Film Review: JOHNNY BE GOOD (1988)

CAMP CLASSIC EDITION!






JOHNNY BE GOOD (1988 Orion Pictures) Starring Anthony Michael Hall, Uma Thurman, Robert Downey Jr., Robert Downey Sr., Paul Gleason, Jennifer Tilly, Steve James, Seymour Cassel, Marshall Bell, Deborah May, Michael Greene.  Directed by Bud Smith.


Hall is a hot-shot high school quarterback fresh off his second state championship in a row, and the major colleges have come a-callin' before he signs his letter of intent.  Best bud Downey Jr. recommends the highest bidder.  Girlfriend Thurman wants him to join her at State, but State coach James isn't offering the perks that boosters Cassel and Greene dangle from larger schools.  The former is willing to offer high school coach Gleason (whom Hall can't stand) the job if Hall comes along for the ride.  All the while, mysterious Downey Sr. observes the entire process and records notes to self.

Unsavory recruiting practices for college athletics is a surefire topic for a movie with teen appeal; it's astonishing that only two came down the pike during the decade of the Brat Pack (the other being 1983's ALL THE RIGHT MOVES).  While that Tom Cruise film went the dramatic route (a la BLUE CHIPS, ONE ON ONE), JOHNNY BE GOOD takes the comedic route previously mined by 1979's FAST BREAK.  JOHNNY BE GOOD can't touch the underrated Gabe Kaplan vehicle for laughs, and is far less realistic to boot--no easy feat.

Any hope of genuine audience engagement in the situation is obliterated during the opening scenes depicting the State Championship Game.  Hall is Coach Gleason's ticket to a top college job, yet the coach stupidly risks having his star quarterback returning kickoffs, punting, and facing frustrated pass rushers with a 52-0 lead!  Numerous coaches and recruiters are in the stands, yet Hall blatantly fakes an injury in front of all the folks crucial to his future.  He does it to get backup Downey Jr. into the game, and the opponent--supposedly the second best team in the state--can't even keep this fifth stringer from a touchdown run after he starts by running at least thirty yards the wrong way!  One can only imagine the quality of the teams that didn't get to the final.

After the game, the absurdity continues, with a post-game call from Howard Cosell (sadly showing symptoms of Parkinson's during his cameo) urging Hall to choose that widely known destination for future pros, Yale University (Why?  Cosell wasn't even an alum!).  Cheerleaders join the football team under the showerheads (both still in uniform, PG-13, folks) and numerous recruiters wearing jackets from the closet of Rudy Russo bombard the nation's hottest prospect with loud offers of money, cars and girls (or if he prefers, boys) en route to his car outside the stadium.  All of this within the first five minutes.

The once great champ, now a study in mopishness.....

No doubt, Hall wanted to break out of the "nerd" stereotype with this role (and OUT OF BOUNDS) and the 6'2" actor manages to look the part.  His passing looks far better on film than Charlton Heston's or Adam Sandler's.  But he's given no help from the weak script (by REVENGE OF THE NERDS alumni Steve Zacharis and Jeff Buhai) or from the unremarkable direction by first timer Bud S. Smith.  Twice nominated for an Oscar as a film editor (THE EXORCIST, FLASHDANCE), Smith returned to his area of expertise after JOHNNY BE GOOD and has yet to helm another feature.  He never brings the proceedings any closer to planet Earth after that opening sequence, and the tone is all over the place, shifting abruptly from ZAZ gags (such as the "chip tray" at Tex's house) to somber moments (Johnny's conversation with a former hot-shot recruit turned gas station attendant by an injury).

Three of Smith's credits as editor were directed by Robert Downey, Sr., a connection that no doubt helped bring the cult filmmaker to the supporting cast.  In a rare bright moment, their collaboration PUTNEY SWOPE plays at the drive-in, while Downey Sr. comments on the movie being "shit".  Great in-joke for us film buffs, but how many among JOHNNY BE GOOD's target demographic got this joke in 1988?  (There is one other moment of amusement along these lines, but it wouldn't become one for another decade: Downey Sr.'s NCAA investigator is named Lloyd Gondoli, which PUTNEY SWOPE fan Paul Thomas Anderson would use in BOOGIE NIGHTS for Philip Baker Hall's character).

Despite Hall's best efforts, filmgoing football fanatics are unlikely to suspend disbelief through the opening and an equally absurd pickup game between the two high school QB's and cops led by Thurman's father Bell.  The promised raunch on the recruiting trail never really materializes, and the ridiculous finale features a wild fistfight between dozens of recruiters on national television, which undercuts the intended impact of Hall's mature decision.   

JOHNNY BE GOOD has some appeal to those wanting to check out the future stars in the supporting cast, but even this attraction is limited.  Consistently manic Downey Jr. is essentially playing BACK TO SCHOOL's Derick Lutz again, only after ten energy drinks: a Razzie nomination would not have been out of place.  To be fair, Downey Jr. appears to be improvising a lot, which is understandable given the script's quality.  Uma Thurman makes a charming debut, but is given little to do other in her predictable character arc (she loves Johnny, then thinks he's a jerk, finally forgives him after he comes to his senses).   As for the adults, Seymour Cassel and Paul Gleason supply the assholishness and its nice to see the late Steve James playing against type in a key role.

Among genre camp classics from its era, JOHNNY BE GOOD is more rewatchable than COOL AS ICE, but never funny enough to touch the level of insanity reached by LISTEN TO ME.  Hall, who turned down FULL METAL JACKET and FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF prior to accepting this misfire, ended up back in supporting roles after its box office disappointment.  His performance can't really be faulted--just his taste in screenplays. 

DVD?

Yes, both standalone and in combination with other Brat Pack films, but unless you're a completist of one of the actors, don't bother.  Wait for the next showing on Encore Classic.

MAVERICK Mondays: "Gun-Shy" (1959)

MAVERICK Mondays : Number 11






MAVERICK: "Gun-Shy"  (1959 ABC-TV/Warner Brothers) Starring James Garner as Bret Maverick, Gage Clarke as Kenneth Badger, Reginald Owen as Freddie Hawkins, Ben Gage as Marshal Mort Dooley, Walker Edmiston as Deputy Clyde Diefendorfer, Andra Martin as Virginia Adams, Marshall Kent as Doc Stucke, Kathleen O'Malley as Miss Amy, Doodles Weaver as Lem, Iron Eyes Cody as Native American.  Written by Marion Hargrove.  Directed by Leslie H. Martinson.

Ellwood, Kansas is a peaceful town, kept that way by towering Marshal Mort Dooley.  Bret Maverick is brought there by the same thing attracting Hawkins, Badger and (apparently) Adams: a buried treasure.  Half a million dollars in gold to be exact, hidden in Ellwood during the Civil War by a now-deceased Confederate officer.  Unfortunately for Maverick, his competitors lack the formidable obstacle that he faces: Dooley's intense dislike of professional gamblin' men.

Determined to "uphold the law" and protect the trail hands "just lookin' for a friendly game" in the saloon, the Marshal sees Bret off on the noon stage just as conman Hawkins arrives.  Bret protests to no avail, and Dooley makes it clear that a return to Ellwood will put Bret on a collision course with the 6'6" Marshal.  You'd think Pappy's advice would probably be avoidance, since Dooley has sent 11 no-good scoundrels to Boot Hill in the past month alone.  But $500,000 is a lot of money--the only thing more important than money, right Pappy?

Money, or my life?  Hmmm......

Series creator Roy Huggins did some re-writes on MAVERICK's first and best outright parody, but the finished product still bears the skewed stamp of Marion Hargrove.  If the title doesn't make it clear that spoofing GUNSMOKE will be the primary focus, the voice-over narration that opens Gun-Shy will, since it comes not from Bret Maverick, but from Marshal Dooley.

Dooley is a wonderful creation from Hargrove's subtly sick mind.  Underneath the sturdy surface, the Marshal is corrupt, power-mad and thickheaded.  Proud owner (he mentions this repeatedly) of "37.5 percent" of the Weeping Willow Saloon, his vision of law and order is a pure reflection of his financial interests.  Town drunks aren't thrown out of the saloon, but rather assisted right back inside--as long as they still have money to spend.  Naturally, Bret is going to be doubly unwelcome: he's not only a teetotaler, but one who's likely to win a great deal of drinking money and take it right out of Ellwood's economy before moseyin' along.  This Marshal is ready to shoot Bret dead for merely "flauntin' authority"--no crime yet committed.  Dooley's stated reason for going up to Boot Hill isn't contemplation---it's "to get ahead a grave or two"!

And did I mention he's thickheaded?  We see literally nothing but miscalculations from Dooley: Hawkins' character, the source of Ellwood's street vandalism, and (in the best-remembered scene) the range of his six-shooter.  The one correct deduction by a lawman--that Bret is a poker pro--comes from Deputy Clyde.  Such power vested in one man as doltish as this Marshal would be frightening, if not so hilarious.

Gage Clarke (L) and Reginald Owen

While Ellwood's locals steal the show right down to the aforementioned narration (which Bret amusingly reclaims for one brief announcement midway through), the finished script is impressively balanced, with the search for gold just as engaging and enjoyable as the spoof.   British character actor Owen was previously seen in Hargrove's The Belcastle Brand, and is clearly enjoying himself playing the windbag conman who appears to be a step ahead of Bret as he charms the locals (while Bret can't, no matter how hard he tries).  Gage Clarke is also amusing as the nervous salesman who lets greed get the best of him; he would return for a much larger and more memorable part in Greenbacks, Unlimited, Garner's penultimate episode.

As for Garner, he's flawless as usual, but upstaged by superb portrayals of the GUNSMOKE doppelgangers by Edmiston and Gage.  A voice actor for over half a century, Edmiston does a terrific job (the explanation for his limp is a beaut) but it's Gage's stone-faced James Arness impression that really drives Gun-Shy home.  At 6'6", Gage is a mere inch shorter than the GUNSMOKE star, and he's otherwise uncanny, nailing Arness' cadence and gait.  His stone-faced, rock-brained portrayal of Dooley anticipates the POLICE SQUAD!-era Frank Drebin--minus the competence at police work.

Gage's performance was so popular he was brought back to parody Matt Dillon in three more MAVERICK episodes after Coles Trapnell took over as producer.  However, none of these followups approached the magic or hilarity of Gun-Shy, since each one had his character either grudgingly helping or being outright allied with Maverick.  Aping Arness wasn't funny by itself--being such an irrational adversary while doing so is what made Gage's Mort Dooley work so well.

Since this lampoon arrived only three years into GUNSMOKE's twenty year CBS run, some of the trademarks punctured by Martinson and Hargrove will be lost on those viewers more familiar with the iconic western's later years--a minor defect, if one at all.  Gun-Shy remains genial, right up to and including the atypical (for Bret) conclusion.  In it, Maverick reveals that he intentionally gave the Marshal a chance to save face by "turnin' out to be as yellow as the others".  Ever-smiling Hawkins chides Maverick for his sentimentality: Dooley is just the kind of power abuser that Bret normally brings down (i.e. Shady Deal at Sunny Acres, Holiday at Hollow Rock), albeit a much dimmer bulb.  All in all though, Gun-Shy is about as flawless an installment as you'll find in episodic television.

72.5 percent of the Weeping Willow's ownership!

Well, okay, there is one nagging question.  Dooley owns 37.5% of the saloon, Miss Amy 25%, Doc and Deputy Diefendorfer 17.5% each.  Who owns the remaining 2.5%?


HOW'D BRET DO AT POKER?

Well, he was sittin' there at the Weeping Willow Saloon in his clean, white shirt and black necktie and he was winnin' an undisclosed amount until the Marshal put him on the next stage.  Since it's the only game in town and Marshal Dooley is plurality owner, Bret was off the tables for the rest of Gun-Shy.

WISDOM FROM PAPPY?

Disappointingly, Pappy had no comment.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Whether Huggins improved Hargrove's original script is always going to be open for debate, but one cannot deny the quality of the finished product.  Or that this episode's popularity is more than justified.  Expertly written, directed and acted, Gun-Shy is proof that a western parody need not be broad to succeed.  If it isn't MAVERICK's finest hour, it isn't far off.  (**** out of four)


MAVERICK currently airs daily at 1 PM Central/2 PM Eastern without commercial interruption on Encore Westerns, and at 10 AM Central/11 AM Eastern on COZI TV.