Kenny & Company

I vividly remember seeing Kenny & Co in the movie theater where I grew up in Pomona, CA. I would have been about 7. The movie matches my recollection of how I grew up as a kid in 1970's Southern California. Skateboards....Kay Bee toy stores....smoggy days...hanging out all day and coming home when the street lights came on. As in the movie, blonde kids were cooler...your friend's parents never were. There is one scene that I remember being particularly sad...and as an adult, it's still sad! Decent acting from a bunch of amateur actors just doing what kids do. This movie is so much better than the terrible trailer - if you were a kid from the 1970s, it's a must see and fun trip.

Kenny & Co. was like candy to me while I was watching it. The story line, the actors, the structure; everything in this film just flowed so perfectly that you never wanted it to end. This isn't some film with engineered plot twists, it was written by someone just starting out in film (no formal training), about what his youth was like growing up, & thrown together up on screen with a small group of people.

I found out about this movie after watching Phantasm. I searched online to watch it but couldn't find it. I wanted to buy it after watching a trailer on YouTube & went to Amazon to see the price. I figured it should be around 7 or 8 bucks to buy this film today; boy was I surprised to see the price tag for this film! Listed as new (at the time of this review) $136.46. This was no ordinary 70s low-budget film.

I know a lot about film and the whole film making process so when I saw the first scene of this film it was like pure excitement to be watching this film. The quality was fuzzy but for a kid at 21 years old making his first feature length movie in the early 70s (shooting took place in the summer of 1974) this was a very big accomplishment. I actually wanted that look of the film because it added to the look and feel of the time of movies coming out then, plus it gave it this warm glow that made it seem like a magical time. The quality of the film improved a bit throughout but it still had a few pops and scratches here and there.

This film is like a handbook of how kids used to play outside and one kids should be encouraged to watch. Children's desk had just a lamp and some pencils and comic books on top and their drawers were always messy where they stuffed whatever they had into them. Homes were small and located in suburbs where children could ride their bikes anytime they wanted and drop by friends' houses anytime they wanted without having to call anyone up to arrange a "playdate." When you watch how children played in this film you saw they had true imaginations because if a kid didn't, he was considered boring but if you take it a step further in understanding this world, it actually becomes quite interesting what children knew back then about where they lived. If you ask a kid today where something is in their home city, chances are they have no idea how to get to it because their parents take them everywhere. Not only do parents take them everywhere but they don't pay attention to have they got there because they are either watching a movie or playing video games. Kids back then went wherever they wanted whenever they wanted and because of that freedom they knew of all these different places around where they lived. If a kid came over and asked where to get the best soda in town, the kid could name off a few places, not only that but he could also tell you the names of all the people who worked there because he knew all of them. Children had relationships with people all over town and guess who those people were? Most of them adults, with a few middle and high school kids working the counters and there was nothing wrong with that.

Parents today discourage their children from forming friendships with adults because they think a child should only play with those their age. Children knew people back then and talked with them about anything because that was how they got to know people, but not only that, it taught them social & communication skills.

I didn't grow up in the 70s but I had the same freedom that those boys did and I wouldn't exchange it for any age-appropriate upbringing that parents today shove down kids throats. It actually does more harm than good later on down the road. I know because kids today have shallow understanding of everything.

Kids kept up with everything at the movies because that is what you did on the weekends. They knew what movies were playing, what & when their favorite TV shows were coming on, they could actually remember things. But why worry when there is an app for that? Want to encourage your kids to be more creative? Kick them out the door, tell them to go make friends, and to come back when it's dinner time. If you want them to start improving their memory, start asking them about places they've been to and how to get there or talk about what is going on in their favorite TV shows or movies. Research has shown that active cognitive memory in children is a good indication of intelligence later on. Play during childhood is extremely important, it increases creative abilities, thinking skills, and reasoning abilities. When a child is put in an environment (the suburbs) and allowed to explore, you will learn just how smart they really are and how capable they are of taking care of themselves (when they have been taught the basics of how to handle certain situations) when they don't have parents around to bother them all the time.

Kenny & Co. is a time that needs to come back but it won't. Life today is very complex for children compared to what Kenny & his friend, Doug, lived. They didn't have complicated schedules, school always got out at 3 pm, you played with your friends until it was dark, which meant it was dinner time, ate, then watched your favorite TV shows (because that is what you talked about with your friends the next day who all watched the same thing), showered, messed around in your room for a bit and then went to bed.

Regarding other films from the 70's which took a stab at documenting the feel of life for the average suburban kid, I'd put them in this order...

(1) Kenny & Company (2) Over The Edge (3) The Bad News Bears (4) Breaking Away

I'm a longtime Phantasm fan, and I just watched Kenny & Company for the first time tonight. It's clear that the studio COMPLETELY dropped the ball when they shelved this film in the US.

Anything I'm inclined to say about how good this film is has already been said by other equally impressed viewers here on the boards, though I have to add that I have a new-found respect for Phantasm's bartender, the Tall Man's handyman, and the foxy granddaughter of the mute fortune teller. Reggie is in top form. And Fred Myrow-- the composer of Phantasm's score-- is present here, as well.

Now that it has seen the light on day on DVD (and it's a beautiful transfer with great sound, by the way), I'm certain Kenny & Company is destined to become a classic as news of its existence spreads.

Looks like everyone who first watched this movie did so on HBO when that station came out. I,too, remember seeing Kenny & Company as a young pre-teen. My siblings and I could all relate to the plot less storyline, everything from pretending to enjoy a "suicide slush" to trying to wash enamel paint off your hands with soap. I think that's why this movie is so well thought of. It's made for regular kids about regular kids. Too bad movies these days are fake and made primarily for marketing appeal. I was lucky enough to find this online (try Video den.com). The picture quality was pretty bad, but quality of the storyline made up for that. Even my own 10 and 7 year olds loved it. My son, who rides on $150 custom skateboards, has been bugging his dad to take him to home depot so they can make a skateboard like the one in Kenny & Company. Now we'll have to start searching for those old clay wheels...

I remember seeing this movie on HBO in the 78-79 range. That's when HBO was on from 5 pm - 11 pm M-T and Friday and Saturday it stayed on till 3 am, showing the more adult movies in the wee hours.

This movie hit me directly between the eyes. I related directly with Kenny and his first love and the tension of telling her. Then the unforgettable 'should I or shouldn't I' hold her hand and the personal strength it took him to do it.

Not once during the movie did Kenny watch TV. He was always outside playing with Doug doing boy activities. I really connected with the movie when the went to get Sherman a birthday present. The department store was just that, a department store with a 4 aisle section for toys. Talk about memories.

I went on EBAY and did a search for the movie and found it available. For what its' worth, the guy I bought it from knows Raplh, the guy that played Big Doug in the movie. I now have the movie on VHS and have watched it twice in less than a week with my 8 year old son.

We laugh at the same parts of the movie every time. Some instances include Paco learning a new word, Sherman showing up at Kenny's for Trick or Treat, Doug popping Pudwell as the kids are running after Johnny and Kenny, Sherma reaching in the bag for 'candy'.

This movie really is a down to earth no frills kid movie. No underlying tones, just straight kid from a kids point of view. Kenny trying to understand death and what happens afterward when his dog Bob has to be put down. Dealing with a bully but not letting it control his everyday life.

I have to say, that I can remember seeing my first Playboy. When Sherman brings his old mans Playboy in the garage and hearing the boys talk about having baby's, they didn't have the slightest idea, and looking at today's kids. Today's kids are really losing out. Growing up too fast and missing out on what that movie portrays.

It is a great movie and it should be a must see for every Dad and 8-12 year old son. Tyler keeps asking to watch it with me. I'm figuring 3 times a month, making it something special and hopefully he'll get as much from it as I did.

Rent it, Buy it, but above all else SEE IT!!! Tom