The Pick-up Artist

I found the chemistry between Ringwald and Downey, Jr. to be as scintillating as that of Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepard of Moonlighting fame. I do agree that this film was probably designed to showcase Ms. Ringwald's talent, but in the process, showcased the charisma and talent of Robert Downey, Jr.

I first saw this film right after high school. It was light and entertaining. These days, the teen flicks bore me to tears, but I can honestly say that Downey's performance pulls me to the small screen time and time again. It's not a must see, but the sparks flying between these two stars make it quite enjoyable.

Here's a kind of too blander film with not much ingredients, yet is steered by Downey's likable winning performance. He has such a charming magical persona, and it comes over so well here. If only he did a better film. I have a few qualms about the movie, but I don't hate it. I just don't think it was utilized property, just running at 78 minutes, with some stuff that seems to be desperately crammed into it. Downey plays a womanizer/kid's school teacher with a regular pick up line, which is the one memorable line of the film. Most of the good dialogue is given to Downey here. Then suddenly he spots her, Randy (Ringwald, not bad here, quite a maturing professional actress). She's a museum tour guide, who's washed up boozer of a father, with a heart, Flash (Hopper, the film's other top performance) is indebted to a mafia guy (Keitel, Ringwald's older boyfriend), that has her doing some implied whoring. Downey must come up with a heavy sum, to become her prince and save her, but also, manning up too. Really, so much more could of gone into the characters, especially Ringwald's, where I just thought the mafia tie felt wrong, where again, the film's story wasn't utilized properly, in it's attempt to take it's subject, seriously, where the whole thing seemed like a half ingredient film, despite it's great and good performances, some actors painfully wasted. But like I said, it Downey's charm and splendid performance that carries a kind of dull running comedy with edges of drama. It's his soliloquy scenes that are the best, one hot beauty in blue, he chats up, I'll never forget, pre Vanessa Williams.

Dreary romance-comedy about a womanizer (Downey Jr.) who finally meets his match in a museum tour guide. (Ringwald) Obvious vehicle for Ringwald, who is fine, but Downey Jr. is the one who is given the most screen time...hence the one who sinks the film.

I saw a preview for this movie and happened to find it on an old VHS while glancing the thrift stores. When I first saw the trailer with Molly Ringwald and Robert Downey Jr., I figured the movie had to be pretty good. I love Ringwald's work in the John Hughes films, and just like Downey in general so I thought I was in for a really funny, warm treat. Add to the cast Dennis Hopper, fresh off of an Oscar nod from the previous year's Hoosier's as well as Danny Aiello, Bob Gunton (warden Norton from my all time fave "The Shawshank Redemption) and Harvey Keitel, and you got what seems like a really fun comedy with a powerhouse cast.

And it starts off that way, but it takes some seriously wrong turns after the first half-hour and just gets progressively worse to the point where I wanted to take my eyes off the TV set. The so called "story" is very lame once the premise is established. Downey plays his usual sarcastic, self-centered character, who happens to be a womanizer here, who tries to put all of his smooth moves on Ringwald (what guy in the 80's wouldn't have tried though?). She at first is uninterested but he is her only saving grace when gangster Keitel and his hit men, kidnap Hopper playing Ringwald's father, and Downey is forced to come up with the ransom money to save Hopper and ultimately Ringwald's lives.

The problem here is with this fantastic cast, the story and characters should be much more interesting and likable, not bland and generic like it is here. The movie would have been better with Downey's character being the same and leaving more room for character development getting to know both he Ringwald's characters better and taking them on another crazy adventure rather than the stupid mob sub-plot that is the focus here. Ringwald also seems like she's trying too hard to be an adult actress here, and not be typecast-ed with her typical teen roles from her tenure with Hughes. Taking this approach however is not successful, as her character here is bland and unlikable. The movie would have been much better here, if she would have played a character similar to the ones she did in "The Breakfast Club," or "Pretty in Pink." When actors try hard to be different than their usual persona, they come across as unlikable and that's definitely the case with Ringwald here. Maybe if John Hughes would have directed this, it would have been a different, and certainly much better movie.

Also, the supporting cast is entirely wasted and all characters are underdeveloped. Hopper seems like he is doing a much more comical version of his character from "Hoosiers" here, and it gets rather annoying quite quickly, especially considering he played the same character exactly a year before and did it much better then. He is also given very little to do, and the fact he receives screen credit is ridiculous, this could have easily been an extended cameo, and a bad one at that. What a waste of Hopper's fine talent. Fortunately we have better movies in his career before and after this to remember him by like "Easy Rider," "Hoosiers", "Blue Velvet" and "Speed".

Keitel is also annoying here, playing his usual tough-guy role, and he forces it so much that after a while it just becomes plain laughable. That role works for other movies but doesn't cut it here. He is wasted here, and given a bad role. Even Joe Pesci or Danny De Vito would have been better suited for this part, and could have brought some humor and originality to the character. Keitel plays it so straight that it's just painful to watch. The character is irritating and extremely one-dimensional. Didn't the director tell him this was a comedy before he signed on?

Gunton, a fine character actor is also wasted here and given nothing to do, same for Aiello. And then of course, there's Downey who puts a lot of effort into his character, but acts as if he knows the script stinks and aims to do his best with it. Downey does a generally good job, and gives the movie some saving grace, but this character would be suited better with another script and in another movie.

All in all the movie is very forgettable and wastes it's fine cast, who deserved a much better script, story and direction than what they got.

In New York, the wolf school gym teacher Jack Jericho (Robert Downey Jr.) flirts with every beautiful woman he stumbles upon on the streets with his red Camaro. When he meets the museum guide Randy Jensen (Molly Ringwald), he has an unrequited crush on her. Jack stalks Randy and soon he learns that she gambles to pay a debt of US$ 25,148.00 her alcoholic father Flash (Dennis Hopper) has with the mobster Alonzo Scolara (Harvey Keitel) and he decides to help her.

"The Pick-up Artist" is a nostalgic film in 2020. It is so good to see Molly Ringwald, Dennis Hopper, Danny Aiello, Vanessa Williams, Lorraine Bracco, Harvey Keitel, Robert Downey Jr. very young in 1987. The beginning is promising and funny, but the last part is not so good. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Rei da Paquera" ("The King of the Flirt")