The Heavenly Kid (1985)
After dying in a car crash, Bobby Fantana is forced to pay for his misdeeds by becoming someone's guardian angel. He reluctantly agrees to watch over awkward high schooler Lenny Barnes, teaching him how to be cool and confident. As Bobby teaches Lenny, the two form a close bond.
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Sorry, this movie sucks
Sadly Over-hyped
The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
One of the best moments in the film is both times when Bobby is in the car about to run over the cliff, where he shouts his infamous "Oh Sh..!" catchphrase, adding hilarity to what would usually be considered a tragic situation. I think the movie is one of the classics of the 80s, from the cheesy special effects to the even cheesier dialogue. But it has a good lesson in the end, even though it is curtailed by endless attempts at visual amazement. The actress who plays Bobby's love interest doesn't seem to age a day from the first scene to the last, which supposedly takes place over at least 17 years. Even funnier is how the entire handcuff scene and locked door scene during the races are never explained. Grade A storytelling!
... you might enjoy the location, as it was filmed there! If I remember correctly, the film was shot over the summer of 1984 at the school. Noticeable is part of the main hallway, one of the classrooms in the main hallway near the east entrance (the few with windows - most of the remaining classrooms had them removed) and the dreaded cafeteria. In the background there's familiar posters and signs from the era: the "SKATEBOARDING USA" sign honors Mr. David Hudak, one of the school's English teachers and the 'Pioneer Regiment' is the name of the school marching band. Contrary to popular belief, the school wasn't painted pink for the film, it was done afterward.
Truly terrible 80s teen flick about a greaser from the 60s (Lewis Smith) dying in a car crash. To get into heaven he has to help this total nerd (Jason Gedrick) in the 80s to become a stud.The plot is totally predictable, the humor is either childish or PG-13 raunchy and the acting truly sucks. But...this movie was so incredibly bad I couldn't stop watching! Smith's acting is so terrible it's actually fascinating to watch. Gedrick (a very good actor) is totally miscast and the poor guy looks embarrassed for most of the movie. In small roles Jane Kaczmarek and Richard Mulligan shine...but it's not enough to save this. The script is beyond belief--it has such ridiculous twists and turns that I actually thought they were kidding! Cliches that were being laughed out of theatres in the 1950s are dredged up and presented with straight-faced sincerity. Seriously, did the screenwriters REALLY think this was a clever funny little movie? Did they really think throwing old, hoary cliched situations at the audience was a good idea? SPOILER AHEAD!!!! I almost stopped watching when it was revealed that Gedrick's mother was Smith's lover in the past. Come on! We're really supposed to take that seriously? It's just a prime example of lazy script writing. SPOILER OVER!!!!Worth seeing as a prime example of how NOT to do a teen comedy. This was a huge bomb in 1985--it's easy to see why. I'd love to know what Gedrick and Smith think of this film now.
The Heavenly Kid is poorly written, poorly acted, has bad effects and the cheesiest soundtrack of all time. However, it's always hilarious. The scene in which Jason Gedrick tries on various outfits always gets me laughing. This film is so bad, it's great.