''Johnny Be Good'' is a 1988 American
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
directed by
Bud S. Smith, starring
Anthony Michael Hall
Michael Anthony Hall (born April 14, 1968), known professionally as Anthony Michael Hall, is an American actor best known for his leading role as Johnny Smith in '' The Dead Zone'' from 2002 to 2007. He also rose to fame starring in films with ...
as the main character, Johnny Walker. The film also features
Robert Downey Jr.
Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965) is an American actor and producer. His career has been characterized by critical and popular success in his youth, followed by a period of substance abuse and legal troubles, before a resurgence of ...
,
Paul Gleason
Paul Xavier Gleason (May 4, 1939 – May 27, 2006) was an American film and television actor. He was known for his roles on television series such as '' All My Children'' and films such as ''The Breakfast Club'', ''Trading Places'', and ''Di ...
,
Steve James,
Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly (born Jennifer Ellen Chan; September 16, 1958) is an American–Canadian actress and poker player. Known for her distinctive voice and comedic timing, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, two MTV Movie Awards and three Sa ...
and
Uma Thurman
Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress and former model. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 an ...
. Former
Chicago Bears quarterback
Jim McMahon and sportscaster
Howard Cosell
Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...
make cameo appearances. Despite starring famous actors and comedians, the film was both a critical and financial failure, grossing $18 million. Hall's performance as a
jock was panned by critics.
Judas Priest,
Saga and
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock ...
, among others, contributed to the soundtrack. The title track, "
Johnny B. Goode", originally recorded by
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
, was
re-recorded by Judas Priest for their album, ''
Ram It Down
''Ram It Down'' is the eleventh studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 13 May 1988 by Columbia Records. It was the band's last album to feature longtime drummer Dave Holland, and was promoted in Europe and North ...
''.
Plot
Johnny Walker, a student at fictitious Ashcroft High School, is the top high school quarterback prospect in the nation, and is being heavily recruited by many schools. His best friend, Leo Wiggins, thinks he should hold out for the best offer while his girlfriend, Georgia, wants him to go to State University with her and get a solid education.
The various colleges offer him everything he could possibly want — hot girls, cars, cash, free room and board, etc. One school even buys Leo a car, while another offers to provide him with male companions if he isn't interested in women. His coach, Wayne Hisler (whom Johnny hates), even tries to sell him out by striking a deal with one of the interested colleges to become their next head coach, if Johnny signs their scholarship offer.
Although he has all the skills a coach would want in a quarterback, Johnny is unsure where he wants to go. Being tempted by the offers, praise, and attention, his ability to make good decisions is blurred. Johnny begins to get a "big head", which irritates his family. After he returns home dressed in a gaudy outfit, his mother reminds him not to forget about what's important. Johnny visits State University, and asks the head coach what he can do for him in order to convince Johnny to sign with State. The coach tells Johnny he will give him a scholarship, a good education, and a chance to earn the starting QB job, and that's all he'll give him. He tells Johnny that he is headed for a lot of trouble if he signs with the colleges that are giving him gifts and money, which is a violation of NCAA rules. Johnny dismisses him out-of-hand.
Later that night, Johnny and Leo end up in a motel room with three girls. Chief Elkans, the local sheriff (and Georgia's strict father, who has a grudge against Johnny), then turns up after the girls falsely accuse them of rape. Coach Hisler visits the two in the local jail, and tells Johnny that either he can sign with Piermont University, the college that hired Hisler, so they can both prosper, or he can end up in prison on the fake charges for a long time, which would jeopardize Johnny's career. While sitting in jail, Johnny discovers that Leo had something to do with his predicament, and is disappointed in him. Nevertheless, Johnny forgives Leo.
On Signing Day, the entire world watches his press conference with anticipation. Coach Hisler then calls the other four top prospects from Johnny's high school team up onto the stage with him and Johnny, where he announces that they will all be at Piermont that next school year, with Hisler as head coach, and Johnny as quarterback. When Johnny has a chance to speak, he talks about the embarrassment and shame he has put on his family, friends and mostly himself. Johnny then decides that he would rather not play than to be treated special just for being able to throw a football, thus also choosing not to sign with Piermont or any schools. The Walker family and Georgia are pleased with Johnny's decision, but Hisler, refusing to accept this as fact, threatens him. When the other four players refuse to sign with Piermont as well, everyone begins to go crazy. Floyd Gondole, the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
recruitment investigator comes on stage, and announces that since day one he's been
watching the recruitment of Johnny very closely. He then states several of the worst offending colleges will be under investigation for recruiting violations, including Ol' Tex & UCC (the first two colleges Johnny visited), and Piermont, the latter who framed Johnny and Leo for rape. Afterwards, many of the other schools think they still have a chance to sign him, and beg him to reconsider them. The sports agent causes a huge melee, but Johnny walks away with Leo and Georgia.
He is then seen running down a hallway to the office of an unknown Athletic Director. It turns out to be Ned Sanders, the head coach of State University, who accepts Johnny, and officially offers him a scholarship, after he says that he just wants a good education and a chance to play football. After signing with State, he drives off with Georgia and Leo.
Over the credits, you see Johnny playing the drums while watching the collateral damage for all of the people caught in the recruitment scandal (including his former coach, who is in jail).
Cast
Filming
In part, filming took place in Texas including
Georgetown,
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
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, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
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, and
New Braunfels
New Braunfels ( ) is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas known for its German Texan heritage. It is the seat of Comal County. The city covers and had a population of 90,403 as of the 2020 Census. A suburb just north ...
. The San Antonio school campuses of
Thomas Jefferson High School,
Alamo Heights High School
Alamo Heights High School is a public high school located in the city of Alamo Heights, Texas and is the only high school in the Alamo Heights Independent School District.
Athletics
The Alamo Heights Mules compete in the following sports:
Cheerl ...
and
University of the Incarnate Word
The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) is a private, Catholic university with its main campus in San Antonio and Alamo Heights, Texas. Founded in 1881 by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, the university's main campus is located o ...
were used as the backdrop of the film.
Reception
The film was a
box office bomb
A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...
. It also received negative reviews. At review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, as of August 2022, ''Johnny Be Good'' had a 0% rating, based on 18 reviews, with an average score of 3/10. On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
the film has a
weighted average score of 10 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "Overwhelming dislike".
Soundtrack
Track listing
Awards and nominations
Nugent's contribution to the soundtrack, "Skintight", earned nomination for a 1988
Golden Raspberry Award
The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic under-achievements. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, ...
as
Worst Original Song.
References
External links
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*
*
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*{{AFI film, id=58808, title=Johnny Be Good
1988 films
1980s high school films
1980s sports comedy films
1980s teen comedy films
American sports comedy films
American teen comedy films
1980s English-language films
Films shot in San Antonio
Films shot in New Braunfels, Texas
High school football films
Orion Pictures films
1988 comedy films
1980s American films