She's Out of Control

Kinda dated movie. If you didn't grow up then or live during that period as a teen or older you would probably think what a gross bunch of people. Anyway, this was kind of a TV-like movie. Some girl who looks like Tawyna Harding decides to get contact lenses, her hair done, and remove her braces... you know.. to become "beautiful" (like all people with glasses and braces are just hideous). Boys start to notice her. Her dad has a hard time as he is a single dad. The ending had a decent moral premise I guess... but honestly all that sex and sex ed stuff... obsession back then with kids and parents was just that... an obsession. It was blown out of proportion as everyone wanted to break some taboo of talking about sex. So they just over talked it. It was nonsense. It was silly, but fun for those who are going into high school to watch.

Your belly will ache from laughter after watching this hilarious movie from the 80's. This movie takes me back to my youth. Also this was Tony Danza at the peak of his popularity. Danza does get a little wacky in the movie, but that's part of its charm. There are a lot of funny scenes in this movie including the scenes with that mastermind Dr. Fishbinder and etc. Young Matthew Perry is in it too, but only had a minor role. All in all, this is one of my top favorite movies of all time and really takes me back to my childhood. Don't take it too seriously just let the movie take you back to a happier time and enjoy the laughs!

Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

If you take yourself seriously, assume the fact that you like Requim For A Dream so that makes you some highly-prolific intellectual with an acquired taste in movies (i.e., pretentious) this movie isn't for you. If you don't take yourself too seriously, and you can appreciate a good light hearted comedy once in a while this movie is for you. Call it what you will-- cheesy, over-the-top, etc., at face value this movie succeeds. Tony Danza does a good job at playing the loving dad, and the rest of the cast does well also. This movie works well mainly, in my opinion, because of the music. From Bobby Vinton's Venus, to the Kinks, this movie exhibits all sorts of music. It's used appropriately and timely. Overall the movie is a fun comedy. Now, some other reviewers, like the guy who posted on July 7 of 2000 and gave it one star, he just basically ripped his review off Ebert (go to rogerebert.suntimes.com and look the film up if you want proof) so his opinion isn't valid. He probably hasn't seen it. Just to reiterate, you don't have to lower your intellectual standards to enjoy this. If the only way you can enjoy a film is if it is labeled as independent and it has unwarranted nudity and absurdity, you might not like this. If you saw Donnie darko and now you talk down to people when speaking about it because you think you've gone to the far ends of the earth to expose yourself to new kinds of film, then you take yourself way to seriously and give yourself too much credit. If you are like me and you enjoy a vast array of films of all types, then you may like this movie. But if you hate good music you might also hate this film.

A widower (Tony Danza) manages a radio station and takes care of his two girls. As he's away on business, his girlfriend (Catherine Hicks) gives his nerdy 15 year-old daughter (Ami Dolenz) a makeover. When the dad returns home his daughter is no longer a girl, but a blossoming woman who's attracting males left and right. Wallace Shawn plays a successful psychologist.

"She's Out of Control" (1989) is a coming of age dramedy that pokes fun at several things: The loving father who's overly concerned about his daughter's honor, a girl's discovery of her womanly powers, self-help authors who supposedly have everything figured out, and the challenging relationship between the daughter's boyfriend and her father .

The title isn't "false advertising" because everything's told from the perspective of the protagonist, which is Danza's character. To HIM, she is out of control. Speaking of Danza, he has John Ritter's likable charm and easily carries the movie.

Dolenz was 18 during shooting and is serviceable as the title character, but she got better in such roles as she aged, as witnessed in "Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings" (1993). The film would've been more successful if they casted a more iconic 80's actress in the role (although I'm glad Molly Ringwald didn't play the part, probably because she was too old by 1988 when the film was shot). On the other side of the gender spectrum, Dana Ashbrook stands out as rockin' loner Joey.

The main reason I was interested in seeing this flick was because Siskel & Ebert tore it to pieces on their show. Gene even said he considered quitting his job because of it. Seriously? It's a cute high school comedy focusing on a father's amusing travails, not frickin' "Gandhi." Meanwhile, in Ebert's review, he laughably psychoanalyzed the dad's attitude toward his daughter as "perverse," "sick" and "sexual." Really? All movies exaggerate reality to some degree, especially farces like this one. ALL fathers of nubile daughters can relate to his situation to some degree, even though it's amusingly EXAGGERATED.

The movie runs 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot in the Los Angeles area (South Pasadena, Malibu, Huntington Park, Downey, Oxnard and Hollywood).

GRADE: B-

This is very much a film of its time. I'm not sure by 2024 standards it would fly in terms of PC content.

It remains fun though, it you can turn your brain off. Tony Danza does well with the questionable material he has to play out, and Ami Dolenz is good fun in her role.

Writing this after the extremely sad passing of Matthew Perry, this film of course also offers an early look into his talent, as he pops up here as one of the suitors. All the charm and humour is very much on display.

Overall, this is no less creepy than some of the elements that pop up in some of the John Hughes from a similar era, but seems to have been treated more harshly.

I didn't mind this film. It's one of those films that are good to watch really late at night, when you really just want to wind down. It is pretty silly, but it has some funny moments. Ami Dolenz can't act very well, but in the role she is playing it really doesn't matter. Dana Ashbrook is very amusing as the leather clad boyfriend from hell. But Matthew Perry is not particularly convincing as the all too perfect Yale college boy. Tony Danza seems to be treating the whole exercise like an extended version of a Who's the Boss? episode, which is probably why he was given the part. Although it's not very original, and similar theme films have done it much better, it's still not a bad effort. At least it was not boring.