User reviews

I borrowed it from work where we test TVs and yes, the movie isn't the greatest but does have one merit: It is a time capsule. The thing that got me was a lot of the seventies culture and life style in the movie is there, like the old pulse dial telephones, the old vehicles, like the yellow beatle, and the VW minibus. Oh, and there's the stubbies! Those old bear bottles, before bear bottles where what I know them to be today. That is what I watched the movie for.

Lame plot, yes, for sure, but it also had a very young John Candy (May he rest in peace) in it as well, and that says something for sure. This movie should be kept for time capsule reasons, and should also be kept as an example of what a poor movie looks like: Something film school students should watch for sure.

I must say that the blatantly false advertising used to sell this movie today is a disgrace. On the cover was a giant picture of John Candy with his name over the title, and the reverse said that he headed up the cast. However, when you watch the movie, you find an old '70s movie in which a much younger-looking John Candy plays a very small part.

Despite the false pretense under which I purchased the movie, I do believe it was still worth the watch. It is campily-humorous per the time period in which it was made, and includes the bonus of the appearance of Isaac Hayes as the lead's best friend. Though not one of my favorites by a long shot, its low-brow humor is entertaining enough for the price I paid. While some of those bargain bin movies have been bad enough to never merit a second glance, this one remains in my collection as worthy of an occasional viewing.

Rather rubbish.

1975's 'It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time' is supposed to be a comedy but I can't say I laughed, or even really chuckled, once, it's a bit of a slog to sit through; despite a short run time of 90 minutes.

A flick seemingly most known for being the second film role of John Candy, who I'm surprised to see got a spin-off from this with co-star Lawrence Dane - neither of them stood out to me to be honest, especially (the eventually great) Candy. Of the other cast members, Stefanie Powers is alright but Anthony Newley's character kinda irritated more than anything else unfortunately.

I shall still check out spin-off 'Find the Lady', in hope more than expectation that it'll be better than this - presumably with Candy as lead, it stands more of a chance than it otherwise would to be fair.

This is not a masterpiece of comedy. It's full of clichés, the editing is horrible, and the plot doesn't start until the last third of the film. That said, for all the camp and lameness, it's still a watchable and harmless bit of filmed cheese.

In a nutshell, the plot goes something like this: Sweeney (Anthony Newley) is a washed up playwright who seems to spend most of his time scamming his artist friend Moriarty (Issac Hayes) for petty cash and beer. He still has weekly lovemaking fests with his ex-wife Georgia (Stefanie Powers), who is unhappily married to a wealthy construction contractor (Henry Ramer). Her husband, for no obvious reason, wants to tear down Georgia's mother's house, so Georgia has been "helping" mayor-wannabe Burton (Llyod Bochner) in his campaign -- by which I mean sleeping with him. Sweeney does a variety of naughty things, presumably with the intention of winning back his ex, all of which end up in a fake kidnapping scam. The scam brings out two inept cops (John Candy and Lawrence Dane) who do little other than play the dupes. There are a few twists and turns, and a lot of predictable gags. The big finale is a chase scnene with cops dressed as garbage men, which leads to a happy ending.

Like I said, the film is harmless camp, but there are some things worth noting about it.

This was the first credited film role for John Candy, and although he has a very small part in the film, it's something of a nice surprise to see him looking so young, healthy and slim rather than the more time-worn late-career comic many of us remember.

It's a shame that British actor Anthony Newley never made much of an impression here in the states. He's like a low-rent Dudley Moore mixed with a touch of "The Horse's Mouth"-era Alec Guiness. The chemistry between Newley and Stefanie Powers actually DOES have chemistry. Unfortunately, the loose plot doesn't do much with this.

In a modern context, many of Newley's efforts to win back his ex would be considered very good grounds for a restraining order. Still, it's hard to sympathize with Powers' character, as she spends most of the film scheming on getting more money and power (arguably to save her mother's house from foreclosure), and having not-so-discreet affairs.

Issac Hayes does a passable job playing the cool and calm Moriarty, and was a good choice to play off Newley's frantic performance. He also has a very nice moment towards the end, where he drunkenly destroys all the plaster creations in his studio with a sledgehammer.

The rest of the cast is forgettable.

I'm sure that director John Trent wanted to make a fun bit of low-brow film, but he never seems to let the movie get quite as greasy as it really could. He hints at nudity and sex several times, but is afraid to show so much as a nipple or buttock cheek. In many of his gags, Trent seems afraid to follow the action, leaving many of the jokes only half-told. It makes for some very weak scenes.

The film's other major flaw is in the editing, which is choppy and awkward. The film jumps from one character and storyline to another for no obvious reason, and combined with the bizarre sound effects and bad pacing, the film has moments that are almost unwatchable.

Given the fact that I bought this film for $1 at a bargain bin at a Wal-Mart, there's very little to complain about. Why did I buy it? It seemed like a good ... well, you get the idea.

I might have given it a higher rating, if there was any way to figure out what was going on. Stephanie Powers is gorgeous. Yvonne DeCarlo has a great expressive face, that is wonderful to see. A young John Candy has a minor role, which was kind of fun. Some of the outfits and 1970's fashions were really awesome. Unfortunately, the plot is truly incomprehensible. The direction is uneven, at best. The script is deranged - there does not appear to be a real plot at all. I got to the last scene, and still did not know what the point of this movie was. All I can say is, it was a waste of a dollar at Walmart. Not to mention an hour and a half of my time. I cannot believe that a studio paid to have this movie made, let alone releasing it on DVD.

Well, let me just say, I'm a huge John Candy fan from way back. Was perusing the video shelf at a local store, and wow,, John Candy's face jumps out at me. ! Thought I had seen most if not all of his movies. Big photo of John and a description of some guy and his marital problems. So i figure not every one makes a movie that is well know so I buy hoping to watch a good, but rather unknown, Candy film. Well, this isn't a Candy film. It's from 1975!!!! Well before he was star. Cheap way to see a movie I think. It' like putting the kid's face from Forest Gump , who sat in the back of the bus and said "Hey Forest" on the cover because years later he became a star. Oh well, that's life. Just saying if you think this is a John Candy film - it's not.

I saw this movie at the grocery checkout for $3.99 with John Candy's face on the cover and thought it would be a funny movie to check out. The synopsis provided on the back started off, "John Candy heads a hilarious all star cast in this laugh a minute comedy . . ." Needless to say, the movie tries to go in too many different directions without going anywhere at all. If you can overlook the bad video editing, sound effects, music, bad acting (from some of the cast), etc, you still have difficulty getting through the plot (if you can call it that). Stephanie Powers, Anthony Newley & Isaac Hayes perform well, but nothing can save the script and pointless story. Yvonne DeCarlo's character has no point in this movie and John Candy appears in only a handful of scenes with a few lines. A real disappointment.

This pathetic comedy has precious few redeeming qualities, and is more proof of how Canada was all too willing to help make a barrage of horrible films in the 1970's and early eighties. There are several recognizable faces in the movie, but none of them shine with such a dumb script. Isaac Hayes, Stefanie Powers, John Candy, and Anthony Newley (who I will never forgive for Hieronymus Merkin) all fail to breathe life into this moronic film. Worse yet, this film spawned an equally bad sequel. Avoid both at all costs.

The title of this movie pretty much sums up my viewing experience.

Most versions of this film apparently have John Candy on the cover, but after the first hour of the film passes, you'll be asking "where the hell is John Candy?" And you'll be sorely disappointed with his lack of screen time.

This movie is a comedy, but it really just isn't funny. It doesn't even fit "so bad that it's funny" category. It is just BAD.

Seriously, good luck figuring out the plot: I think it has something to do with a house that somebody doesn't want wrecked. It really doesn't even matter. Nothing about this is funny. It is torturous.

I feel sad that this was ever made.

I was surprised to obtain a DVD as a gift featuring John Candy in a film unknown to me. Now I know why. This is a shameless way to sell film. The movie itself was harmless, and although it featured actors with fine screen credits, the story was too ambiguous to follow. It could be used in film school to illustrate to students how not to edit a film or write a screenplay. A little research showed that none of the actors ever submitted this 1975 excuse for a comedy to their list accomplishments, probably because it stayed in the can until 2004, waiting to cash in on the popularity of John Candy through the deceptive packaging of the DVD. None of the characters are ever developed, Yvonne DeCarlo's character is embarrassingly shallow, given the fact she was a big star in film during the 40's and 50's , her appearance is tantamount to Bela Lugosi's in "Plan 9 From Outer Space". She must have needed the $15 paycheck (Canadian). All the talent was there for a decent film, the director must have had no budget and 3 day rental of equipment. too bad. It only cost $2.99, but I'd rather have my 91 minutes back. This would have been a co-feature at the drive-in. Watchable, but forgettable.

I bought this thinking it was a John Candy movie. The DVD case has John's face on it and has his name at the top which is totally different than the cover shown on this page. It is no wonder the marketing department touted this as a John Candy movie since he is the only reason I bought it. Please, if you are a John Candy fan and have hopes that his is another one of his great movies...STAY AWAY!! He only has a few very short lines and it definitely isn't worth the wait to catch a glimpse of him. I feel like I was duped out of my money as this movie is truly a piece of garbage. It wasn't funny at all and I found myself fast-forwarding through it just to see the two or three scenes with John in them. Do yourself a huge favor and don't waste your time and/or money watching this so called movie. I will never get those 87 minutes back and will always regret buying the movie.

Hope this helps!!!

This is a good comedy from the SEVENTIES. It is not a "John Candy Movie". He is in it and play's a very good early John Candy, but more than that, it is an enjoyable movie from a time when comedy and slapstick took some thinking and not so many special effects and mindless humor. If you like early Peter Sellers or Monty Python you may also enjoy this. Stephany Powers is very funny and show's her "Heart to Heart" wit before it came about years later. Isaac Hayes is a great "side kick" and lends an artistic reality to the film that reminds me of people and art I so dearly miss. Yes, it is a dated comedy but is still well worth a viewing on a cold night when you just want to laugh and think about times past.

I understand that most people that have reviewed this mid-70s Canadian comedy may not agree with me, but I kind of liked this movie. Even though the opening credits might lean toward trying to be like THE PINK PANTHER with animation playing over the opening credits. The animation as well is not really all that good unfortunately.

The story is about a Labatt 50-slamming struggling artist named Sweeney (Anthony Newley) who is trying his best to win his ex-wife Georgina (Stefanie Powers) back. By his side he has the help of his best friend and roommate Moriarty (Isaac Hayes). To give you an idea he will stoop to any level including party crashing the ritzy and fabulous, creating laxative-laced salad and house-training a skunk. I believe it was filmed in Toronto and comes across to me as quite Canadian. I mean what is more Canadian than taking your empties back to get gas money?

Now I know you probably aren't going to solve the worlds problems watching this movie, but I enjoyed myself enough to give it a passing score. Also starring Yvonne De Carlo as Georgina's crazed mother Julia and with Lawrence Dane and late-great Canadian comic John Candy as bumbling cops Broom and Kopek. They later got their own movie a year later called 'Find the Lady'.

In other words, it seemed like a good idea to check this out at the library, but it was a waste of time. The cover is very misleading. I don't know if all the copies are like this, but the one I got has this big picture of John Candy, (looking about the way he looked in Only the Lonely) and a small picture of Stephanie Powers looking older (and with much darker hair than in the actual movie). I kept waiting for John Candy to appear, and barely tolerating the lowbrow humor and ridiculous plot, and low and behold, he finally appears in about the last half hour of the movie, looking young and baby-faced and much thinner than I've ever seen him before (more chubby than fat, to put it bluntly) and he barely has much of a part, and you don't learn much about his character at all. He's seen from the back and profile in much of his scenes. The cover of the movie leads you to believe there is more to his character, proclaiming, "A heart as big as all outdoors, and a body to match". This is probably a comment on the actor personally, not the character he portrayed in this movie. It sounds like the perfect description for his character in "The Great Outdoors", "Uncle Buck" and just about any other movie he actually "starred" in. What a joke. And not a funny one, at that. If you're a John Candy fan, see any of his other movies, and mercifully pass this one up. You'll wonder, why did he bother? And more to the point, why did you? I'm glad I didn't fork out any money to view this stinker.

Oh those stupid hippies and their culture, already dead as this movie's ugly anti-hero Anthony Newley is against a politician for what exactly? We know nothing about what makes his target bad or whatever else? Meanwhile, Newley walks around with almost no clothes on while the gorgeous Stefanie Powers is covered up. The fact she's in love with this troll is proof that at one time, the uglier the British leading man, the more girls liked him for less reason that the politician here is a villain. Horrible, horrible. And John Candy is hardly in this.

Sweeney (Anthony Newley) and his friend Moriarty (Isaac Hayes) are both starving artists. He's having an affair with his ex-wife Georgina (Stefanie Powers) who is married to a rich greedy land developer. In one of his uglier business deals, he's trying to foreclose on Georgina's mother Julia. Sweeney likes to play pranks on Georgina and her lovers. He calls up her husband and pretends to demand a $100k ransom. The husband knows that it's a prank but calls the cops anyways for reasons other than her safety. Police detectives Broom and Kopek (John Candy) investigate.

Of course, I bought the DVD for the giant picture of John Candy. I have no illusion that he's the star of the movie. I've never heard of this movie and is just happy to see his early work. This is pre-SCTV and really early. He does say an iffy homophobic slur. He's not going full comedic. He's playing a part. The comedy comes from lead actor Anthony Newley. I've never heard of this English comedian/musician. All I can say is that I can see his vaudevillian comedic skills and he seems to have had a good career as a songwriter. In this movie, he fails to inject his role with much needed lovability. He needs to be John Belushi more than even John Candy. He's this movie's biggest flaw. It's also weak filmmaking. It's 1970's Canadian film. One can't expect much from its technical skills.

I was born in 1972. I grew up with 1970s humor, I still use a little bit of it and some of it is still funny to me today but this film is not. This is one of those comedies that falls flat. It's very predictable humor so that makes it unfunny: you know the skunk will spray before it does, you know he's going to get that stuff on him before he does - things like that. Its comedy that is over done, it's been done over and over before this film.

Watch this film for John Candy, Stephanie Powers and Issac Hayes ONLY... if you care to give this one a try someday. Go into this one with zero expectations because that's all that's here zero. It really is a shame, I like John Candy.

2/10

"It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time" has some funny scenes, but takes a little bit long to get going. Basically portraying the antics of a man (Anthony Newley) undermining a political campaign, it seems that they should have ended up with more given the material.

Probably the movie's most interesting aspect to us today is that it features a young John Candy (he plays a police detective). In fact, the sequel "Find the Lady" gave him a lead role. But other than that, this movie doesn't have much to itself. Truth be told, they did a really weird job recording the sound.

Also starring Stefanie Powers, Isaac Hayes, Lloyd Bochner and Yvonne DeCarlo.

It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time is not supposed to be a classic. it's just goofy fun. 80-90% of the movies made annually are just candy.

when a movie is this "bad"...it's interesting to just look at other aspects of it. the direction...writing...what possibly passed as humor at that time. i think its amusing to just "watch" people act. see the wheels turning in their eyes as their minds bring out the next line of dialog.

don't be hard on movies like "Good Idea". they are not supposed to stand the test of time. it's just candy.

This is one of the UNFUNNIEST comedies I've ever seen. Not only is the humor extremely lame and unenergetic, there aren't that many attempts at humor! The only thing to be said in its favor is that it isn't one of those bad, sex-perverted Canadian films that Canada now makes.

The sequel, "Find The Lady", is just as unfunny, though done with somewhat more energy.

I unfortunately purchased this movie and the sequel, "Find the Lady" for 10 bucks. I am a big fan of John Candy and the back of the box made it seem better than it is. But after I watched the first one, I threw both of them out without ever seeing "Find the Lady." This movie is just slapstick with no point. It's not even Three-Stooges-quality slapstick, it's just plain pointless. I should've listened to that first review, but I saw it anyway. Don't make my same mistake. If you purchased the same two-pack as I did, do yourself a favor and give it to someone you don't like for his / her birthday.