The Invisible Kid

My review was written in April 1988 after a Times Square screening.

"The Invisible Kid" is an inept teen fantasy; one hesitates to call it a comedy though that was the intention. It's another video given a theatrical release.

Pic belongs not to the flop teen science genre of three years back (e.g., "My Science Project", "Real Genius") but rather the tease sleaze of "Zapped!". Jay Underwood portrays a high school nerd using his late science teacher dad's notes to complete dad's work. Pigeon droppings fall in the compound (unbeknownst to Underwood), creating a powder that makes one invisible for 30 minutes when ingested. Stupid script has the invisibility period reduced by five minutes each time; dumb twist gives you a full 30 the eighth time around.

This is strictly an excuse for peeping in the girls' locker room, hoping leading lady Chynna Phillips will flash a bare chest (she doesn't) and failed slapstick. Low point is probably when the hero hides in the principal's office and we are treated to a flatulence. An inane subplot involving a basketball tournament is injected to give Underwood some licks imitating Michael J. Fox on the court in "Teen Wolf".

Threadbare production has most of the invisibility "achieved" via first-person Steadicam, plus some token effects work. Avery Crounse's direction is strictly amateurish.

Young cast tries, but Karen Black is a joke as the boy's dizzy mom, right down to a pointless outtake of her following the end credits. Brother Theodore has nothing to do as a Dr. Ruth-type tv advisor show host, presumably cast because (like Dr. Ruth) he has a thick accent.

This movie seems to contain a lot of crude humor. I thought The Invisible Kid was supposed to be a family adventure about science experiments gone wrong and class bullies and that cliched mess. I'm glad it wasn't because it avoids a lot of the corniness. This is your typical 80s teen film about class nerds, bulley jocks, pretty girls, and of course, ample shots of boobies.

The main character is trying to piece together the missing parts of his father's experiment. While his psychotic mother tries to tell him that it was a recipe for super toilet bowl cleaner, the boy's additions to the formula create an invisibility powder. He and his friend take advantage of the situation at first, taking revenge of the bulley during his date and the basketball game, as well as peeking in the girls lockerroom.

The conflict arises between the principal, who steals the formula, and the group of friends who have to get together to get it back.

Sure, it's a really cheap movie. Obviously, it wasn't meant to be a blockbuster picture, but more like something made for fun. There are some funny moments like when the main character hides out under the principal's desk while the principal is there, and he lets out a huge fart and the kid nearly passes out.

And though most of the comedy is dull, at least it lacks a lot of the corniness. Their is no gushy emotions between mom and her son. The bulley jock is not quite the dickhead he would otherwise be made out as. The friend is a jerk most of the time, but lightens afterwards and eventually helps to save the day. It's a really wacky movie.

I think if you like this, you might want to try Nice Girls Don't Explode.

Whenever I watch this movie, I marvel at how pathetically horrible the picture is. A lot of cheap eighties movies need remastering. I say need, because all movies deserve to look their best. The Invisible Kid is a fantasy movie for guys. The locker room scene looks like fun and it would be cool to see a girl appear before you in a towel. Jay Underwood(Not Quite Human), Chynna Phillips(Wilson-Phillips), Karen Black(Easy Rider), and Brother Theodore(Uncle Reuben from The Burbs!) have roles. Several scenes are a little mind numbing like the last one which gets ridiculous. Fun to watch when it pops up on HBO every now and then.

Although it has been a while since I've seen this film, I still remember some of it. What spurred me on in my quest to now locate a copy of my own is the fact that Wallace Langam (aka David Hodges of CSI) is in it (credited as Wally Ward) Regardless, I remember this movie being a very hilarious/silly-type comedy that i could watch over and over again. True it wasn't a 'hit' nor was it raunchy like "American Pie" or "Animal House" which i could not even get through. I enjoyed this film and would recommend it to anyone - especially if they are in the mood for a good old fashioned laugh. Similar type movies include '"Zapped" & "Zapped Again"

This movie itself was not meant to be an award winner, it was meant to be a film to sit down an enjoy with your friends and to have a good laugh, and it becomes every teenagers fantasy to have the power of invisibility, to get back at school bullies, and sneak into the girls locker room, it does not get silly with kiddie dialog, and it does not get to crazy with gross out humor like American Pie(1999) did enough to get an R rating. But I will note this to the director, if you were trying to avoid it being a kiddie flick, you should have come up with a better title, maybe it should have been called The Guy Who Isn't There, or The Hollow Guy. Other then that still entertaining.