A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

William Richert

Writer:

William Richert (novel)

Release Date:

21 July 1988 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

He's got 24 hours to convince the one girl he really loves that he's honest, faithful, and fully committed. It's going to be a long night.

Plot:

A recent high school graduate is faced with two options, either go to a business school where his father wants him to go to...

Plot Keywords:

Car Accident | Female To Male Foot In Crotch | Class Differences | 1960s | Chicago

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

River Phoenix	...	Jimmy Reardon
Ann Magnuson	...	Joyce Fickett
Meredith Salenger	...	Lisa Bentwright
Ione Skye	...	Denise Hunter
Louanne	...	Suzie Middleberg
Matthew Perry	...	Fred Roberts (as Matthew L. Perry)
Paul Koslo	...	Al Reardon
Jane Hallaren	...	Faye Reardon
Jason Court	...	Mathew Hollander
James Deuter	...	Mr. Spaulding
Marji Banks	...	Emma Spaulding
Margaret Moore	...	Mrs. Bentwright
Anastasia Fielding	...	Elaine
Kamie Harper	...	Rosie Reardon
Johnny Galecki	...	Toby Reardon

Also Known As:

Aren't You Even Gonna Kiss Me Goodbye? (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | USA:R | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Island Pictures

Trivia:

The parents of lead actor (River Phoenix) asked director (William Richert) to remove a line by character Joyce Fickett in which she states to Jimmy Reardon; "Jimmy, I want to fuck you", fearing that it would affect their 16 year old sons relationship with his tween fan base. Richert refused to remove it completely but muted the line instead.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Jimmy and Fred eat at the diner, "Just One Look" is playing. The film is set in 1962; "Just One Look" was released in 1963.

Quotes:

Jimmy Reardon: Lisa, Aren't you even gonna kiss me goodbye?

Movie Connections:

References A Summer Place (1959)

Soundtrack:

SHOP AROUND

Revenge of the 80's: River Phoenix superstar!

A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988) was another starring vehicle for River Phoenix. The film is filled with a lot of teen stars that paraded around on the silver screen during the eighties. But unlike the teen comedies of today, these were rated R are just rated that way to get more of their core viewers. This was a great era for River Phoenix. He was starring like in every other big production that came out of Hollywood. But like all the stars, they eventually come down hard and River Phoenix was no exception.

The movie is about the life of a wild teen. He has all sorts of adventures and conquests. His home life is also a battlefield. Dealing with his absent father and girlfriend take a toll on his personal life as well as his school life. That is also a problem. At his age many kids are at a crossroads on what to do with their adult life. Go to school or get a job like his old man. What is a rapscallion like Jimmy going to do? Until that one wild night comes and passes.

Just another run-of-the-mill teen comedy from the eighties. Except this one's a River Phoenix starring vehicle. Nothing more, nothing less.

Recommended for fans of eighties films.