen comedy | teenage boy | teenager | teenage protagonist | teenage girl | 

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Taglines:

Their first date may just be his last!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 August 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cita misteriosa

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$6,166,819

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Combo at McHugh House, Steven Drake and Craig Northey, were members of the Vancouver rock band Odds.

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Goofs

When Tom McHugh puts the birthday button on the drapes, the lights in the room are off. In the next shot, when Liu's henchman falls from the building the lights in the room are on.

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Quotes

Tom: Isn't that illegal?
Craig: Tom, never let the law stand in the way of a good time.

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Connections

Referenced in Talons of the Eagle (1992)

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Soundtracks

634-5789
Performed by Wilson Pickett
Written by Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd
Irving Music, Inc./Pronto Music, Inc.
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Funny stuff

Seeing as how I caught this one nearly twelve years ago, when it was in theaters, it's not surprising that there's a little bit of nostalgia attached to my enjoyment of this movie. All of that aside, this is a pretty funny movie with some good characters and hilarious situations.

Tom McHugh is a likeable, but very shy, teen-ager who has the hots for the girl who's housesitting next door. He's been eyeing her for quite a while now and he would probably never work up the nerve to ask her out. When his freakshow parents leave town to take their terrier to a dog show (ever see "Best in Show"?), older brother Craig decides to pay a little visit. See, Craig has supposedly been away at Law School and he just decides to show up in his vintage Cadillac to pay little bro a visit. Not two seconds after Mommy and Daddy have left for the weekend, in rolls Craig. See, Craig is the kind of guy who actually enjoys being slapped by a woman and his philosophy is that "Women love it when you treat 'em like $#!t." Well, he may not be the best one to take dating advice from, but since this is Big Brother we're talking about here and Tom seems to idolize him, he decides to learn from the master.

Well, it's not long before Big Brother is showing little brother the ropes. Not only is he giving him dating tips, but he's gone so far as to get him some slick clothes, a new haircut, and even his Id. He's even set up the date himself and arranged for a limo to pick him up. Of Course, all plans of a limo are screwed so Tom ends up having to use the forbidden Caddy (darn).

Pretty soon the date is on, and everything's going fine and dandy until there's a small case of mistaken identity and before you know it, one case has turned into many cases and now the cops, the Chinese mafia, and a deranged flower delivery boy, are on Tom's tale for obvious reasons. Surprise, surprise, Craig has not been at law school. This all adds to the fun. Throw in a hilariously quirky Fisher Stevens as Dwight, the p***ed off flower delivery boy who was stiffed on his tip, and you've got a winner. His character alone is reason enough to see the movie. Just all the bad things that happen to him thoroughout are great. B.D. Wong turns in another great performance as Lew, and Teri Polo is typically adorable as the love interest.

There's also a scene in which Craig is driving along in a Chevette, rapping along to Tone Loc. Priceless.

Go get this one.