Real Genius (1985) User Reviews

Jiffy Pop

[aimless-46 · 7/10 · 28 November 2005]

The imagination and quality of Hollywood movies in the early and mid 80's had regressed back to the pre "Bonnie and Clyde" days (the early and mid-60's being the worst ever period of American movie-making).

Fortunately there were a few gems like "Real Genius" to sustain audiences. Any film that features a memorable moment like Deborah Foreman's articulation of her standards for a male companion, a memorable character like Michelle Meyrink's hyper-kinetic Jordon, and the memorable sight of a house exploding from the force of a giant Jiffy Pop container can never be forgotten.

And who doesn't feel good just watching the neighborhood kids play in a mountain of popcorn to the sound of Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World".

Although "Real Genius" has not totally escaped the ravages of the past 20 years, it has held up reasonably well. Now it can even be appreciated as a sort of time capsule, demonstrating rather strikingly the complete computerization of the applied sciences that has occurred during the relatively short time period since its 1985 release. Other than Kent's incidental use of an early computer in his dorm room and a mostly decorative monitor in the lab, these now essential machines are absent from this techno film. Amazing!

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Terrific '80's Film

[girardi_is_god · 8/10 · 1 December 2003]

I've noticed that some people who've commented on REAL GENIUS do not appear impressed. This must be either because they lack a sense of humor or simply don't know a good movie when they see one. Val Kilmer is hysterical, the script is filled with clever one-liners. William Atherton is THE ego-meniacle bad guy. And Chris Knight and Mitch Taylor have a guy named Lazlow living in their closet. Come on, this film is terrific. I could watch this film every day. It's that good.

It can be cool to be smart.

[TOMASBBloodhound · 8/10 · 2 May 2010]

There really is a difference between smart people and nerds. You can be smart and fun at the same time. You can be witty and someone socially desirable all at once. Getting good grades doesn't necessarily sentence you to a life as a social pariah. Most of the characters we meet in Real Genius are not actually nerds. The Kent character would be an exception. But Real Genius is a fun and reasonably intelligent comedy with exceptionally smart people as its heroes. And unlike the protagonists in Revenge of the Nerds, they aren't people you'd necessarily make fun of. But you can certainly laugh at them.

Real Genius is the story of a handful of whiz kids at mythical Pacific Tech University who are unwittingly being used to develop a deadly weapon for the CIA. It turns out their smarmy professor (William Atherton) is using a government grant to refurbish his home while his students relentlessly spend all of their waking moments in a lab developing a laser beam which can eradicate a human target from space. Gabe Jarret is a 15 yr old new to the team who finds himself roomed with Val Kilmer; a genius who has long ago decided not to take school so seriously. Jarret only wants to work on the laser and live up to the expectations of his parents and the faculty. Kilmer wants to teach the kid how to have some fun. And all the while this dangerous weapon is being created in their lab. Finally, after several plot complications, the weapon is complete. But it takes a former whiz kid living in the steam tunnels beneath the dorm to point out that this laser can really only have one use. Feeling betrayed, the students gang up on their professor and use his weapon to teach him a lesson.

Real Genius is not a particularly plausible film in terms of its plot, but it succeeds at its most basic goal. In other words, its funny. Kilmer has never been better, spouting smug one-liners that would make Chevy Chase or Bill Murray smile. Atherton always got to play the creep back in the 1980s, and as usual he does it quite well. Gabe Jarret never did much else, but he's as good as he needs to be as the new "stud" who can hardly believe he's doing what he's doing at age 15. The film has dated fairly well. It has a good soundtrack, good special f/x for the laser, and good cast with several memorable performances. There are some unnecessary elements, such as the mixer with student beauticians, and perhaps Jarret's relationship with the hyper girl down the hall was tacked on. But overall its still a winner after so many years. Worth a rental if you don't own it already. 8 of 10 stars.

The Hound

A High IQ version of Animal House

[wally-70 · 13 June 2003]

This movie is in the genre of Animal House and Revenge of the Nerds but features a cast of geniuses working on a laser, with one of the professors and his minions being the opposition.

It is in my top 10 films of all time list.

The humorous dialog goes on between ALL the characters but Val Kilmer has center stage even though the story seems to be about Mitch, the new 15 year old, premature college geek.

It is a magical movie that can truly lift your spirits if you are depressed. You can watch it over and over again because its power is not so much in the story but in the superb and genuinely captivating interaction between Val Kilmer and the rest of the cast.

The Big Bang guys when they were in college (not really, but sort of)

[Wuchakk · 6/10 · 28 April 2018]

RELEASED IN 1985 and directed by Martha Coolidge, "Real Genius" is a college dramedy about a 15 year-old genius in laser technology (Gabe Jarret) who's recruited by physics Professor Jerry Hathaway (William Atherton), who has ulterior motives for having the kid work in his personal lab. The newbie's roommate turns out to be the most brilliant freshman in history, who's now a senior and seemingly clouded by college-age mischief (Val Kilmer). Michelle Meyrink plays a kinetic student interested in Mitch (Jarret) while Jonathan Gries appears as a curious wraith-like individual. Robert Prescott is on hand as a brown-nosing foil.

To give you an idea of the filmmaking style, the director also made 1983's "Valley Girl." "Real Genius" is generally on par with that more popular movie, but different due to the setting being college rather than high school, not to mention that it involves genius types. I found the witty nonchalance of Kilmer's character to be trying after a while and there's a pervading sense of un-reality about the proceedings with the peripheral characters unconvincingly over-the-top, like during the pool party or at the restaurant/bar. The ice playground at the frat house is another good example. Why sure!

Still, there's enough good here if you like 80's youth dramedies. I like the way the characters are unique rather than tried-and-true stereotypes of the genre, like jock types, hot bimbos or John Belushi's character in "Animal House" (1978).

THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour 48 minutes and was shot in S. Cal. (Claremont, San Diego, Los Angeles and Canyon Country). WRITERS: Neal Israel, Pat Proft and Pj Torokvei.

GRADE: B-/C+

Fun Val Kilmer

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 18 September 2014]

The CIA is developing a secret weapon called the Crossbow. Arrogant popcorn hating Dr. Hathaway (William Atherton) is making the important high energy laser for the program. He recruits high schooler Mitch Taylor (Gabriel Jarret) into his university team. Chris Knight (Val Kilmer) is the irreverent science genius. Kent (Robert Prescott) is the brown-nosing student leader. Jordan (Michelle Meyrink) is the awkward science girl. Lazlo Hollyfeld (Jon Gries) is a mysterious guy who lives in a secret room in the closet. Chris is about to graduate but Hathaway blackmails him unless he fixes his laser.

Val Kilmer is great as the irreverent genius. It's like a really smart John Belushi. I do wish that Gabriel Jarret has more charisma. Michelle Meyrink is one of the great 80s adorable geeky girls. And Robert Prescott is always good as the annoying douche. The cast led by Kilmer is just perfect and fun. This is one of the better director Martha Coolidge movie from the 80s.

More than just a guilty pleasure of a movie . . .

[Aldanoli · 10/10 · 18 July 2001]

Siskel and Ebert once ran a special show entitled "Movies I'm Embarrassed to Admit I Liked." I suppose that if I composed such a list of guilty pleasures, this one would be one of them . . . but upon reflection, it's really a lot better than that. Fifteen year-old science prodigy Mitch (Gabe Jarret) is recruited by ambitious college professor Jerry Hathaway (William Atherton, in yet another of his patented roles as a loathsome character) to work on the professor's prize laser project, not knowing that Hathaway is really developing a government weapon. Along the way, Mitch is mentored by Chris (Val Kilmer), another prodigy a few years his senior who teaches Mitch how to loosen up.

This could have degenerated into nothing more than just another teen revenge comedy, but there's so much more: the dialogue is laced with sharp wit; there are some lovely scenes that have nothing to do with the story yet are carefully set up, almost as blackouts (e.g., Mitch goes to a lecture at which a few students have left tape recorders instead of attending; later, at another lecture there are more tape recorders than students; and, in a final scene, one large tape recorder gives the lecture to a room populated by nothing but other small recorders!); and throw-away scenes that make you want to stop and back up the story to watch again (e.g., Chris off-handedly cutting a slice off a bar of dry ice to make a slug for the coffee machine).

It's also one of the few movies to boast the presence of the memorable Michelle Meyrink -- as Jordan, the "girl-nerd" who made being smart and female (and still quite sexy) something to emulate. And there's Tears for Fears' great song, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" providing the perfect coda as the closing credits begin to roll . . . . Yes: really now, what's there to be embarrassed about?

Fun in the 80's

[pc95 · 7/10 · 1 July 2007]

Real Genius is one of the mid-80s comedies that still is fun to watch. Not quite up to the level of comedy of Fast Times or the dramatic elements of Risky Business, Val Kilmer still stamps some great comedic moments as the school resident genius and clown. The best parts of the movie are in his antics and attitude with William Atherton (Ghostbusters) standing in as the antagonist teacher and Atherton's various apprentices. And his philosophic mentoring of Gabe Jarret - the upcoming genius. There are several gags and the running oddity with Laslo (the guy from the closet) entertain. And Although there's not much of a narrative and the romance was half-hearted at best, I do like Real Genius. It features classic 80's fun with some good lines, dialog, and a young energetic Kilmer. If you like 80s movies or Kilmer, worth a watch for sure.

Terrific nostalgia trip down 80s memory lane - loved it!

[heisenberg83 · 9/10 · 13 November 2005]

Had very fond memories of this film as a kid in the 80s. Still holds up even today. DVD widescreen format shows off how well directed this movie is. Val Kilmer is terrific as the genius slacker hero. The whole cast gel well together, and the dialogue is very sharp and well-written (reminded me of TV show Scrubs in places). Had me laughing out loud in many places - rare for a modern version like American Pie. Lots of tasty 80s musical montages scattered throughout. Something really likable and positive about this movie, leaves you feeling really good at the end. Highly recommended - really hasn't dated at all. An enjoyable trip down 80s memory lane!

You will "Rue the day" if you do not see this movie!

[monika-woods · 7/10 · 18 November 2006]

Real Genius is a hilarious political commentary of the 1980's. Mix greed, government corruption, college pranks and a truly talented cast, and you have the movie "Real Genius". This movie is a family favorite for us, and with good reason. Clean language, developed plot, and fun, the "Real Genius" is great for the family collection. There are scenes in this movie that will stick with you long after you have seen the movie. Kilmer is upbeat and charming in the lead role as are all of the supporting actors/actresses. The lighthearted movie is brought to real-life with the reality of laser technology and the influence of greed which infiltrates every aspect of life - even college campus'.

Doesn't get a passing grade from me.

[cricketbat · 4/10 · 28 December 2018]

Real Genius may have seemed really rad back in the 80s, but it has not aged well. It feels like they pointed the camera at Val Kilmer and said "Go crazy. Just do and say whatever you want. It'll be great." and then tried to build a story around his manic performance. It's not funny, it's not clever and it doesn't get a passing grade from me.

One of the all time best 80's college movies

[thirdi · 10/10 · 3 November 2001]

Val Kilmer is hilarious as a college genius on par with Einstein, but is more interested in partying and chasing girls. A new arrival to the campus, Mitch, is a brilliant 15 year-old whom Val takes under his wing and tries to get to loosen up and have a good time.

There are probably some important themes and ideas to analyze within this movie, but for me it's just an old-school personal favorite that I've seen about 100 times. Great 80's music soundtrack and funny performances. William Atherton is perfect as the self-important, snobby professor, and another highlight is Robert Prescott, who plays his butt-kissing, nerdy assistant "Kent".

A movie that asks the question, isn't life experience just as important for education, as classrooms and books? A very funny, fine film that is up there with "Animal House" in my opinion.

These Braniacs Ain't Just Working on Extra Credit (spoilers)

[vertigo_14 · 7/10 · 9 August 2004]

I love Real Genius, having seen this obscure (but probably recently revived) 80s teen comedy on cable once. However, I've shown it to several friends that have either found it too unusual to be funny (the story itself is not your typical teen event, although it was good original material coming out the 80s) or they were surprisingly confused by it (why, I don't know).

Real Genius is something of an 80s science fiction movie. Boy genius, Mitch (Gabe Jarrett) is new to specialized school with a science and math curriculum for the unmatched teen brain (these teenagers are high school-aged, studying advanced theories of quantum physics and such). Mitch is the level-headed new kid, slightly naive and far too uptight. He has the honor of being the school's youngest admitted freshman (at 15), aside from Chris Knight (Val Kilmer), his slacker roommate who learned long ago that you can't go through life with your nose in the books all the time. As the exact opposite of Mitch, he tries to get the poor guy to loosen up and have some fun. "When you're smart, people can use you," says Chris. Needless to say, Chris and his friends have put their smarts to good use (his buddy, Ick, develops an ice that they cover the hallway with for indoor ice skating). Chris, being the laid back fellow, is the funniest character in the movie.

And the bain of dean Hatthaway, the uptight teacher who doesn't want Chris influencing Mitch because Mitch is being put to work on Hatthaway's special project, the development of a pretty intense laser (for the purposes of which are central to the plot), which people funding Hatthaway (the military) keep breathing down his neck to complete. As such, Hatthaway doesn't want any distractions, and even threatens to fail Chris for interfering with any potential progress on the project. Mitch and Chris get in a fair shake of trouble, thanks to their obnoxious trio of rival classmates, lead by king loser Kent (Robert Prescott) who will stop at nothing to be Hatthaway's pet, including stealing away Chris's promised job following education.

Chris and Mitch and the rest of their friends (hyperkinetic Jordan, Mitch's girlfriend played by Michelle Merynick; Ick; and the boiler room recluse, Laslo Holyfeld played by John Gries), have their fun getting revenge with both Hatthaway and Kent's loser gang. In the meantime, however, they've got bigger problems with the laser. What would anyone want with a laser so powerful that it can blow a hole through walls and trees and signs on into the next town? You have to watch to find out.

The movie, for me, is a load of laughs and the characters are charming. Aside from the star of the movie, Val Kilmer, I particularly like Merynick as the hyperkinetic blabbermouth, Jordan. The soundtrack, too, is good, with several good montage sequences.

If you enjoy this movie, I recommend watching other Martha Coolige titles. This is comedy typical of her style and one of a few 80s teen movies that she directed. Michelle Merynick ("Jordan") worked with her in earlier films: Valley Girl in 1983 and The Joy of Sex (a decent National Lampoon stupid humor comedy with Cameron Dye)in 1984. Or, you might try the mildly funny undercover high school caper, Plain Clothes. This one, aside from Valley Girl, may be her best in teen selections (she did direct other things, most notably the Neil Simon comedy Lost in Yonkers). If you love 80s movies, this one should appeal to you. And if you've seen Valley Girl and liked it, definitely try this one out.

Lightly entertaining, at best

[grantss · 4/10 · 12 June 2020]

Mitch Taylor, a 15-year-old genius, is accepted into a special college program. As part of the course he joins a special project, run by the renowned scientist Professor Jerry Hathaway and involving Chris Knight, a student whose genius is legendary. The project is to build a high energy laser but Hathaway is struggling to make progress. Taylor also discovers that his hero Chris Knight is now a party animal. Little do the students know that their project is essentially to build a weapon for the military.

Real Genius had some potential as a comedy but pretty much coasts the whole way without raising too many laughs. The idea seems to be to shock you with the thought that uber-smart kids can have fun, and then show them having fun. The thought wasn't shocking the first time round, so why try it dozens of times?

There are a few good jokes but they're few and far between.

If it was meant to be a drama (which I doubt), it's a pretty weak one. The plot is largely quite predictable and trite and the action of the farcical escapade type.

Underwhelming and lightly entertaining, at best.

Bright examination of youth and intelligence

[pooch-8 · 8 January 1999]

It is unfortunate that Val Kilmer so quickly "graduated" from the realm of youth oriented roles, as his work in Real Genius is by far the most enjoyable to watch. Kilmer proves adept at excellent comic timing, and he is given a motherlode of razor-sharp one-liners to fire off in every scene (I speculate that writer Pat Proft enjoyed watching The Marx Brothers in his formative years). Chief drawback of this film is the hammy, sneering villain played by Atherton -- as the old saying goes, just give him a mustache to twirl. But if you happened to see the film as a young person, the above-mentioned won't get in the way of your fond memories. I sure know that every time I see that slow-motion romp through the popcorn and hear Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," ramp up on the soundtrack, my cynicism just melts away.

Fun flick

[enmussak · 7/10 · 16 December 2002]

Real Genius is a great, silly 80's movie about a bunch of genius kids working with a 5mW laser and... REVENGE!. I laughed throughout the movie either because some parts were genuinely funny or just plain ridiculous such as the party with the future beauticians. Kilmer does good things with his role. This movie is a good time, very entertaining.

"Good 80's Sci-Fi Comedy!"

[gwnightscream · 6/10 · 21 September 2014]

Val Kilmer, Gabe Jarret, Michelle Meyrink, Jon Gries and William Atherton star in this 1985 sci-fi comedy. Kilmer (Top Gun) plays Chris, a smart college student who tries to have fun. He takes whiz kid, Mitch (Jarret) under his wing and they work together to design a laser for their professor, Hathaway (Atherton). Soon, Chris and Mitch complete their experiment and discover it's designed for the military. Since Hathaway tricked them, Chris and Mitch decide to teach him a lesson. Meyrink (Revenge of the Nerds) plays Jordan, a girl Mitch finds romance with and Gries (The Monster Squad) plays Lazlo, a computer genius who helps Chris and Mitch. I grew up watching this and always enjoyed it. Kilmer is great in it as well as Thomas Newman's score. I recommend this good 80's flick.

The Real Genius is the writers...

[Gislef · 9/10 · 3 September 1998]

This movie is an incredible display of verbal byplay, interplay, and foreplay, and Pat Proft (of Naked Gun and Hot Shots fame) writes some of the funniest dialogue ever. But give credit to Val Kilmer: he hits every line perfectly (see lots and lots of Quotes). Even the minor characters get their moment in the spotlight, and the plot isn't dumbed down for the audience. If this isn't what happens at M.I.T. and similar institutes, you wish it did...and that you could sign up. Only Gabriel Jarrett comes across as a bit weak, but the rest of the cast bolsters him up.

Pretty Great Comedy

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 12 June 2015]

Teenage geniuses (Val Kilmer and some other kid) deal with their abilities while developing a laser.

The 1980s seemed to be dominated by John Hughes movies and John Cusack. This film does not have either one, though it does have Jon Gries if you need a little John in your movies. Not sure why you would, but maybe you do.

What makes this film so great is the writing. The jokes are puns and clever twists, sort of the humor you might expect from the Marx Brothers or similar comedians. There are more than a few dirty jokes (the word "penis" comes up a lot), but even those tend to be rather clever.

Consummate 80's Period film - Exceedingly Witty Dialog

[iadams-3 · 10/10 · 3 September 2005]

As a child of the 80s, I have a soft spot in my heart for creatively-executed movies from this period. At their worst, 80s movies become dated more quickly than films from nearly any other period in film history. At their best, 80s movies reflect the cultural undertones of an exciting time where humor and optimism were rampant in films despite the specter of cold war, the advent of AIDS and a rocky economy.

Real Genius takes the happy, go-lucky optimism of the 80s and superimposes it on the grim topics of military research, cold war espionage and assassination. The movie is set in a west-coast college (see Caltech, Berkeley, Stanford) and makes full use of the hyper-intelligent, eccentric dialog you might expect in elite California academia. The sound track from Thomas Newman (Less than Zero, American Beauty and many others) is technically complex and involving and fits the movie perfectly. At times, the movie suffers from the usual poor depiction of science (see lame computer applications and some bad blue screen work on aircraft) and unbelievable scenarios (see water slide in lecture hall and ice sledding in dormitory). Despite these forgivable breaches, the Neal Israel's unique dialog is truly brilliant, the situational comedy is eccentric, and the humor is uplifting. Val Kilmer is outstanding in his portrayal of Chris Knight and I lament his departure from this odd and extremely intelligent form of comedy (See Top Secret) - Though Kilmer has been involved with "better" movies since, I don't think he has ever been more genuinely entertaining.

I think this movie is a must-watch for anyone who enjoys science, comedy and the 80s genre, or for anyone who is planning on attending a technology school on the West coast. This movie may not depict reality, but it communicates a hopeful spirit we could all use more of in today's world of harsh reality.

Cool geek entry with Val Kilmer at his best!!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 3 June 2020]

Probable of the best Val Kilmer role ever, he carries the picture all along, he plays Chris Knight typical young genius fed up with tons of works given by stupid persons, then he decides slide easy in a flamboyant lifestyle, just having fun with women with weird and lazy behavior, until reach a new one young genius Mitch Taylor (Gabriel Jarret) to aid him in laser beam project at school, in the group that developing the embryonic project has a jealous guy Kent (Robert Prescott) who hves a blind subservience for his nasty chief Prof. Jerry Hathaway (William Atherton) due he was not enough smart, perceiving the upcoming Chris's success he recklessly sabotage the experiment, also the movie offers an unusual character Lazlo Hollyfeld who living in the wardrobe, actually an enter to a basement, a true genius who give up to create any inventions for malign purposes, one of most colorful characters at sight, all remainder are sub-plot with some gags here and there, a silly proposition for a teenager audience, 80' eletronic music score, an absence of sex appeal is widely noticed, a sort of geek entry, nonetheless fresh!!

Resume:

First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5.

This movie is so dumb that it makes me mad!

[pizzaguy5000 · 1/10 · 3 March 2010]

This movie was terrible! Normally I love 80s movies, especially wacky, zany, or unique ones such as Better Off Dead, One Crazy Summer, and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Real Genius falls into this wacky and zany category, but also falls into the obnoxious and not funny category. In this movie, a 15 year old genius boy with idiot parents gets into college at his young age, decides he can't take living there, decides he can take it after all, then it turns out he was involved in the creation of some super laser that can blast through anything. The plot was stupid and the jokes were all crude and not even funny. The movie was overall weird and had no charm. The genius kid also falls in love with a freak girl who never sleeps. This movie was lame and had crappy music and I regret ever watching it. Do yourself a favor and pick a different 80s comedy such as the ones I mentioned earlier.

Don't eat that. Eating that can cause very large breasts. Oh my God, I'm too late.

[aurelie_ledoyen · 10/10 · 5 February 2005]

This is one of those movies that is just perfect..the 80s were a time of daring movies, and that usually meant that you either had crap or a gem...this movie is one of those gems...the direction, soundtrack, acting is so good you don't even notice it.

This was on Comedy Central today and (except for commercials)i couldn't change the channel. I knew every line even though i hadn't seen it in about 2 years.

I love love love love this movie. It's freaking brilliant. You get so much out of it. Like, physics students are cool. Val Kilmer should've done more comedy. And the guy who plays Dr. Hathaway steals almost every scene. A must-see.

Fun, typical '80's genre film.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 7/10 · 28 August 2011]

It has often been said that once you love "Weird Science" you'll also like "Real Genius". And while I guess this is true, I really wouldn't place both movies into the same category an onto the same level.

This is really a movie in the vain of other great, classic goofball '80's comedies, focusing on young students. Looking back at it, this really was the golden age for comedies and the lovers of the genre and time period will surely be able to appreciate this movie.

And I can certainly appreciate this movie as well, for what it is. That doesn't mean that I can simply ignore all of its flaws and weaknesses as well though. The movie is fun but that is about all that the movie is.

One of the things that I thought the movie was really lacking in was its story. And I'm not just talking about its main premise but more so about all of its developments, the way things progress and the characters. I guess part of this can also be blamed on the directing by Martha Coolidge, since the main premise itself remains still quite good and fun. I just could never really get involved with its story or its characters, which was a real shame, since this seemed to be what the movie was really pushing for. It wanted you to really love all of its characters and made some of them as goofy as possible.

But really the only character that truly works out and becomes a greatly fun and memorable one is the Val Kilmer character. But this in itself is still enough to make the movie a real fun and entertaining one to watch! It makes it once more obvious what a waste it is that Val Kilmer never really broke through as a comedy actor and didn't do more movies like this during his career. Most people now days only known and recognize him for his serious movie roles. In this movie he looked almost as outrageous as he does now days and that is saying a lot! Val Kilmer his look has changed very drastically over the last couple of years and with change I mean his pretty extreme sudden weight gain, while he was once a true Hollywood heartthrob.

The sort of 'childish' '80's teenage comedy approach is what makes the movie actually charming and in a way also irresistible to watch. It provides the movie with plenty of crazy situations, as well as some serious teenage issues, that still appeal and apply to teenagers this present day. This is also really what makes these genre movies from the '80's such timeless ones and are also really the reason why some of them are still being so popular to watch now days.

I would exactly classify this movie as one of the classics- or best examples for its genre but it's definitely worth giving a go.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Average screwball comedy

[gcd70 · 4/10 · 14 July 2008]

Very average screwball comedy from writing team Neal Israel and Pat Proft (screenplay with Peter Torokvei). Geniuses Chris Knight and Mitch Taylor (Kilmer and Gabe Jarret) are used by their professor Dr. Hathaway (William Atherton) to create a laser beam intended for use by the U.S. army.

Few laughs in the script mean Coolidge can do little with the material, and her cast are likewise adrift. Val Kilmer has since moved on to better things, and we have seen little or nothing of the rest of the cast in the last twelve years.

Monday, January 26, 1998 - Video