The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes

Dean Higgins refuses to buy a computer and would rather suspend various students. Businessman A. J. Arno donates a computer but then withholds the yearly contribution of $20k. Student friendly Professor Quigley needs a part to repair the computer. Dexter Riley (Kurt Russell) uses the part and gets electrocuted. His brain turns into a computer and he becomes the smartest guy in the world. Unbeknownst to him, he also downloaded locations of Arno's crooked enterprises protected by the password Applejack.

This is noteworthy for introducing Dexter Riley and his light Disney adventures. I prefer the second movie "Now You See Him, Now You Don't" much more. This is not that funny. The adventure is a little flat. A human computer could be more fun. Russell was a young rising star and his theatrical presence is quite magnetic. It was probably fun for kids back in the day but it has become dated.

When this film came out the clip that was always shown on TV was Cesar Romero and his henchmen chasing the kids in a beach buggy and they spray red paint on him as he points a gun at them so that it goes over the windshield as well as Mr Romero and his henchman loses control and crashes into a haystack. A cow moos at Mr Romero after the crash and he says "Ah, shaddap". I wonder how many bottles of paint remover he used in cleaning himself up.

1960s Disney ends with a good, just not exceptional, film. It has been a long, up and down decade from the studio, with most falling under that category or lower.

'The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes' entertains to a satisfactory degree, with Kurt Russell leading brightly as Dexter. The rest of the cast aren't all that remarkable, even if there are a load of faces I recognise from other things. If I had to choose the most noteworthy, they would be Cesar Romero (Arno) & William Schallert (Quigley).

The plot is enjoyable, it's just as bonkers as you'd expect given it's in a similar vein to films like 1961's 'The Absent-Minded Professor'. I'd say it's better executed than that Flubber premise. There's also a cool chase sequence in this, too.

I'm curious to see where the sequels head.

This was the first movie I saw with Kurt Russell, and have been a fan of him ever since. His acting in this film, as well other Disney films he was in, shows young Kurt firmly grasping what it takes to be a good actor, and he continues to do so to this day.

I saw this again recently, and its such a relief from some of the crap that Disney puts out now. Its a good example of good, clean family fun without the added bathroom jokes, etc., and for that reason I can see this might not appeal to kids today. But still, its a good, light-hearted comedy that'll still get a few laughs even today. Joseph McEveety provides a good story, and director Robert Butler executes it nicely. Joe Flynn and Cesar Romeo delivered some great performances, as did all the supporting cast.

I remember seeing this as a kid in the theatre, and saw it again for the first time in many years on cable recently. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it after all this time. Russell's performance is quite believable, despite the fantastic story line. Really good entertainment, and blows away much of the modern Disney entertainment provided these days, which is pretty nauseating.