A James Dean wannabe (5 years after his death) tries to pull a "Rebel Without a Cause" and ends up fried punk when he fails to fall out of his vehicle during a game of chicken. The next thing you know, he's on the cleanest subway in the universe and in order to get into heaven must go back to Earth to help an 80's kid learn how to be cool. Jason Gedrick, the alleged geek, is actually pretty cool (just clumsy) without help, just surrounded by a bunch of nasty teenagers. Lewis Smith is the Dean wannabe who becomes an unlikely angel, and if you thought Dudley from "The Bishop's Wife" was unconventional, wait till you see how he deals with the teen brats picking on Gedrick.
There's obviously a reason why Smith was chosen for the job he's assigned to by Richard Mulligan, and that's the presence of his old girlfriend Jane Kaczmarek who happens to be Gedrick's mother. The Dean metaphor is indeed dated for the time period this is set in. Smith would have done better to have been emulating Elvis, and while he's likable, he doesn't really have the teen rebel attitude or look. Tossing bullies into all sorts of sticky foods doesn't really cut it although that's a great giggle factor for junior high senses of humor.
There seem to be dozens of comedies like this, either feature length for the big screen or TV movies and even TV sitcoms, so there's nothing really unique about it but there are some decent special effects and it definitely has a crowd-pleasing subject matter. Of course, people who grew up in the '80s are going to appreciate it all the more with the atmosphere appealing to that nostalgic mood. Mulligan is always fun to see as he is a definite scene stealer, but I wish he was on screen more.
There's obviously a reason why Smith was chosen for the job he's assigned to by Richard Mulligan, and that's the presence of his old girlfriend Jane Kaczmarek who happens to be Gedrick's mother. The Dean metaphor is indeed dated for the time period this is set in. Smith would have done better to have been emulating Elvis, and while he's likable, he doesn't really have the teen rebel attitude or look. Tossing bullies into all sorts of sticky foods doesn't really cut it although that's a great giggle factor for junior high senses of humor.
There seem to be dozens of comedies like this, either feature length for the big screen or TV movies and even TV sitcoms, so there's nothing really unique about it but there are some decent special effects and it definitely has a crowd-pleasing subject matter. Of course, people who grew up in the '80s are going to appreciate it all the more with the atmosphere appealing to that nostalgic mood. Mulligan is always fun to see as he is a definite scene stealer, but I wish he was on screen more.