Heartbeeps (1981)

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Best movie ever!

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Blistering performances.

Val (Andy Kaufman) is a high class robot damaged in an industrial accident. He's put in storage next to Aqua (Bernadette Peters). He's a business robot and she's given more charm. They are joined by comedian robot Catskill. They leave the warehouse to gather input and are pursued by the Crimebuster robot. Robot mechanics Charlie (Randy Quaid) and Max (Kenneth McMillan) are sent to retrieve the robots. Val and Aqua build Phil out of spare parts.It's not cute enough to be adorable. The robotic acting forced on Andy and Bernadette leaves out the humor. Catskill's bad jokes only deaden the comedy. There is 1 or 2 touching moments if the audience can stay awake.

First of all, consider that this was the only motion picture Andy Kaufman made before he died. He was quite sick when he made it and he never defined himself as a comedian; he always defined himself as a "song and dance man." It was the rest of the world who kept trying to shove him into the comedy can. Andy was perhaps the most misunderstood performer of all time and undoubtedly a genius. At the time this movie was made, Kaufman's break-out TV series, Taxi, had just been cancelled and he had just been diagnosed with a rare large cell carcinoma in his lungs. He wanted to get away from the disastrous "Inter-Gender Wrestling" gig he started that caused his popularity to fall flat and got him banned from Saturday Night Live. Bernadette Peters had just come off playing a cupie-doll airhead against Steve Martin's moron in "The Jerk" and Heartbeeps seemed like a good follow-up role. It's nuances you need to watch for in this film. The unlikely allies of the robots, Val, Aqua and the Catskill Performer, while being pursued by a crazed police robot, makes for a simplistic, yet classic tale of good vs. evil and good wins (spoiler alert!). Much of Kaufman's performance reminds me of the innocent, yet poignant Latka from Taxi. Thank you very much!

       I can't believe I actually remember seeing this movie in the theatre because I was only 5! I think I was scared, and the next thing I was puking my brains out in front of the theatre. Must not have been that good of a flick...                    But I do love Andy Kaufman and I'mtrying to rent all of his films from Netflix, but they don't carry heartbeeps. Maybe I can get it from Ebay or maybe someone reading this emmy award winning review.

I saw this movie at the drive-in and on hbo in the early 80's and i still remember it! It is a kids movie but lets look at the wizard of oz it's the same sort of fantasy movie that everyone can enjoy!!!! I just wish it would come out on dvd in widescreen! So if there is anyone out there that works for a dvd company that can get the rights to this film or who works for the studio that made heartbeeps, really needs to release it in widescreen or special edition, it's a real good movie, i mean if anyone liked the movie Bicentennial Man with robin williams where he plays a robot trying to find himself you will love this movie, if you need a reference, i think its Bicentennial Man meets a love story!