Jumpin' Jack Flash

I have to admit to liking this film. I'm not sure or not how well it did on its release. I don't think there are any spoilers in revealing that Whoopi plays a computer genius who is contacted by a guy who needs her help (since it says so on the back of the DVD!). So as well as a comedy, there are some thrills thrown in as well.

It's well written, with some pretty obvious stuff in there, but it makes it kind of fun. Whoopi Goldberg puts in a good performance. Today it's fun to watch because the computers are SO out of date and because at one point Whoopi hits about 40 keyboard keys to type the work 'Hi"! Just listen to the sound of the keys. Whoopi's a good actress and comedian, but she's no typist - at least by the evidence here. And it's good to see Carol Kane and Stephen Collins, who both look about 12.

There are some fabulous continuity errors as well for anyone looking for them - in the scene in the police station, not only does the blanket Whoopi's wearing change places from scene to scene, so does her collar.

If you want a fun film that won't stretch your brain, this is well worth a look. Ingmar Bergman it isn't, but it's a nice feel good movie for those times when you just want to sit down and turn your brain off it's great. And if you want to know what computers used to look like and why you practically needed a second mortgage for somewhere to store them look no further.

If only for the dress shredding scene, this has enough laughs to keep the plot spinning as WHOOPI GOLDBERG gets deeper and deeper into deep you know what trying to help some guy in Russia do his spy thing.

It's all impossible, shows the technological gap existing between then and now with old computers, and all the while has Whoopi cutting loose as only she can. The scene at the Embassy ball and the telephone scene with her being dragged through the city streets, are just two of the highlights in this comedy directed by Penny Marshall.

STEPHEN COLLINS is totally wasted as the office worker replacement who lends some mild mannered assistance, as are JAMES BELUSHI and JONATHAN PRYCE in small parts, but since the film depends heavily on Whoopi for all the laughs, it doesn't matter much. PETER MICHAEL GOETZ is excellent as her impatient boss.

The plot is a flimsy spy plot with lots of sight gags as Whoopi flits around New York City keeping one step ahead of the bad guys. Passes the time and is generally good fun, but it's peppered with lots of profanity and vulgarisms, mostly from Whoopi, of course.

Undercooked, but ribald, enjoyable espionage-themed comedy about a computer programmer for a national bank in New York City who gets her own "Mission: Impossible" when a government agent taps into her system. Whoopi Goldberg really has no character to play here, so she wings it; tossing off one-liners and impersonations, she's a stitch, a true original. The production designer has decorated Whoopi's pad with offbeat movie posters, memorabilia and over-sized toys, but couldn't do much with the rest of this scenario, which dog-paddles along until we get to the predictable (though satisfying) conclusion. Some of the supporting characters (like Jim Belushi's mysterious heavy or Annie Potts' wife of a secret agent) come, go, and vanish completely, and the flick is held together with the barest minimum of tape. Still, it's a lot of fun anyway, which is completely due to Goldberg's sass. *** from ****

A bank's clerk is humorously involved in international espionage when her computer terminal picks up words sent by electronic mail from a Brit spy trapped into Iron Curtain. The events break her monotony life and boring employment.

The film packs comedy, suspense, tongue in check and lots of amusement. There are still some hilarious pieces, notably the comic tryings to decipher the lyrics to the film title song by famous Rolling Stones, when her dress get caught in a shredder, Whoopi singing at the British Embassy by impersonating Diane Ross and when she's dragged by a tow truck, among others. The picture is a Woopi Goldberg recital, she plays a wacky, foul-mouthed, and wisecracking spinster with no check. This is her first big success in comedy genre, after his known drama 'Purple color' by Steven Spielberg. Abundant secondaries and cameos by noted actors, such as Jim Belushi, Annie Potts, John Wood, Jeroan Krabbe, Roscoe Lee Browne, Sara Bostford, John Lovitz, Phil Hartman, among them. Agreeable musical score, though with abuse synthesizer by Thomas Newman . The motion picture is middling directed by Penny Marshall, in his film debut, but she was unable to control the star's excesses. Later Marshall achieved numerous hits as producer, actress and director, such as 'Renaissance man, Preacher's wife, Awakenings, A league of their own and Big'.

This is a fast-paced and to-the-point crime comedy starring Whoopi Goldberg as banker Terry Doolittle who communicates with clients electronically on her computer throughout the world. One day, she receives a coded message from an unknown man who is pleading for help, as he is stuck in limbo in an unknown country. The suspense builds as an espionage case is revealed to be involved and culprits are after Terry.

Goldberg delivers her unique brand of humor (especially liked the scene where her cocktail dress got caught in the shredder) and her fast-talking and no-nonsense attitude. Stephen Collins plays Terry's newly-hired co-worker Marty Phillips, who seems to be caught in places where Terry is in trouble. Carol Kane plays Terry's sassy and high-pitched voice co-worker Cynthia, and Annie Potts plays the mysterious Liz Carlson, who seems to be the only person Terry can trust in the espionage case.

It's a somewhat classic-style spy genre film, which I thought could have used a bit more action and suspense. However, the plot was well-paced and the acting was pretty good, giving us a pretty entertaining feature.

Grade B