The Heavenly Kid

There were a lot of great flicks that came out in the mid to late 80s. Many of them (most directed by John Hughes) went down as classics. Others were overlooked and underrated. Some became sleeper hits (John Cusack flicks) and still get heavy play in my VCR, especially during the Summer. "Heavenly Kid", however, is one of my faves that not too many people have heard of.

It's a pretty straight forward story that could have been lifeless, but struck an emotional chord with me due to the acting and the sentimental value of the whole thing. It's also a great father-son story done from a different and original take.

Bobby is your typical badass, black leather jacket wearing, cigarette smoking, drag racing, babe magnet who is killed in a game of chicken. This happens within the first five minutes of the movie and the next thing you know, Bobby is on the train to heaven. Upon getting there, he's presented with a small problem. They won't let him in unless he plays guardian angel and gets his wings. So it's back to earth for Bobby.

He's sent back approximately seventeen years later to help a young geek get his life straight and to give the kid a little self-esteem.

This is a wholly enjoyable film that anyone can enjoy. Although, some may complain that the ending is predicatable, they would be disappointed if it ended any other way.

The Heavenly Kid is poorly written, poorly acted, has bad effects and the cheesiest soundtrack of all time. However, it's always hilarious. The scene in which Jason Gedrick tries on various outfits always gets me laughing. This film is so bad, it's great.

I'm a fan of 80's movies and The Heavenly Kid was a nice yet charming story filled with emotion, drama and just the right touch of romance added to it. The story is about a a teenage rebel who died in a car accident in the late 60's and is sent down to earth in the 80's on a mission to help a nerdy young man and gain his entrance into heaven.

Lewis Smith was perfect as Bobby Fantana he played the part of a rebellious greaser very well. During the film his character discovers quite a few surprises along the way and learns the importance of sacrifice and getting a second chance. Jane Kaczmarek in her days before Malcolm In The Middle was well casted as Bobby's former girlfriend Emily and the mother of the young lad he was sent to help.

In the 1960's Bobby Fantana (Smith) is a rebellious, greaser with attitude who challenges Joe Barnes(Metcalf) to a game of chicken after he made a pass at his girlfriend Emily. Bobby wins the race but unfortunately isn't able to get out of the car in time and dies in an explosion. 17 to 18 years later he's given an assignment and that is to help an awkward kid become more confident aiding him in the job is his guide Rafferty (Mulligan). Once on earth he meets his project who turns out to be geeky Lenny Barnes (Gedrick) a teen in love with a popular girl named Sharon. Soon enough Bobby begins working his magic and the once shy young man becomes more confident and cool.However with this newfound coolness Lenny becomes cockier and defiant towards friends and family. During the course of the story Bobby discovers that Lenny's mom is his former girlfriend and that she's married to Joe his old rival.

There is a scene where he makes himself visible to Emily and they spend a nice night out reminiscing and then she drops the biggest bombshell of all Bobby is Lenny's father. Trouble soon arises when Rafferty informs him that Lenny is going to die in the same manner as he did, it's then that Bobby learns about the true meaning of love and sacrifice when he decides to give up his soul in order to prevent his son's death.

Filled with nice music and a good ending The Heavenly Kid is a pleasant surprise for anyone who deserves another chance at life.

Bobby, a hotshot high-schooler from the 60s, ends up in the 80s to coach a dweebie kid into being a more confident, popular guy. I cant tell you how Bobby got there as it would spoil one of the films more dramatic moments, but I can say you should enjoy all the scenes dealing with his tutoring of Gedrick. He gives him a better look, hot wheels, and a little toughness to stand up to the jerks at school. Its executed pretty well and the pair make a good mismatch. The film also does a nice job when it has to be dramatic, as when Bobby has to deal with a few surprises. The ending is perfectly heartfelt without going over the line into sappiness as well. Great soundtrack, too, with a lot of nicely placed (though all unknown) songs to accentuate the scenes. A teen 80s film that got lost in the mix of so many of them, this belongs on the list of the good ones.

A kid (Lewis Smith) from the late-1960s (who appears to be from the 1950s due to his antics and wardrobe) dies one night in a chicken car race. He is unable to get into Heaven though because of his life on Earth so thus he goes back to the 1980s and tries to help a dorky high school student (Jason Gedrick) become popular and cool. Also along for the ride is Gedrick's mother/Lewis' old girlfriend (Jane Kaczmarek of "Malcolm in the Middle" fame) and motorcycle-riding guardian angel Richard Mulligan. So many plot holes and predictable twists stall this one pretty fast. Smith and Mulligan do what they can together, but they have elementary-styled aspects of film-making to work with. Everything else is not worth your time or effort. Not the worst film of the time period, but another one of those unwanted footnotes from the mid-1980s. 2 stars out of 5.