Too much of everything

Absolutely Fantastic

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

David Watson (Charlie Schlatter) and his friend Barrett (Pauly Shore) are college students. He suffers under his frat brother Russ and pines for Russ's girlfriend Robin Morrison. He has a hard-nosed wealthy businessman grandfather Jack Watson (George Burns). His father Arnie works for Jack and concerned about Jack's wild companion Madeline. On his 81st birthday, Jack wishes to be 18 again. Jack takes David out for the night but they get into a car accident. Jack ends up in a coma. David wakes up with Jack's consciousness. He is surprised at David's sad life and his love of painting instead of business. He confides in friend Charlie (Red Buttons) about the switch.There are two problems with this body-switch movie. Charlie Schlatter doesn't get George Burns quite right. Sometimes he's good but not always. Schlatter needs to do a better Burns impression because everybody knows how he act. As for Burns himself, it would be great for him to do something different. Instead, he's stuck in a coma for most of the movie. Once he goes into a coma, he only gets a few dream sequences where he is the same Burns. The story is the standard body-switch. It has some fun moments but is mostly a disappointment.

Some people didn't like this film, but I did. It was one of the four body swap comedies that came out in the same 12 months during 1987-1988. I remember them all very well cause I was 12 and 13 then and I was always going to the movies. "18 again" was the second best of the four. ("Vice versa" was best due to very convincing and humorous acting from Fred Savage and Judge Rhinehold when they switch. "Like father, like son" was my least favorite due to very unconvincing and stupid annoying acting from Kirk and Dudley when they switch. And "Big" was Tom Hanks as a 13 year old in a 30 year old body acting more like was 6 instead of 13 when he switched and not acting anything like he did when he was actually 13). George Burns was always a good comedian, and I liked him in the "Oh god" movies. Here he switches places with his 18 year old grandson, Charlie Shlatter. The swap comes after Burn's birthday party when he says how he's happy about how he has everything he wants, except youth. Then, Burns and Charlie, in the car together, have an accident.When he comes to, Charlie in Burn's body, he discovers he's been swapped. He's shocked for a moment, but then he is ecstatic and excited, he has gotten his wish. He goes back to school and things for him change due to Burn's soul now being in Charlie's body. Before, Charlie was always being pushed around by the bullies in his fraternity, and he had no confidence with girls. Now, Burns in Charlie's body, he stands up to those bullies, makes a jerk of a teacher look bad in front of the whole class by outsmarting him and being a wise ass about it. He now, with confidence, improved his track abilities. And he now, with confidence, was able to attract and win the girl he couldn't get when Charlie was Charlie. I also liked the scene when Burns/Charlie throws a roaring 20s style party, but some of that is cause I'm a big fan of movies from Hollywood's golden age. It being an 80s movie though, I am a tad bit curious how a bunch of 80s kids were automatically able to jump into a 20s style party like that, right away knowing all the dance moves and styles from that era. I like how Burns/Charlie's girlfriend dresses and dances just like a flapper (same with all the girls at that party). I also liked how Burns/Charlie mentioned bathtub gin and said "let's roar like the stock market crash is just around the corner". I also liked the scenes of Burns/Charlie and his old friend Red Buttons when he was convincing him what really happened with him and his grandson switching. And I liked their suggestive version of "By the light of the silvery moon" that they had sang many years ago when they were younger. The one thing that bothered me a bit more in this film is how the other half, Charlie in Burn's body, was basically unconscious through most of the movie, since the souls were swapped, and Burn's body was in a coma from the car crash. But I guess it did give us more time to explore the different experiences Burns was having in Charlie's body. Still a good movie.

My biggest issue with this one is why didn't the kid have more questions when he "came back" at the end?? If you think about it, everything would have made no sense to him at all.Aside from that, this is an enjoyable movie, albeit a flawed one. Charlie Schlatter had a lot of fun with the role, and I warmed up to it (at first he struck me as rather annoying). The movie mostly revolves around his performance as a re-young George Burns, and he does a pretty good job with that.I really liked the Anita Morris character; it was a rather unsympathetic role but she got into it and that made it worth watching.Jennifer Runyon is a trifle nondescript here; she doesn't get to do a whole lot other than smile and look pretty -- which she does well. She got a fair amount of lines, but there wasn't much interesting about them.Don't expect greatness here, just some silly fun, and you'll enjoy it.

OK,I love these "switch"bodies or conscience or whatever sort of out of body experience films you want to call them and so I seek them out.Sadly this film has only one reason to see it and thats the late great George Burns.He has a quite grace that transcends any foolishness his roles call for and this movie calls for a few,least of which is any even remotely believable explanation of why a 81 year oldster switches conscience with his college aged grandson.The grandson, played by Charlie Schlatter, slowly grows on you and the in between'er role played by Tony Roberts is wasted.Red Buttons,Anita Morris and a VERY low keyed Pauly Shore are the only other actors worth noting.The plot is standard older gets younger one last time.Nothing new or earthshaking and the lack of science and VERY dated feel of dress and style makes it fairly boring unless you are really into these sort of films.See a lot better ones first, than see this for Mr.Burns ONLY.There was a sort of funny scene in a history class room about what the "S"inHarry S.Truman's name stood for but that was one of too few.