Johnny Dangerously Reviews

A bomb at the box office despite the presence of Keaton, this movie nevertheless warrants attention, for some of the funniest scenes of the year appear here. The picture has several lapses of taste, is downright dumb in spots, and goes beyond satire into burlesque and parody--as it spoofs the Warner Bros. crime movies of the 1930s and 1940s. Thames is a good-hearted boy forced into a life of crime to help pay for the medical bills of his mother (Stapleton). Thames keeps his criminal activities a secret from his kid brother, Dunne, paying for the boy's legal education, until the younger brother grows up and goes to work for the corrupt district attorney (DeVito). Since childhood Keaton has been a rival of Piscopo. The two grew up as enemies, both working for Boyle, the local benevolent godfather. When Boyle retires, Keaton takes over and Piscopo vows to get him. The film spoofs just about every known crime-movie cliche; and when the jokes work, they are sensational. Had more attention been paid to making the gags pay off without stooping to toilet humor, this could have been terrific. Even with all its flaws, JOHNNY DANGEROUSLY has many genuinely funny moments, and if you're in the mood for silliness, you won't stop laughing.