Touch and Go

Bobby (Michael Keaton), "the Hornet", is an extremely good hockey player. He has a rough edge and never walks away from a fight, for he grew up in a tough neighborhood in South Chicago. Now, however, he drives a jag and has a revolving door for women at his posh apartment. Denise (Maria Conchita Alonso) is a single mother with a tweenage son named Louis. Although she has a good business head on her shoulders and big aspirations, she still lives on the poor side of town. One day, Bobby leaves the downtown hockey arena late, as he likes to avoid the press when possible. As he is getting into his car, he is approached by Louis, who begs for money. But, it is a trap. Soon, thugs surround Bobby and start pummeling him. Yet, they have chosen the wrong target, as Bobby soon knocks THEM out and captures Louis. Threatening the young boy with a call to the police, Louis tells him where he lives and Bobby takes him home. Denise is upset but, even in her anger, she has eyes for the attractive Bobby and he looks her up and down, too. Is this the beginning of a beautiful friendship? Romcom fans, beware. The film's box cover makes the movie appear to be a comedic love tale, but, it is far from that, although there is some sporadic humor. It is really a story of an unlikely love between a newly rich local celebrity and not-so-rich but lovely lady, with a violent, inner city undertone and a hockey theme thrown in for good measure. Regretfully, it attempts too much and falls flat on its face. The script is uneven and far from cohesive, making it a mundane watch at best. Keaton and Alonso are good and attractive actors and they make a valiant attempt to save the film but can not overcome the deficiencies in the storyline and the direction. If you like hockey, or either one of the main stars, you might wish to watch the film some night when entertainment choices are few and far between. But, for most viewers, don't touch this one, as it is very disappointing fare.

It was all here. The casting is good, everyone in this movie is competent. Alonzo is great to look at.

The storyline is good, analyze the scripting: even it is good and the plot is VERY plausible... but it's missing "heart" even though it's what the movie is all about.

But I dont understand why the hockey action wasnt re-shot after the dailies... looks like Keaton's ego went wild and the action is ridiculous, all the moves of an 8 year old rec hockey player. And I dont understand a team trying to make the play-offs but never practices.

Who do we blame for this ... Keaton? The Director?

And who picked the "musical" background for this thing.. sure does date it, or consign it to the made for TV genre. Which I guess it is.

Overall, it's a better story than it is a movie... so I guess it serves a purpose: to be the base from which to compare Keaton's other work.

Worth watching but not renting unless you get it for a buck.

Not a very believable storyline especially in today's sports crazy environment... a sports star can have any girl he/she wants, but in this movie the hero falls in love with a destitute mother of one... (I guess this happened to Troy, but...).

The few hockey scenes that are left in the movie give a taste of what could have been... they are nicely done, but too few... the rest of the movie is a little convoluted. Rent before buying...

I did not like this movie. I did not like Michael Keaton either, or Maria Conchita Alonso, or them getting together. I did like the kid played by Ajay Naidu a little. The kid is Luis and one evening he and three others including the dangerous Lupo try to rob Bobby Barbato (Keaton) who is the hockey star from Chicago. Luis claims he was only a helper. Bobby feels a little sorry for the kid so he takes him out to dinner and delivers him with his mom Denise (Alonso). Luis' mother wants to make up with Bobby and take him out to dinner. They end up in bed, what is very normal for Bobby, and for him it has to end there. Since this is a romantic comedy it can't end there, so it doesn't. Luis, a troubled kid, and his actions make sure Bobby and Denise keep seeing each other. As little sub-plots we have Bobby's hockey and the Lupo-situation. Especially that second sub-plot is stupid and is only there to show what kind of hero Bobby van be in the end.

Why I didn't like most of the characters? Bobby can't make up his mind. He is not a nice guy in my opinion. We see how aggressive he gets in a hockey game, we see how he treats people (mostly women, although they probably don't mind), how he talks to reporters and how he handles the Luis/Denise situation. All this is egocentric and suddenly something hits him and he becomes a nice fellow. I didn't buy it, probably because I disliked him too much before he became a nice guy. And for Denise, she really is annoying. Although Bobby is a jerk to her too, most people probably would have done the same to her. She gets on your nerves. May be I am a little too hard for her because sometimes she can be charming, but never in a way Audrey Hepburn, Meg Ryan or Julia Roberts can be charming. The only character a little likeable was Luis but even he gets on your nerves. It seems he has to make a problem of everything just to drive the plot into the next scene where Bobby and Denise have to meet again. Personally I could never really like the kid, he is just too much of a trouble maker.

As for the performances, they are pretty good. It is that the characters are annoying and not believable but Michael Keaton and Maria Conchita Alonso do the best they can. The best performance in the movie comes from the kid Ajay Naidu. You believe him when he is angry or sad, even when it doesn't make any sense. They all deserve better characters, a better plot and definitely a better ending. If you are a fan of romantic comedies you will find some nice things but if you have a choice you want to see a different movie.

If you're looking for a critically acclaimed film with great performances and a moving plot, look elsewhere. But if your cable/satellite subscription is devoid of any premium movie channels and you're flipping channels late at night and you happen to come across this flick, its not a bad two-hour investment. michael keaton's character, bobby barbado is such a baller. he plays a bad-ass hockey player livin the life--money, chicks the whole deal. but beneath the rough tough-guy playboy exterior, he really is a caring guy--why else would he put up with all this crap from a hood-rat single mother and her delinquent son? And speaking of the son, its the Indian dude from Office Space!! And as mentioned in the other comments, he turns in the performance of the movie. I wont comment on the ending, mostly because its the final commercial and the movie doesn't finish for another 15 minutes. but being a cheesy 80's movie, i'm not expecting much. still a thumbs up in my book.