''Jumpin' Jack Flash'' is a 1986 American spy

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

starring

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ...

. The film was directed by

Penny Marshall Carole Penny MarshallBorn Carole Penny Marshall in 1943, as per ''My Mother Was Nuts, a Memoir'', p. 10; . Copyright 2012 (October 15, 1943 – December 17, 2018) was an American actress, film director, and producer. She is best known for ...

in her theatrical film

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many filmmakers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

. The soundtrack has two versions of the song "

Jumpin' Jack Flash "Jumpin' Jack Flash" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released as a non-album single in 1968. Called "supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London" by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, the song was seen as the band's retu ...

": the original by

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

, and a cover by

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

in the end credits. Franklin's version was not on the film's soundtrack album but was released as a single.

Plot

In New York City, Terry Doolittle is an eccentric but talented, helpful, and well-liked computer operator working for First National Bank. Terry regularly uses her computer to remotely communicate with and advise others around the world during her working day. Late one night, Terry is messaged by "Jumping Jack Flash," someone who claims to be a

British Intelligence The Government of the United Kingdom maintains several intelligence agencies that deal with secret intelligence. These agencies are responsible for collecting, analysing and exploiting foreign and domestic intelligence, providing military intell ...

agent trapped in

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

and pursued by the

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

. Unable to make contact with his superiors, Jack asks Terry for help after she demonstrates her intelligence by cracking his encryption password based on their shared like of rock band

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

. Jack requests that Terry deliver a coded message to Department C at the British consulate, but a staff member, Jeremy Talbot, claims no such department exists and cannot understand the message. A computer technician later arrives at First National to inspect Terry's computer but when she calls security to check who sent him, the man disappears. Jack asks Terry to recover from his apartment a frying pan on which is concealed contact information for fellow agents, Mark Van Meter, Peter Caen, Archer Lincoln, and Harry Carlson. While there, someone photographs Terry and posts it on Jack's door to intimidate her. Returning to her taxi, the technician takes her hostage but she hits him with the pan and jumps out of the vehicle. Terry can only reach Van Meter, who agrees to meet her by the

East River The East River is a saltwater Estuary, tidal estuary or strait in New York City. The waterway, which is not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island, ...

. However, they are ambushed and Van Meter is shot dead after pushing Terry into the river for safety. At his funeral, Terry meets an unhelpful Lincoln and Carlson's wife, Liz, who believes Harry is with Jack. Terry messages Jack, who deduces Harry must have died after they were separated. Jack asks Terry to undertake a high-risk mission by breaking into the consulate and accessing the computer system during the Queen's anniversary ball. She infiltrates the event disguised as a singer and Liz helps distract Talbot while Terry connects a device to the computer so she can access it remotely. The following night, Terry remotely accesses the consulate computer to secure an exit route for Jack but Talbot disables the device before she finishes. Terry visits Liz's home for advice but finds it abandoned and Lincoln waiting for her. He confirms that Harry is dead and his family has been relocated and given new identities for protection. The following morning, Terry persuades Jack's ex-girlfriend Lady Sarah Billings, now wife of the

consul general A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

, to arrange a new exit route for Jack. Terry is later abducted by the technician and his accomplices on the city streets but incapacitates the technician and escapes. She transmits the new plan to Jack before being recaptured by Talbot and his men. She deduces that Talbot is a mole for the KGB and he wants Jack, who he has framed for his crimes, dead because he learned the truth. The exit route was provided to Sarah by Talbot as a trusted consul advisor and it will lead Jack into a trap. Terry bluffs that she gave Jack a different exit route, preventing them from killing her immediately, and she successfully flees to the office to warn Jack. However, Talbot and his men assault the office, forcing Terry's co-workers to take cover, but her new colleague Marty shoots the men dead while Terry incapacitates Talbot. Marty reveals he is actually Peter Caen and supplies Jack with a safe exit route. Before losing contact with Jack, Terry reminds him to meet her for a date. Terry waits at a restaurant for Jack but Peter arrives to tell her that Jack is stuck in England. Sometime later, Terry has been promoted to oversee her office, but she remains sad at Jack letting her down. She receives new messages from Jack which reveal he can see her and she turns to meet him for the first time; he invites her to dinner.

Cast

as Teresa "Terry" Doolittle, a well-liked bank employee with a wry attitude toward life *

Stephen Collins Stephen Weaver Collins (born October 1, 1947) is an American former actor. He is known for playing Eric Camden on the WB/ CW television series '' 7th Heaven'' from 1996 to 2007. Afterwards, Collins played the roles of Dayton King on the ABC ...

as Marty Phillips, a new employee at First National Bank * John Wood as Jeremy Talbot, a worker at the British Consulate in New York City *

Carol Kane Carolyn Laurie Kane (born June 18, 1952) is an American actress. She gained recognition for her role in '' Hester Street'' (1975), for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She became known in the 1970s and 1980s in ...

as Cynthia, a co-worker and friend of Terry's at First National Bank *

Annie Potts Anne Hampton Potts (born October 28, 1952) is an American actress. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for '' Corvette Summer'' (1978) and won a Genie Award for '' Heartaches'' (1981), before appearing in ''Ghostbusters'' (1984), ''Pretty ...

as Liz Carlson, another CIA agent and longtime friend of Jack * Peter Michael Goetz as Mr. Page, the manager of First National Bank and Terry's boss *

Roscoe Lee Browne Roscoe Lee Browne (May 2, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American actor and theatre director, director. He resisted playing Stereotypes of African Americans, stereotypically black roles, instead performing in several productions with New York Ci ...

as Archer Lincoln * Sara Botsford as Lady Sarah Billings, one of Jack's former romantic contacts *

Jeroen Krabbé Jeroen Aart Krabbé (; born 5 December 1944) is a Dutch actor, film director and painter with a successful career in both Dutch- and English-language films. He is best known to international audiences for his leading roles in the Paul Verhoeven ...

as Mark Van Meter * Vyto Ruginis as Carl, KGB agent *

Jonathan Pryce Sir Jonathan Pryce (born John Price; 1 June 1947) is a Welsh actor. He is known for his performances on stage and in film and television. He has received numerous awards, including two Tony Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards as well as nom ...

as Jack, a

DIS Dis, DIS or variants may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Dis (album), ''Dis'' (album), by Jan Garbarek, 1976 * ''Dís'', a soundtrack album by Jóhann Jóhannsson, 2004 * "Dis", a song by The Gazette from the 2003 album ''Hankou Seimeib ...

agent trapped in an unnamed

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...

country * Teagan Clive as Russian Exercise Woman. In addition, a number of then current and future players from ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'' appeared in smaller roles, including

Jon Lovitz Jonathan Michael Lovitz ( ; born July 21, 1957) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1985 to 1990 for which he was nominated for two Pr ...

Phil Hartman Philip Edward Hartman (; September 24, 1948 – May 28, 1998) was a Canadian-American comedian, actor, screenwriter and graphic designer. Hartman was born in Brantford, Ontario, and his family moved to the United States when he w ...

(credited as Phil E. Hartmann),

Jim Belushi James Adam Belushi (; born June 15, 1954) is an American actor and comedian. His television roles include ''Saturday Night Live'' (1983–1985), ''According to Jim'' (2001–2009), and '' Good Girls Revolt'' (2015–2016). Belushi appeared in fi ...

and

Michael McKean Michael John McKean (; born October 17, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, singer, and musician. Over his career he has received a Grammy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. ...

Tracey Ullman Tracey Ullman (born Trace Ullman; 30 December 1959) is a British-American actress, singer, dancer, screenwriter, producer, and director. Despite being frequently referred to as a comedian, Ullman considers herself a character actress. Critics h ...

appears in a cameo role, and the director’s daughter, Tracy Reiner, plays a secretary. Comedian

Sam Kinison Samuel Burl Kinison ( ; December 8, 1953 – April 10, 1992) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. A former Pentecostal preacher, he performed stand-up routines that were characterized by intense sudden tirades, punctuated with his distin ...

, who was dating director Penny Marshall at the time, was offered the role of Jack, but Whoopi Goldberg nixed the deal, causing Marshall and Kinison to end their relationship and starting a bitter feud between Kinison and Goldberg.

Production

The film was produced by Lawrence Gordon under the production companies Lawrence Gordon Productions and

Twentieth Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

. Production of the film, originally conceived as a vehicle for

Shelley Long Shelley Long (born August 23, 1949) is an American actress, singer, and comedian. For her role as Diane Chambers on the sitcom ''Cheers'', Long received five Emmy nominations, winning in 1983 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. S ...

, was problematic. The script was troubled and often was rewritten on the set.Abramowitz, Rachel (2000). ''Is That a Gun in Your Pocket? Women's Experience of Power in Hollywood''. New York: Random House. . pp. 296–298. Principal photography for ''Jumpin' Jack Flash'' began on November 11, 1985 in New York City. Various locations in the city, including the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...

and

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

, were used to depict the film's different settings. After just ten days of filming in New York City, production was shut down and moved to Hollywood, due to creative differences between the studio and director

Howard Zieff Howard Burton Zieff (October 21, 1927 – February 22, 2009) (pronounced Zeef) was an American director, television commercial director, and advertising photographer. Early life Zieff was born to Jewish parents in Chicago, Illinois, then mo ...

, who left the project, as did producer Marvin Worth. It remains uncertain whether the footage shot in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

prior to the production shutdown was incorporated into the final version of the film.

replaced Zieff as director and

Joel Silver Joel Silver (born July 14, 1952) is an American film producer. Life and career Silver was born and raised in South Orange, New Jersey, the son of a writer and a public relations executive. His family is Jewish. He attended Columbia High School ...

also came in as producer. Upon assuming the directorial duties, Marshall called in Marty Kurzfeld and Christopher Thompson to further rework the screenplay.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album was released on LP and cassette by

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...

, and later reissued on compact disc by Spectrum. # "Set Me Free" - René & Angela (4:23) # "

A Trick of the Night "A Trick of the Night" is a mid-tempo ballad recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It was written and produced by Steve Jolley and Tony Swain and released as the final single from Bananarama's album '' True Confessions''. The song was re ...

" -

Bananarama Bananarama is an English pop group formed in London in 1980. The group, originally a trio, consisted of friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when ...

(4:37) # " Misled" -

Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B, soul music, soul, and funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964. Its founding members include brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell (musician), Ronald Bell (also known as " ...

(4:21) # " Rescue Me" -

Gwen Guthrie Gwendolyn Guthrie (July 9, 1950 – February 3, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter and pianist who also sang backing vocals for Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Peter Tosh, The Limit and Madonna, among others, and who wrote son ...

(4:32) # "Hold On" - Billy Branigan (4:04) # "

" -

(3:37) # "Window to the World" - Face to Face (3:21) # "

You Can't Hurry Love "You Can't Hurry Love" is a song originally recorded by the Supremes on the Motown label. It was released on July 25, 1966 as the second single (music), single from their studio album ''The Supremes A' Go-Go''. Written and produced by Motown p ...

" -

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...

(2:44) # "Breaking the Code" -

Thomas Newman Thomas Montgomery Newman (born October 20, 1955) is an American composer, conductor and orchestrator. He is best known for his film scores, earning accolades of six Grammy Award, Grammy Awards, an Emmy Awards, Emmy Award, two British Academy F ...

(3:41) # "Love Music" - Thomas Newman (2:47) The original versions of "Set Me Free" (by

the Pointer Sisters The Pointer Sisters are an American female vocal group from Oakland, California, who achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. They have had a repertoire with many genres, they have sold around 50 million records throughout their ...

) and "Rescue Me" (by

Fontella Bass Fontella Marie Bass (; July 3, 1940 – December 26, 2012) was an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter best known for her number-one R&B hit " Rescue Me" in 1965. She was nominated for a Grammy Award twice. Early life Fontella Bass was bor ...

) are heard in the film, rather than the covers on the soundtrack album.

Reception

''Jumpin' Jack Flash'' received generally negative reviews from critics upon its release.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' praised Goldberg's performance but felt that she was harnessed to "an exhausted screenplay—an anthology of old ideas and worn-out clichés."

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who was the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in 2000. ...

of ''The New York Times'' blamed the failures of the film on its director, stating "Miss Marshall directs ''Jumpin' Jack Flash'' as if she were more worried about the decor than the effect of the performance." On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, 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 ...

, it has an approval rating of 33% based on reviews from 24 critics, with an average rating of 4.2/10. On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the film received a score of 52 based on 13 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Although it was not well received by critics, the film was a modest success at the box office, opening at the #3 spot and making nearly $30 million in domestic sales. Audiences polled by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...

gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.

Home media

The film was released on Blu-ray by

Anchor Bay Entertainment The revived Anchor Bay Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company owned by Umbrelic Entertainment co-founders Thomas Zambeck and Brian Katz. Anchor Bay Entertainment markets and releases "new release genre ...

. on May 28, 2013.

References

External links

* * * *
Review of ''Jumpin' Jack Flash''
at TVGuide.com {{Authority control 1986 films 1980s spy comedy films 1986 thriller films 20th Century Fox films American comedy thriller films American spy comedy films 1980s chase films Techno-thriller films 1986 directorial debut films Films about computing Films about identity theft Films directed by Penny Marshall Films produced by Joel Silver Films produced by Lawrence Gordon Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City Silver Pictures films Films scored by Thomas Newman Films with screenplays by Charles Shyer 1986 comedy films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films English-language action thriller films Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award–winning films