One of the many supernatural "body switch" comedies of the 80's in the tradition of Big (1988) and Like Father, Like Son (1987).
First the weaknesses:
And why is the female lead always a nice and smart girl while her boyfriend always such a genuinely bad guy? There is some seriously discordant bad judgment going on here. If "nice guys finish last" is just a false stereotype, it must be perpetuated by these types of movies.
That being said, I can't rate this movie lower because it has some seriously strong aspects. The director's use of physical touch is superb. A hand coming to another person's shoulder can cause such strong emotions as revulsion, regret, or sadness in this director's hands.
I don't know who the actor playing the grandfather is, but he's bursting with personality (I know his name is George Burns but I'm not otherwise familiar with his work). You don't often see actors of this age in lead roles, but despite the apparent limitations in mobility and facial expressiveness, he beats out the likes of Dudley Moore and other older halves of the lead duos in these movies by being funnier and more effective in the emotional scenes (nothing against against Moore and company, Burns just does an outstanding job here).
For example, there's a very memorable song where Burns is just talking along to a melody in the style of Frank Sinatra. Despite that, it works. One doesn't need to jump around or hit all the high notes to create a big impression. It's very impactful and drenched in nostalgia.
Why was this movie so obsessed with Harry S. Truman? It must be the only comedy where Harry S. Truman is a significant plot point.
Honourable Mentions: Back to School (1986). Another university comedy where a seemingly irrelevant historical figure is mentioned obsessively. In this case, it's Kurt Vonnegut.
First the weaknesses:
- Extremely predictable three-act comedy.
- Over-the-top cartoonish 80's bully villains;
And why is the female lead always a nice and smart girl while her boyfriend always such a genuinely bad guy? There is some seriously discordant bad judgment going on here. If "nice guys finish last" is just a false stereotype, it must be perpetuated by these types of movies.
- When the grandson puts on the suspenders and all that and tries to lay on the old-man acting thickly it's often overdone and not believable.
- There are several confusing scenes where a character makes a remark about something that is in disagreement with what could be reasonably interpreted by watching the scene (eg. Characters often insult each others' clothes but they seem to be dressed normally to me).
- Lots of loose ends (eg. The young protagonist's best friend disappears in the middle of the movie; his artistic endeavors seem to be very important but also just dealt with for a very short while)
That being said, I can't rate this movie lower because it has some seriously strong aspects. The director's use of physical touch is superb. A hand coming to another person's shoulder can cause such strong emotions as revulsion, regret, or sadness in this director's hands.
I don't know who the actor playing the grandfather is, but he's bursting with personality (I know his name is George Burns but I'm not otherwise familiar with his work). You don't often see actors of this age in lead roles, but despite the apparent limitations in mobility and facial expressiveness, he beats out the likes of Dudley Moore and other older halves of the lead duos in these movies by being funnier and more effective in the emotional scenes (nothing against against Moore and company, Burns just does an outstanding job here).
For example, there's a very memorable song where Burns is just talking along to a melody in the style of Frank Sinatra. Despite that, it works. One doesn't need to jump around or hit all the high notes to create a big impression. It's very impactful and drenched in nostalgia.
Why was this movie so obsessed with Harry S. Truman? It must be the only comedy where Harry S. Truman is a significant plot point.
Honourable Mentions: Back to School (1986). Another university comedy where a seemingly irrelevant historical figure is mentioned obsessively. In this case, it's Kurt Vonnegut.