Kickin' It Old Skool (2007) User Reviews

I actually laughed a lot

[Cube_TX · 5/10 · 2 May 2007]

I didn't go into this movie expecting to see the 2nd coming of the Shawshank Redemption or Casablanca as far as film-making. I just wanted to see something lighthearted enough to get some cheap laughs with my family. In that sense, this movie succeeded. No, it wasn't a "good" movie by any stretch of the imagination, but I did enjoy the time I spent watching this flick. The first half hour or so stuck in some corny jokes and I was beginning to think "Uh oh... this is going to be lame." Then the movie seemed to take a turn and STOP trying to be witty. Instead it then focused on silly sight gags and cheap laughs. Yes, it was juvenile and cheap... but it was also FUNNY. I'm of the minority who finds Jamie Kennedy funny and did like his old television show.

It seemed that very much of the plot and storyline borrowed from other movies, namely Big and Dodgeball. While this wasn't as funny as either of those movies it still had me laughing on many occasions. I particularly liked the individual jokes involving the roach, the date-preparation and the crude vomit scene. I've seen too many "comedy" movies that try to take themselves seriously and they get annoying. People like me who were teens in the 80s will probably like this more than the pre-teen to mid-20s audience of today. We lived most of the references, so we'll get a few more of the jokes.

You really have to be a fan of silly and braindead type of comedies to enjoy this. I won't say that it's worth buying on DVD or anything, but if you want some simple laughs without worrying about any overly obscene language or scenes you might enjoy this. It won't challenge you mentally or have you raving about it to your friends, but you might enjoy turning your brain off for awhile for a few laughs.

If your kids don't get embarrassed by you laughing about something they don't get, then take them along. It's actually fun explaining the references to them.

What Should Be a Waste of Time Mysteriously Holds My Attention

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 9 September 2007]

Justin was a break-dancing child of the 1980s. At least, until he flipped off the stage and sent himself into a coma. Waking up twenty years later, he's a child trapped in a man's body and still has the urge to break dance. So what does he do? What anyone would do -- form the team together again to win the local break dancing contest and pay his parents back for all his medical bills.

This film comes from first-time director Harvey Glazer. For most people, this gives hi ma clean slate. For me, I look at his past endeavors as a producer and cringe. From 2006 through 2007, he produced a variety of awful straight-to-video horror films, which I've actually seen simply because Anchor Bay sends me copies for free. "The Mad", "Ultimate Killing Machine" and "Bottom Feeder" are not films you should necessarily be proud to have on your resume. This one, however, is an exception.

I was at a party, and a Blockbuster employee named Jared brought it over, more or less as a joke to have something playing in the background. And I was like "Jamie Kennedy? Straight to video? Oh no!" But before long, I found myself distracted from my Pabst Blue Ribbon and game of cards and actively watching this one. The 1980s references were cleverly woven in, and the style of humor was low-brow without being tasteless. It was right up my alley.

I'm not sure who this film is catering to, besides me. I suppose people in their mid-20s to mid-30s. The bulk of the humor relies on understanding a lot of the references and quotations used, which the younger crowd might not get. Some of them are very subtle. The rest of the humor might turn off the older crowd, because it has a youth focus. Urination, juvenile behavior and the like. Hey, I liked it... but would my mom? Probably not.

So if you're in your twenties and want a flashback, this might be something for you. Rubik's cubes, DJ Tanner, He-Man and Rockem Sockem robots are the name of the game here. If this sounds like something you'll appreciate, dig in. And, if that doesn't sell you: there's a special appearance by David Hasselhoff and KITT. What more do you want?

i really enjoyed this...but then i don't support the academy.

[Gimetzco · 6/10 · 28 April 2007]

Kickin' It Old Skool...

it's a lot more all-encompasing (80s references) than i expected...and i knew every song in the film...because i'm old.

but it is very much a silly love letter to bad 80s hiphop cinema: Breakin' & Breakin' 2: electric boogaloo, beat street, body rock, krush groove.

the movie is VERY stupid...but so is every one of the aforementioned films that i listed (except maybe BEAT STREET, hokey, but NOT stupid). In it's core the film is "cute" but it's really meant for a specific audience.

my very favorite scene has to do with K.I.T.T. backing up and mumbling "i'm gonna back up and go somewhere else" while Justin and Jenn are on their first date. the joke is in K.I.T.T.'s voice.

the break battles were mostly impressive as well (thanks to Adolfo Quinones aka SHABBADO! aka OZONE!) and this little Canadian b-boy named Jesse Brown aka CASPER...that kid is fresh. can't act, but didn't need to.

it's a crap film, but crap in the best ways...like a bad 80s movie. i love it.

really though.

Great Fun

[O-skoo · 28 April 2007]

This movie was a fun look at the way it was back in the day (which is the 80's for me). Will this movie win an Oscar? Probably not, but it was a humorous, well done presentation into the things that we were into back then. I was impressed with great 80's references like the "we can get through anything by doing it to a music montage" moments, leg warmers, dance (a number of girls that I remember wanted to be professional dancers when they grew up), the boom box and cardboard on the sidewalk for kicking it freestyle, and the whole we settle scores and "battle by dancing" concept.

If back in the day for you is the 90's, and you think a high quality movie is something with Alicia Silverstone, Eliza Dushku, or Ashton Kutcher, then you might not "get the movie". Consider this: future generations will think what's considered cool by you today will just plain suck then.

Thanks to Jamie Kennedy for "Keepin it Real" and "Kickin'it Old-Skool!"

oh so bad

[bondjamesbond · 3/10 · 26 April 2007]

This thing makes Malibu's Most Wanted look like American Beauty. I'm being generous in giving it a 3, but only because I chuckled a few times at some of the 80's references. This movie has one thing going for it, Michael Rosenbaum. He is incredibly funny in it, and I'm sure most of his stuff was improvised, because it's the only bright spot in a badly directed, badly lit, badly everything turkey that should've been released in January or February. Rosenbaum has fun with his role, and he even manages to reference Oliver Stone's 'The Doors' if you can believe it. Skip it and put it on your Netflix list if you're really bored.

A Comedy Coma

[marpo · 1/10 · 4 May 2007]

I saw it tonight, and do yourself a favor and read what I say here. This movie goes way beyond simply being a waste of time and money - I feel that almost two hours of my life have been MURDERED. I try to have a policy of not walking out of movies because I can usually find something good about them. I am as forgiving as an audience can be, but once I had finally had enough of this one, I had a headache from the anger it caused me. Without going into specifics about the multitude of things that were bad, I will tell you that the hack writers and producers should be arrested and sued for trying to make money from something that puts the world in reverse and robs us of our time on earth ...they even had the gall to make it more than 90 minutes. I could have put up with the poor story and the awful characters if the jokes or the actors were funny, but they weren't. I'm a peace and love kind of guy, but right now, four hours after seeing this, I find myself still wanting to fly to LA to find Jamie Kennedy and kick his ass. Anyone who gave this a good review has got to be on the payroll of the production company. I have to stop writing because I'm finding that words can't describe what an awful experience it truly is.

Kinda sad

[SnoopyStyle · 4/10 · 13 July 2014]

Young Justin Schumacher hits his head during the school talent contest and falls into a coma for 20 years. Justin (Jamie Kennedy) wakes up and tries to revives his dancing dreams his friends Darnell (Miguel A. Núñez Jr.), Hector (Aris Alvarado) and Aki (Bobby Lee). Meanwhile his girl Jennifer (Maria Menounos) is now engaged to his nemesis Kip (Michael Rosenbaum).

I didn't actually laugh once at Jamie Kennedy's antics. The jokes sound clunky and are more angry than charming. Being dumb isn't a bad thing but badly written performances are. The 15 minutes prologue of the characters as kids is more compelling than the rest of the movie. The humor is so lifeless that it's more sad than anything else. Jamie Kennedy is unable to play dumb with joy. His friends are much funnier which means they're tolerable. Bobby Lee is probably the funniest of a bad lot.

Pathetic attempt at humor, trite, ready for cable TV

[kikipops · 1/10 · 22 April 2007]

This movie was utterly obnoxious. All the jokes were trite, slapstick humor and could be seen a mile away. The acting was stilted at best and downright awful at worst. It was overdone both acting wise and in the direction. Not that one would expect greatness from a Jaime Kennedy movie but I thought it would at least be entertaining. Unfortunately, this was not the case. It was the worst movie I have ever sat through at the theater. Had I paid money instead of seeing a special screening I would have demanded a refund after ten minutes. Don't bother spending your money on this film, wait three months, it will be out on cable its that bad.

That 4/10 rating is about right

[Pigface1 · 4/10 · 3 May 2008]

I generally like Jamie Kennedy and thought Malibu's Most Wanted was pretty funny. But holy crap, this movie was a pile of ****.

They had a great premise to build on and they blew it. Could have had cameos all over the place, Turbo and Ozone from Breakin', Kool Moe Dee, Grandmaster Flash, etc etc.

Instead, they put in a bunch of Busch league dancers who were flat out annoying, and jokes written with zero creativity. It reminds me of another turd that came out recently, Drillbit Taylor.. Annoying characters, a script that wouldn't pass a 5th grade Creative Writing paper, with a few people that *could* have been funny (and are in other movies).

At minimum it should have been funny and it should have had some ridiculously good breakers and it failed miserably on both counts.

I'm being kind by giving it 4/10.

Guilty pleasure entertainment

[UniqueParticle · 7/10 · 20 February 2020]

Not for everyone but I really like it! The cinematography is the worst thing about especially for a movie that came out in 2007 where other movies look better otherwise I enjoy a ridiculous movie like this sometimes. Despite the stupidity Kickin' It Old School is pretty funny! I like Jamie Kennedy's acting he's awesome with his under par style.

It official, Jaimie Kennedy is the worst actor...

[phillythekid15 · 3/10 · 26 April 2007]

Just when you thought the nail couldn't be pushed any deeper into his coffin, Kennedy is back, and this time in a movie like Malibu's Most Wanted, or rather a movie where he is acting like a stupid white guy: Kickin It Old Skool! Right now I'm telling you just to rent Malibu's Most Wanted to get a clear picture of how this movie is: humorless with a stupid white protagonist. You don't even have to go out and spend a few bucks on a rental, just turn on your TV at this moment, and you will find a movie with the same formula.

The only handful of at least entertaining films Kennedy have been in is "Dead Poets Society", for which he was uncredited, "Boogie Nights" which wasn't in the original film but deleted scenes, and Scream where his character was well balanced among the other high school kids in the film. His track record of Son of the Mask and Max Keeble's big movie, considered his biggest roles along with MMW weren't too great.

The best part of the film was the secondary characters, who dished out some occasional amusing humor from time to time. But the humor didn't last long when it cut right back to a joke about stupid white Jaimie Kennedy, just to ruin the good mood!

The story is oh-so familiar, with a rival young hip group of kids just waiting to duke it out with Kennedy and his band of misfits, except duke it with fists they shall not, but rather their old skool moves. (Notice how the title of the film is spelled adequately for our youth of today, missing all sorts of hard consonants that we shouldn't bother with putting in proper linguistics).

Alas, there could have been hope. But don't waste your money on yet another film attempting to exploit the goofy white people, which has been done for years on end.

Kennedy needs to stay in his coma, for the better.

3

For those, who grow up in the 1980's will have some fun with this silly movie.

[hu675 · 8/10 · 19 February 2009]

As a young boy, Justin (Alexander Calvert) felt down hard on the floor trying to do some fancy break dancing for a talent show at school. Twenty years has passed, Justin (Jamie Kennedy) woke up from his coma. Although he still has the mind of a twelve year old trapped in a 32 year old body. He finds out that his parents (Christopher McDonald and Debra Jo Rapp) might lose their home, after trying to pay off Justin's medical bills. He decides to get back his old dance crew (Miguel A. Nunez, Jr., Bobby Lee and Avis Alvarado) to help him win back his parents house. Justin discovers that his long time crush (Maria Menounos) is marring the bully (Michael Rosenbaum), he truly hated. But Justn hasn't realized yet that music has changed and a whole new generation of fancy foot-steppers are far superior. Since he missed two decades, it is time to grow up... a little.

Directed by Harv Glazer (Bitten) made an silly comedy that has some goofy laughs. Kennedy offers more charm that he did in "Malibu's Most Wanted". But the differences between the two, his early starring role had a much slicker look. It will certainly remind you of the film "Big" and other break dancing movies of the 1980's. The movie has a cool retro 80's soundtrack and some of the dance moves are good. "Kickin It Old Skool" is not a great comedy but it's not boring either and acting or the quality of the feature looks truly average. But it does offers some laughs and probably fans of Kennedy will enjoy this one best. Some amusing cameos as well. Super 35. (*** 1/2 out of *****).

Michael Rosenbaum is the real Lex Luthor.

[freakfire-1 · 7/10 · 29 March 2008]

Strange, this movie was funnier than I thought it would be. For a movie filled with 80s clichés, this wasn't bad. Of course, it brought out a lot of 80s style things, but some were out of place.

To begin with, there were a few things that came out in the 80s that were post-1986 that somehow Kennedy's character (Justin) was familiar with. In the deleted scenes, the extended night club scene uses some anachronisms.

Despite those flaws, its funny to see Jamie Kennedy act like a 12 year old in a 32 year old body. Especially when Kennedy discovers women and the internet. He becomes confused about the issue and tries to emulate the beginning of an adult movie in completely wrong situations.

Of course, Kennedy learning how to please a woman via Hector was disturbing. I don't want to see that again. But it was for comedy.

Overall, its a good movie. It has its goofs and problems, but it is quite funny at times. So have at it, unless you born after the 80s. If that is the case, you might not understand the movie. "B"

deserves one of worst films ever made

[dsmit138 · 1/10 · 4 June 2007]

this movie has no redeeming qualities at all...none...it is insulting and worst of all it isn't funny. For example, it makes fun of an elderly homeless man, then offers up as comedy a picture of that man peeing on himself. It has a horrible stereotype of Black women bullying and beating up on their men and the men being afraid of their women. When I saw the film it didn't draw one laugh from the audience that was watching it...not one. It was a pathetic, humorless, offensive and stupid endeavor. The only partially redeeming characteristic of this film is that if you get up to go to the snack bar in the middle of the film you won't miss anything funny or important. Do NOT see this film!

Positively painful watching

[thomas-hoenen · 29 April 2007]

When I read the synopsis to "Kickin' it old skool", I expected a funny, and maybe even witty homage to the 80's, the time of my childhood. This movie is anything but. Instead, it is a series of scenes making fun of mentally handicapped people, fat people, homeless people, Jewish people, black people, and of course the main character, a guy who fell into a coma as a kid twenty years ago, and now behaves like one stuck in the body of a 30 year old. All of that is hold together by a story that might have made sense, but is totally ruined by an implausible script with stereotype characters who are played by mostly mediocre actors (the only exception being Debra Jo Rupp who manages despite the script to give her character some credibility). IMHO, watching a homeless person peeing first himself and later others is not humorous; neither is seeing a guy who just woke up from a coma falling repeatedly flat on his face because his atrophic muscles can not support him. Judging by their giggling, the 6 year old girls sitting in the row behind me felt different and enjoyed these as well as the other equally crude jokes; they were the only ones in the theater. And even if you are a parent looking for a funny movie for your kids, this one is a bad choice because of the tons of crude sexual humor; unless you think that internet porn is an adequate learning tool about sexuality or want them watching for example a grown-up practicing how to make out with a girl by playing with the man-boobs of his overweight friend, while his other friends comment that you have to twist the nipples like a violin knob... So maybe at least the break-dancing scenes make it worth watching this movie? Not really, although some of the scenes are impressive, they sum up to maybe 2 minutes in this 108 minute disaster, and do not even remotely make up for the rest of the movie. Save yourself the money, the time and a painful experience and go see something else.

I'm sorry Darnell, I was in a coma.....

[FlashCallahan · 4/10 · 8 November 2015]

At a talent show in 1986, young Justin Schumacher suffers a head injury and slips into a coma.

Twenty years later, Justin awakes with the mindset and experience of a 12-year-old.

He decides to reunite the members of his former dance team and revive their short-lived careers, to win a local talent competition and help his parents save their house.....

When Jamie Kennedy was in the Scream series, he was one of the stand out characters in the franchise, and the studios must have sat up and took notice of a taken the had when he was acting under another writer.

TV shows aside, and being mistaken for Seth Green, Jamie Kennedy's film career hasn't really been anything other than mundane, and he must have signed a multi picture deal with a company, because this looks and feels like it was rushed and released to end said contract.

But it's a neat concept, mixing Hard To Kill with The Wedding Singer, but the eighties references are not there, and when they are, it's the predictable, popular ones that you can see coming a mile off, so they are not nostalgic, just eye-rollingly obvious.

Kennedy is okay, but he has the same facial expression throughout the film, and the rest if his entourage are your atypical stereotypes you would expect to see in a film like this, but not as secondary characters.....lazy writing.

And it's at least 20 minutes too long.

So when all else fails in the writing department, always have a plethora of vomit, cake, and urine gags at hand, and include an extended dance off finale for good measure.

With all good intentions, it's a bit rubbish.

"Revenge of the Nerds" Meets "Big"

[Buddy-51 · 4/10 · 5 January 2008]

The way I figure it, it takes about a good twenty years for a decent nostalgia trend to kick in. That's just about the point at which the youngsters of a particular era will have experienced enough of adult life to start them pining away for the "good old days" of their pleasantly carefree and invariably misspent youth. In the 1970's, audiences escaped back to the more innocent and halcyon days of the 1950's through works such as "American Graffiti" and "Happy Days," while in the '80's, it was the '60's that got replayed, via "The Wonder Years" and "The Right Stuff." In a similar way, "That '70's Show" came to define nostalgia for the young adults of the '90's. Now, apparently, it is the '80's that are making a comeback, as those who were kids in that decade begin to edge their way ever so reluctantly into middle age. That's where the comedy, "Kickin' it Old Skool," comes in.

The premise of the movie is as follows: in 1986, a ten-year-old named Justin Schumacher suffered a concussion at one of his break dance competitions that left him in a coma for twenty years. When he finally returns to consciousness two decades later, he discovers, much to his dismay, that the world has moved on without him, and that everything that was once important and familiar to him - from the fashions to the technology to the music - is now hopelessly "un-cool" and out-of-date. After he learns that his parents will soon be going bankrupt if they can't find a way to pay for all the medical expenses they incurred while caring for their comatose son, Justin convinces his old break dancing buddies to come out of retirement and enter a contest, the winners of which will receive a whopping $100,000 in prize money.

There really is very little point to "Kickin' it Old Skool" beyond providing an opportunity for us to laugh at all those pop culture trends and icons that we thought were so cool at the time but that seem merely quaint and funny to us today. Thus, we get the big hair, the head bands, the glitter, the parachute-pants, the synthesizer-laden music, the boom boxes, the Michael Jackson moves, the "What yu' talking' 'bout, Willis?" quips that, for some at least, have come to define the era. Unfortunately, that is hardly a sufficient foundation upon which to build a quality movie, and "Kickin' it Old Skool" ultimately emerges as a wan, not-very-funny cross between "Footloose" and all those inexplicably popular flicks in which a youngster mysteriously wakes up in an adult person's body. Although it's genial and harmless, "Kickin' it Old Skool" suffers even more in comparison to a movie like "Superbad," which is a truly whip-smart and astutely observant study of what it means to be a dork or a misfit in a society that values appearance and coolness above all else. Moreover, Jamie Kennedy is clearly no Jonah Hill or Michael Cera in the acting department. In fact, with his pratfalls, clowning and mugging, he often seems to be channeling a bad imitation of Jerry Lewis.

Even though David Hasselhoff and Emmanuel Lewis stop by for a couple of good-natured cameos, this is one fish-out-of-water tale that should probably be thrown back in the water.

At best, the movie makes one wonder how audiences twenty years from now will be looking back at the 00's. One shudders at the thought.

Oh My God....!

[SANFRANFILMFAN · 1/10 · 25 March 2008]

I wasn't going to write a review but I had to do something when I discovered IMDb has nothing lower than 1 star.

I am absolutely floored by the fact that 455 people gave this movie 10 stars. I can only assume that they were investors who are trying to salvage whatever they can by tricking naive readers into going to see this total disaster. I caught this on cable (nothing else on) and my jaw dropped minutes after it started and I kept watching because I truly could not believe it could get worse. Man, was I wrong! I had seen the previews, thought it had potential and considered seeing in a theater. Pfffew.

The scenes with Maria Menounos are priceless. She absolutely deserves some kind of award for that performance. In the same way IMDb needs to add a zero rating for this specific movie, the Oscars need a brand new category for the role of Jennifer in Kicking It Old Skool. In fact, I've just decided to coin the acronym KIOS and use it whenever I see someone who is acting the way Maria acts in this movie.

I feel sorry for anyone who spent any money watching this movie. And to the 455 investors, your 10 star ratings were totally KIOS.

THE worst, most offensive movie I've ever seen

[prospero318 · 1/10 · 2 June 2007]

I'd heard Jamie Kennedy was funny. Whoever reported that was on crack. Kennedy makes Pauly Shore seem like Laurence Olivier.

I brought my 2 sons (11 and 13) to see this movie because one thought it looked funny. I'm a pushover for going to movies with them. I figure a movie with a PG-13 rating will not be crude or offensive, simply it will have a few curse words and possibly some implied sex.

I think I laughed once and thought my sons were laughing a little early on. When they got to the part about teaching the formerly comatose break dancer some moves for getting with his love interest (using a short fat Hispanic "actor" with a wig and bra as a sex doll -- he looked like Chewbacca with that wig. They showed him how to grope and squeeze his "boobs".), I was utterly offended because of what my children were seeing. I was about to tell my family we were leaving, when my 11 year old asked, "Can we GO, now?"

The rating was wrong. There should be a rating for offensive, insulting, pointless, no redeeming values. I only wish I had seen a manager on my way out so I could have gotten a refund. This is only the second movie I have ever walked out on in my life.

I agree with several of the other reviewers. I felt that my evening out was worse than ruined (we bought 4 tickets, 2 drinks and a tub of popcorn -- easily $40). Time was stolen from us. If I were a fighting man, I would already have beaten the crap out of the people who released this movie. I also agree that the positive comments could only be coming from people who made money on the movie, or who are friends. This ca-ca stinks. "Lex Luthor" Rosenbaum was fine in it. Christopher MacDonald must have been paid a lot to stoop this low. The love interest was good looking.

GARBAGE GARBAGE GARBAGE. I'm getting mad just thinking about how awful it was and how much it cost for that lesson. I will never watch a Jamie Kennedy movie again, unless he's uncredited and I didn't know he was in it. If this movie comes on TV and you have a chance to run away, do so. I'd rather watch a political debate with toothpicks under my fingernails.

Stuuuuuuupid

[ryan-539 · 1/10 · 19 August 2007]

Yep! "Stuuuuupid", thats what you got to be to go see this piece of junk.

Acting -> Stinks Direction -> Stinks Jokes -> so badly setup you see them coming a mile away, some oldies might smile a couple of times thinking back... but thats it, nothing really funny the whole damn movie.

Overall, made really cheap and it shows.

I am willing to bet my, and my future kids testicles in saying this is going to flop SO badly because you have to be an utter moron to like a movie like this, even taking into consideration that there are many morons out there... this would be too much for a large majority of them too.

Fun movie...

[utyuh-1 · 7/10 · 29 April 2007]

This movie was fun and witty in my opinion. I went just looking for some laughs. Myself and everyone in the theater was laughing the entire time. Rosenbaum (Kip) played an excellent jerk and I find his versatility as an actor impressive. Going from a drama (Lex Luthor of Smallville) to a witty comedy; I imagine is tough for most actors to pull off. As far as realism in a movie goes, this story line was pretty good. Is it a little far fetched, sure, but it's a movie and the intent is to be funny, not real. But the plot is tame, nobody is saving the world or surviving gun shots or performing impossible stunts like riding a motorcycle while doing and indo and shooting people. Overall, I thought the cast acted this story line out as well as it could have been. If you grew up in the 80's and are looking for some witty humor and good laughs, I think you'll really enjoy this movie.

What a disappointment

[bklatsky · 1/10 · 24 November 2007]

In a moment of self-vindication, Jamie Kennedy's love interest tells him that the most beautiful part about him is that he doesn't try to act like an adult. Therein lies the fault of Kickin' It Old School, its assumption that there is something virtuous in acting like a 13 year old, and an immature one at that, especially when it's writers are thirty something, and throwing their best material into the mix. To that end, Jamie Kennedy pulls out every trick in the book including fat jokes, gay jokes, racial slurs, bathroom humor, sex jokes, violence, Jewish jokes, retard jokes, a barrage of un-funny parodies of 80's wardrobe, dated colloquialisms, and over-played and un-original jokes resulting from a 20 year coma in a tragic attempt to mix back to the future, you got served, and some Adam Sandler movie. The abundant product placements and celebrity cameos makes it clear that Kennedy tried as hard to fund this film as he did to make it funny, calling in every favor and taking every opportunity to give a product unnecessary and often distracting camera time. For a film with so much corporate backing, one might expect camera and lighting work that was at least decent enough not to detract from an already lacking project. Luckily, the guest stars in the film didn't have much reputation to loose, since the product of their efforts is nothing short of a cataclysmic failure. Somewhere between a fat joke and a TiVo plug, there's an uninteresting and hackneyed plot about a desperate loser who has to do something big to win something back, imagine Happy Gilmore but with humor replaced with break dancing. This is what you'll get from Kennedy's Kickin' it Old School which features Kennedy as an adolescent boy in a 30-year-olds body who has just woken up from a 20 year coma to find out that the world has changed and has wholly passed him by. He must reunite his dance team and win a break dancing competition to pay off expensive medical bills and save his house, win the girl back from his evil nemesis, etc. etc. Perhaps Kennedy lost me when he started rubbing his fat best friends breasts, thankfully covered in a bra, but it seems that he often forgets which subplot he's working with, or rather what the main plot is altogether. If Kennedy seems convincing as a man with a 13-year-old mind, which he does not, it may be due to the fact that his humor never quite developed past a pubescent mentality. Maria Menunos seems oddly overwhelmed by a role that really should have been easy to pass off just on good looks. Kennedy himself is erratic, immature, and awkward with unkempt hair that parallels the movies and Kennedys lost sense of direction. Miguel Nunez Jr. revives the awkwardness that defeated Juana Man some years ago, a film with a plot and a performance about as disappointing as this one. Bobby Lee slips in and out of a stereotypical Asian parody that becomes MIT alum when he whips out his big vocabulary words, he is much more effective and funny in sketch comedy when he is no forced to extend his performance for more than five minutes. Michael Rosenbaum is refreshingly comedic in the light of his feeble co-stars. At one point in the film, Kennedy's character comments that his dancing crew is just a bunch of 30 year old guys acting like losers since they are stuck in a 13 year old mentality, This proves to be the most interesting moment in the film since the viewer is left to wonder whether the dialogue pertains to the plot only or is perhaps an introspective excursion for Kennedy himself. If it is, the 30 year old loser wins in the end, so Kenned can be seen as optimistic at best. If there seem to be too many suicide or death jokes in the movie, perhaps Kennedy is recognizing his failure and subtly suggesting something to the audience, were all ears. Ultimately, the audience is left wishing that Kennedy's character had not come out of a coma, or at least that they could be put into one for the remainder of the film.

Great movie for anyone who grew up in the 80's

[swimguard · 8/10 · 10 August 2006]

i saw this movie last night at a sneak preview. i wasn't expecting a whole lot from this movie except maybe some cheesy one liners that would get a laugh. the movie actually had me laughing the whole time. the sound track is excellent! the movie has so many references to the 80's! it was great. the basis of the movie is a kid has a break dancing accident and goes into a coma for 20 years. this concept of the kid having to grow up in a hurry reminded me of movies like 13 going on 30 or Big but what separated this movie from others like it is he didn't grow up because of some wish or magic Gennie. the circumstance of him being in a coma and waking up 20 years later was much more realistic.

i definitely recommend seeing this movie if you grew up in the 80's!

As appealing as acid-washed jeans.

[kevin-goodwin2012 · 7/10 · 3 December 2012]

After cringing through Son of the Mask in 2005, I was convinced that trying to be funny could not get any worse for Jamie Kennedy. ... I was wrong that things couldn't get worse and the funniest thing about Kickin' It Old Skool, yet another in a long line of not particularly funny Kennedy movies, is how little we actually have advanced since the '80s.. may be the reunion of the multi-ethnic Funky Fresh Boys triggers a fusillade of un-PC misfires as the not-so-fab four try to alleviate their personal woes by entering an American Idol-esque dance-troupe contest.

Kevin Peterson http://www.schoolanduniversity.com

I would like nearly two hours of my life back

[charlie_peck · 1/10 · 18 March 2008]

I rarely hate films; in fact the only other film I have been genuinely annoyed at having subjected myself to watching was date movie. Personally I find it hard to distinguish between the two as to which is worse. this is just so terrible. the acting is awful, the script is unfunny and, putting it bluntly, crap, the humour is that of a 9 year old, the plot line is rubbish and the whole movie is such an utterly pitiful attempt at a comedy. IT IS A WASTE OF TIME TO EVEN BOTHER WATCHING THIS. FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!!!!!

Here are the facts how I see them:

1. I watch a lot of films

2. I am very tolerant of films and rarely dislike them

3. I passionately, from the depths of my heart, hate this movie.

4. However pointless, I hate the producers and writers of this film for making such a Appalling movie, and even more for subjecting it to the public.

I will repeat again, DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!