Reckless

A poor rebellious high school kid named Johnny Rourke (Aidan Quinn), from the wrong side of the tracks, falls in love with rich beautiful Tracey Prescott (Daryl Hannah). She's attracted to him too but has a jealous jerk of a boyfriend (Adam Baldwin) and she can't date anyone who is poor and rebellious. Three guesses what happens next.

There's absolutely nothing new here story wise but I saw it only once OVER 20 years ago and have never forgotten it. For one thing the acting is excellent. Quinn and Hannah really clicked together on screen. They also have two lengthy sex scenes where you get to see plenty of skin on both of them. (Quinn does a quick full frontal) The soundtrack really rocks too. I LOVED how they used "Kids in America" when Quinn and Hannah are "fighting". Even though the story is completely predictable it moved pretty quickly and I was never bored. I especially loved the final scene (I'm not gonna give it away). This movie should have made Quinn (he's just incredible) but didn't for some reason. If you can see it it's worth catching. Don't bother with the commercial TV print--the steamy sex scenes are completely gone.

I'll admit I love this film. Quite a bit of the dialog doesn't make any sense; some of the characters are just there to hang the plot from; and Cliff DeYoung as the football coach gets most of the bad lines and his character, as well as the snotty cheerleaders, are all clichés. But these flaws don't detract from the appeal of the film.

Darryl Hannah, and Aidan Quinn in particular, have a presence and a chemistry that keeps the film vibrant and alive. This was Quinn's first film, and I've liked him ever since I first saw it. Even as a novice he's a great actor. Hannah is not as good as he, but she's still very good as a well-to-do high school senior who's looking for something different but not sure what she wants. Quinn plays the misunderstood poor boy with an alcoholic father, who is beset by teachers, father, peers and police every way he turns. Due to a random pairing for a charity dance, they are brought together and eventually discover that what they are looking for is in each other. The last shot of the film, as the camera speeds down the highway to Bob Seger's "Roll Me Away", is one of my favorite shots of any movie. I'll agree it's corny, but it works and so does this film.

The authentic steel-town atmosphere also helps to give the film a gritty realism; dark, smoggy, atmospheric and disturbing, it reminds me of the feel of the 80's. The soundtrack is superb; Romeo Void, INXS, and Kim Wilde's "Kids in America." Whenever I want to recapture that 80's feeling, when watching MTV was still new and exciting and they still played music you could take pleasure in listening to, and when the 80's groups were so avant-garde and on-the-edge, I watch this film. Sure enough, it can take me right back. Look past the sometimes inane dialog and be sure to catch this film; if you immerse yourself in the music it will work its spell.

It hasn't been shown on on regular cable in years (it's rated R for some candid but convincing sex scenes), but in mid-2005 it was playing on the high definition cable channel INHD, looking and sounding fantastic, so it does show up occasionally. Warner Archive (http://www.warnerarchive.com) now (2011) offers it for sale as an "on demand," widescreen DVD. A great film for Friday or Saturday night, and don't forget to turn the volume way up!

I was a teenager working at the Cineplex when I saw this movie for the first time. It doesn't take much to stir teenage angst, and longing. I was an easy target for this movie. You see, at the time, I too was in a doomed relationship with a girl that was all wrong for me (or so it seemed to the myopic teenage eye). She was a drill team princess and I was a nobody from the wrong side of the tracks. I had an immediate emotional response to Johnny and Tracey's dilemma. It resonated with me powerfully at the time. "Reckless" has lingered in my memory along with all the other sweet nostalgia from my youth.

Time and distance grant you clarity. So now, twenty four years later, I think I can review this movie with a much more critical eye. After seeing it again recently on a fairly good VHS copy, some of the strengths that I remember are still there. The beautiful cinematography that is reminiscent of "The Dear Hunter" is still there. Many of the shots in the film give the Pennsylvania mill town a bleak and forlorn look that matches Johnny's life. The editing is dead-on and lends this film an urgency that matches the story. The music is used effectively throughout. Inxs, Romeo Void, and Kim Wilde, just to name a few, give each scene the 'feel' it needs to enhance the story. The home coming dance scene where Johnny punks out to 'Never Say Never' is a great example of how bringing together great acting, editing, music, and energetic camera-work into a scene can get an audience's heart rate going. The scene still holds up after all these years. Fresh faced earnestness of the performances from Quinn and Hannah also make this movie very watchable.

Despite all of it's strengths, I couldn't ignore the glaring shortcomings. First off, Quinn's character, Johnny, is not really very believable. To be more precise, the way girls react to him in the film (with the notable exception of Tracey) is not really believable. Look at some of the opening scenes where some of Tracey's fellow cheerleaders treat him like a leper and call him a weirdo. Who are we kidding? Let's face it, as far back as James Dean, good looking, brooding guys on motorcycles have been babe magnets. Had I known this back then, I would have saved my money for a bike instead of blowing it on beer and fast food every weekend. I will pause this review briefly to kick myself…. Okay, I'm back. On with my review. Johnny's relationship with the older lady at the bowling alley is never developed although it seems to hold promise for further developments. Perhaps a love triangle? I dunno, it just seems kinda weird how it is given attention, and then dropped. Aside from Quinn's character, all other characters are fairly two dimensional. Tracey feels underwritten. She's a perfect princess that decides to rebel just because her life is too perfect? Really? Huh. At least that's what a brief two minute scene tries to sell us on for her motivation for ending up with Johnny on her first night. Did I miss something? I attribute these anemic characters to an underdeveloped script that comes across as clichéd and formulaic.

In most instances, this would be the death of any film. At least for me it would be. But because of all it's other strengths, it actually turns out to be a pretty engaging little movie, even after all these years.

"Reckless" is a fine example of how style, and shameless pandering to the teenage psyche, can sometimes triumph over a substandard script.

I saw this movie when I was just 10. I was up watching movie late one night with my older brother. So maybe it was just the happy memory, but this movie was always in a special place for me. Aidan Quinn was great! I think he is what made the movie. To bad they don't show it on late night cable that much any more, but if you ever get the chance to see it, I think its a good way to spend an hour and half. :D

I love this movie when I saw it on cable back in 1985. It was dealt with normal suburban life rather than these kids had money and felt like they were snobs. I saw it as Randy had this hot chick Tracey and Tracey wanted something else - Johnny Rourke. I loved the soundtrack and I wish some of the songs were released. I do remember INXS, Kim Wilde and Romeo Void (who can ever forget that dance scene between Johnny and Tracey, making Randy so mad that he stopped dancing with Mary Pat). This was good that I myself was in high school that I saw this film and I thought it was charming. I liked that Tracey's brother actually liked Johnny, while Randy and Tracey's friends (Kathy, Mary Pat and Karen) did not like him. I also like the cast of the film.