Review of 18 Again!

18 Again! (1988)
3/10
Why didn't Charlie Schlatter become a film legend?
2 April 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This was one of 5 movies with similar plots to come out all around the same time; Big, Dream A little Dream, Vice Versa and Like Father Like Son. Now 20 plus years later were still getting them, and this movie didn't have much of an impact on me. Its a fun little 80's comedy with some people I do enjoy seeing on the screen though and that's all that carries it for me.

Its about an old man making a birthday wish to be 18 again and you guessed it he gets his wish. He trades places with his 18 year old grandson and goes out into the world and lives his life. The boy was pretty much a loser and a nobody but gramps makes him a cool cat.

Director Paul Flaherty shot the film and he's a straight forward director, but hey this is comedy and you gotta let the actors tell the story . The man directed Who's Harry Crumb? and Clifford so he's got my vote.

The writers were a bunch of nobodies who mostly spent their careers writing for various TV shows.

Acting wise we had the legendary George Burns in his final movie role. He played 81, but in reality he was 92. Burns just smokes his cigars and makes a buttload of money so its cool for him, I have nothing against the guy, but I wish he didn't have to sing in everything. Charlie Schlatter played the 18 year old and I don't know why he wasn't a legend. Hes a great actor, good looking, charming, great personality and just never really did a lot. He played the title role in the short lived Ferris Bueller show in 1990 and he was in the 7th Police Academy film and done a few other films and a ton of voice over work, he should've been huge..

Of course great work from Tony Roberts, Red Buttons, love interest Jenny Runyon and one of the 80's best bullies Anthony Starke...great casting .. and then you have Pauly Shore and you wonder how in the hell he ever found work in the film business...hes horrible and he knows it.. Glad he wasn't in this film much.

I hated the whole 20's theme dance at the end acting as if anything is cool about that, cause that style of music just seems so lame and could never imagine a Frat party using it as a theme. Also on a musical note, the wild group The Dickies did some music and actually appeared on here..

It's worth a watch if you like 80's comedy and haven't seen it, I could name thousands better but I gave it 3 stars it was decent.
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