Growing Pains

Never mind its obscurity , fans of 80s glossy childish trash will love this as well as young teenagers who may find it a little dated.Altenatively known as BAD MANNERS in Australia Karen Black stars and is in full nerosis here and has never been better. Rumour has it this canadian made curiousity was first put forward by Disney who later backed out of the project. Younger Fans of REFORM SCHOOL GIRLS should eat this up with Martin Mull, that blonde girl with the annoying voice in Twin Peaks, Russ Meyers ex wife and a cast of unknowns who fit with the zany acting style this movie requires. Has a snippet of SHOGUN ASSASSIN and band SPARKS supply the excellent soundtrack.If anyone knows if a LP or CD exists please contact me!!! I thought it was goofy and great!

I recently watched Bad Manners (1984) on Tubi. The storyline follows a group of kids at an orphanage who run things their way and have fun doing it. When one of the kids is adopted and begs to stay with them, the friends escape the orphanage and set out on an adventure to find and rescue their adopted friend so they can stay together forever.

This film is directed by Bobby Houston (Shogun Assassin) and stars Karen Black (Five Easy Pieces), Martin Mull (Clue), Anne DeSalvo (Arthur), Pamela Adlon (Grease 2), Edy Williams (Beyond the Valley of the Dolls), and Kimmy Robertson (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids).

I enjoyed this movie much more than I anticipated. Yes, the scenarios were unrealistic, but the kids are wild, vulgar, and unpredictable, which I loved. Karen Black was phenomenal and added a different brand of comedy compared to the juveniles. There's a football helmet sequence that cracked me up. The use of spray paint in the settings and the blood brothers scene, reminiscent of most boys' childhoods, added to the fun. There was also some unexpected nudity, including a random nude nun sequence. The open ending was magic.

In conclusion, Bad Manners is a delightful coming-of-age film with fun characters and circumstances. I would score this a 7/10 and recommend it if you're looking for something different.

The trouble with 'quirky' comedies is that it is so easy to go too far and quirkiness becomes just plain stupidity. Unfortunately, this movie is one of those that goes too far. There are a couple of genuinely funny characters and a number of plot ideas here that in more skilful hands could have been truly funny. As it is, this is the sort of dumb, over the top, trashy comedy that stereo-typically appeals to adolescent boys. The best thing about this is that it is gloriously, outrageously politically incorrect and no one seems to care. Makes a change from today's movies that are painfully timid about offending anyone. Other than that, it is very easy to see why this movie is not well known.

There's no easy way to describe what makes this movie great. Many people will hate it, find it offensive or facile, or just plain not be responsive to its crazy sense of humour. But if you love anarchy and you love absurdity, along with a little sentimentality for the 80s, I think you'll love this movie. It's a forgotten classic and one of my favourite comedies ever. DON'T LET THE BAD REVIEWS DETER YOU!!!

Write your review here i grew up in the whole 80s and Bad Manners was the very first film i seen in 1984 this movie should of been in the box office it would of been a huge hit they should re-release it into the box office now im sure that lots of people would go see bad manners at the theathers