Joey

Joey is your typical cheesy 80's movie, but nevertheless is one of my favorites. It deals with a young guy finding love and mending a broken relationship with his father. A sub plot is the father putting his life back together in the aftermath of his wife's death. If you like Do-wop music, Joey has a good bit of it.

I don't remember Joey ever being in the cinema. I saw it as a high school kid on HBO and have probably watched it 20 times since. Joey truly is a cheesy movie, but it is also very much a feel good movie. If you're not a big fan of the 80's, Joey probably isn't for you, but if you are it is definitely a must see.

It may not say so in the film credits or be listed under "filming locations" but the school scenes in "Joey" were filmed at my high school - Jericho High School on Long Island, during the winter of 1983. I was Class of '84 and some of my classmates have minor roles, including Stu Lowitt as "Richard." Our gym teacher, Mrs. Schwartz, has a silent but memorable role.

I remember this being filmed during my junior year, and never really knew what became of it. Apparently it wasn't released for nearly 3 years, and even then, it must have had an extremely limited theatrical run, followed by late-night cable purgatory. It's virtually impossible to find now - don't hold your breath for the DVD release - but I recently tracked down an out-of-print VHS copy on Ebay.

It's far from a great film. Cheaply made, badly acted, poorly written - I still don't know why Joey is supposed to be such a rebel, other than he wears shirts with the sleeves cut off. I do have to admit it has its moments. The soundtrack isn't bad, especially the song "Tonight All Night." The dinner-table fight between Janie and her mother is one of the more realistic that I've seen on film. This film is also notable for the wimpiest-looking street gang in cinema history, the Lunatics.

This was a very good movie showing what has happened to some of the old stars of the Doo Wop era, and what happens near the end, I have actually seen at doo wop concerts. I Have the movie on VHS, and cannot wait for it to be available on DVD.

I am telling you right now; that this is one of the most fantastic films ever made. I remember seeing it on HBO just as other people did. I would have to say that this is the one film that I was truly inspired by. May be my views would change if I saw it again. I have not seen the movie in over ten years, and the problem is that I can't find it anywhere.

Claimed as a "story of a rock & roll rebel", JOEY misfires on being influentially dramatic, because it's too silly and cartoonish. Which is good, since the 80s teen phase needed some high-enough diversion. This might have sounded like another one of those "afterschool" specials that came on television, but it promises to be amusing. It is also a winning story, as we see a young high-school boy give his best shot at the music scene while struggling with the true father-and-son relationship. The music is a little poor in translation to 80s standards, but they sound as if they're familiar. You might spot a couple of legendary artists in this one, for their benefit in contributing to the "doo-wop" rock category. JOEY isn't bad as teenage fodder, but it might leave you expecting a better movie.