Hey Good Lookin' (1982)

Pretty Good

I wanted to but couldn't!

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Though, I usually watched family-oriented animated films. But I guess, I am like wholesome vs taboo. I first encountered Ralph Bakshi's films when I was a teenager; I don't know how old I was. I started with "The Lord of The Rings;" then "Wizards," that film became my favorite Bakshi film. And then I watched on YouTube : "Fire & Ice," "Cool World" (live action/animated), "Heavy Traffic" and this film "Hey Good Lookin'."Well anyway, this film takes on a gritty,outrageous look at Brooklyn, New York in the 1950s. But the film's story is about the gang-leader Vinnie, his gang called the Stompers; his relationship with his sexy girlfriend Roz and his "friend" "Crazy" Shapiro. And also the all-out rumble with the black rival gang called the Chaplins near the film's ending.I love the scene where we first meet Roz, it has a great homage to Tex Avery's "Red Hot Riding Hood" cartoons. I also love the part where Vinny screamed at the corpse buried in the sand and all the Sicillians that are on the beach, dogpiled and beat up Shapiro; that guy is TOO MUCH!

Hey, Goodlooking is an intelligent, dark, and satirical look on the American youth culture of the 50's. Look beyond the poor standard of animation to a story of friendship, love and betrayal. And, of course, there are some great tunes. This film is truly a case of substance over style, which is unfairly dismissed by most people. If you can get past the early-80's, cheap techniques, as in Bakshi's LOTR, you'll discover a great film that works on many different levels.

Man alive -- this movie, aside from being in poor taste and unfunny (the poor taste would be fine if it were funny -- but its not), just doesn't go anywhere. I mean its shocking how parts don't even seem to make sense. The scene progression is just sloppy -- and the characters are just miserable and annoying.

Having first seen "Hey Good Lookin'" at the movies in 1982, the year I was seventeen, I have always considered this a film that connects me directly to my past. I was involved with my first "real" girlfriend at the time, and this is one of the first films that we saw together. That aside, having seen this movie countless times since then I have been struck by it's completeness, and excellence as a film. Bakshi's only film that featured a completely original, and brilliant, musical soundtrack, "Hey Good Lookin'" gives a good look into what it meant to be a guy growing up in 1950's Brooklyn and the role you needed to play in order to get respect, get along with your friends, and what was necessary to get the girl. From the leather motorcycle jackets, the slicked back DA's and the rumbles, Ralph Bakshi gives us a window into which we might look into a past where male / female roles were clearly defined, and a man could still be a man. Oh yeah... and the animation is PHENOMENAL as well. This is one of Bakshi's best!