Review of Johnny Dangerously (1984) by Steve M — 14 Feb 2006

Johnny Dangerously.

Starring: Michael Keaton, Joe Piscopo, and Marilu Henner.

Director: Amy Heckerling.

Johnny Dangerously (Keaton) is a kindhearted mobster who loves his mother and who never bothers anyone but other criminals, but when life-long nemesis Danny Vermin (Piscopo) learns Johnny's deepest secret--his brother is a gang-busting Assistant D.A.--the dapper King of Crime discovers how far the tumble from the heights of power can be. Good thing the love of a good woman (Henner) serves a great cushion.

"Johnny Dangerously" is one of those movies that it's virtually impossible to summarize,but it is definately an underappreciated comedy classic. It's at once a spoof of the classic ganster movies from the 30s, and an homage to the comedies of the same period, being actually very close in flavor to a Marx Brothers comedy, although somewhat less frantic.

From beginning to end, "Johnny Dangerously" is delightfully, exhuberantly goofy. From the title song by "Weird Al" through Danny Vermin's custom-made pistol ("It shoots through schools.") and to the film's climax at the premiere of a James Cagney movie, the film is a non-stop banter and gag fest. A few of the jokes are a bit too bizarre to actually be funny (such as the "Your Testicles and You" health film that Johnny screens for his younger brother to convince him to stay in law school), but there are far more hits than misses here.