Real Men

I really like this film. It has a simple charm to it that wins you over. I remember the night I watched it - pouring rain like crazy, feeling bummed, and then this came on tv. It picked me right up, out of my low spirits, and what would have been a boring evening at home turned into some real laughs. I haven't forgotten that, and I won't forget "real men". It's really a sweet, funny film.

This was one of those movies that was silly enough to expect anything, but just normal enough to be unsure of what to expect.

Bob Wilson (John Ritter) is a perfectly normal guy. He has the fortune (or misfortune) of looking exactly like agent Pillbox who was killed. Agent Pillbox was in charge of making a critical exchange with some aliens (yes, I said some aliens). Being that the aliens would only accept Pillbox for their exchange the CIA hustled Bob into being the guy. Agent Nick Pirandello (James Belushi) was the special agent in charge of acquiring and protecting Bob as they made a cross country journey to Washington D.C. to make the all important trade.

The movie is funny at times, dull at other times, and you can't ignore the fact that the plot is on the bizarre side. Could I be spending my time doing something better? Yes. Was this movie entertaining enough to fill 90 minutes of empty time? Yes.

Man, you realllllllly have to have a broad sense of humor for this one. It totally has to hit you the right way, or it could easily end up on your worst of all time list. Which is only one of two places it could end up. You either love it, or despise it, I can't imagine there being a middle ground for anyone. You could write an entire review (which I probably will) moreso on the type of humor in the film, than the actual film content itself. Well, here, I'll try anyway. Belushi is a confident, expertly trained CIA agent who knows all the right moves. Ritter is a look-a-like of a dead agent who the CIA needs to help deliver a message to aliens (see, here we go). Belushi pseudo-kidnapps Ritter to go along with the mission, which is where the laughs really began for me. Ritter's angry resistance is so hilarious and Belushi's sauveness is extremely catchy. The film then turns into a road movie with Ritter going through a transformation from the wuss to a more confidant guy. The fever pitch of the film is the much mentioned clown fight with a classic line from Belushi of "No hittin' in the n*ts, allright?", then BANG, he delivers a foot to a clowns groin. Belushi starts to go a little soft toward the end and it's up to Ritter to (you ready for another one) deliver a glass of water to an alien-human in exchange for the secret to a better earth. Now, in just those few examples you can tell if you'd be in for the whole ride or not. As it is, it's only 85 minutes and was released to (if it was lucky) a hundred theaters. I didn't even mention Belushi swinging from a balcony by his shoelace(!) or the moment he feels up his FATHER. Something must be said as well for the music, which is itself, too, funny-stupid, an oddball mix of southern violin work and Italian mob music. The tone is set early so you are at least prepared for what you're in for. An absolutely dopey, silly comedy that may just hit you the right way.

This forgotten about film is a little guilty pleasure of mine. I have seen this movie many times in my life and have always enjoyed it. Seeing the rating on this website, perhaps I shouldn't apologize, because it seems others have enjoyed it as well.

It's a strange and kind of ridiculous movie that if you are able to throw logic out the window for laughs and a little bit of action you might enjoy. Jim Belushi plays super-CIA agent Nick Pirandello. He's like half James Bond and half MacGyver. He has been sent out to number one find the map to where the aliens are going to meet the humans to save the humanrace and number two find the right man for the job. That man is Bob Wilson played by John Ritter. He looks like the man who was originally set up to do the job. All the while making sure the map doesn't fall into the wrong hands. I know, I know it sounds quite silly and yes it is. But both Belushi and Ritter are very good in their roles and work quite well together. Another good thing is the film doesn't let up or give you two minutes to breathe which works best for a film like this one.

In a small role is James Le Gros who plays a local toughie Buddy McGruder who has stolen Bob's son's bike. A very interesting note to me as well is there are a couple scenes where Ritter is being faced with clowns that he may have to fight. 3 years later he starred in Stephen King's IT about a crazed clown named Pennywise.

Why lie? It's a movie of nonsense. It's John Ritter and John Belushi at their funniest by being themselves. From the music do Belushi'a humor to the silliness of Ritter it's a smack out of the park home. Why not a 10/10? Ehhhh that would be a perfect movie, but for what it is, 8 for sure. There's so many times to LAUGH YOUR ASS OFF from the clown scene to where Ritter thinks he's shooting them with a finger gun, to the scene with Belushi's family. Oh, it's a rare movie you can actually watch in full on YouTube too. But from seeing this as a boy on ch11 WPIX on weekend afternoons to loving it growing up, it's timeless silliness. Let's be honest, it's not Emmy quality, but they weren't trying for it, and it's just a fun flick that makes you laugh in nearly every scene and that alone makes you truly appreciate it.