Strong and Moving!

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

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.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Basically this movie is about a guy that ends up dying way too young from a car crash. In order for him to get into heaven, he has to help out a teenager with certain things. I don't want to go too far into it b/c I don't want to risk spoiling it for anyone who hasn't seen it. Looking back at it now, it's a little aged but no matter how many times I've seen it, I still laugh at this movie. I know that it's quite predictable at times, especially after you've watched other movies with similiar plots/scripts. But it's still one of those films that I watch e every time I see it on cable. :) Good family movie that can bring up some laughter in the process.

I have two sons who have watched this movie over and over. I enjoyed watching it with them. Even their dad watched it and enjoyed it. Yes, it is a family movie - If you are looking for a good movie that leaves you feeling good, this is it. The actors are excellent - WE JUST ENJOYED IT! Thanks.

Truly terrible 80s teen flick about a greaser from the 60s (Lewis Smith) dying in a car crash. To get into heaven he has to help this total nerd (Jason Gedrick) in the 80s to become a stud.The plot is totally predictable, the humor is either childish or PG-13 raunchy and the acting truly sucks. But...this movie was so incredibly bad I couldn't stop watching! Smith's acting is so terrible it's actually fascinating to watch. Gedrick (a very good actor) is totally miscast and the poor guy looks embarrassed for most of the movie. In small roles Jane Kaczmarek and Richard Mulligan shine...but it's not enough to save this. The script is beyond belief--it has such ridiculous twists and turns that I actually thought they were kidding! Cliches that were being laughed out of theatres in the 1950s are dredged up and presented with straight-faced sincerity. Seriously, did the screenwriters REALLY think this was a clever funny little movie? Did they really think throwing old, hoary cliched situations at the audience was a good idea? SPOILER AHEAD!!!! I almost stopped watching when it was revealed that Gedrick's mother was Smith's lover in the past. Come on! We're really supposed to take that seriously? It's just a prime example of lazy script writing. SPOILER OVER!!!!Worth seeing as a prime example of how NOT to do a teen comedy. This was a huge bomb in 1985--it's easy to see why. I'd love to know what Gedrick and Smith think of this film now.

It is unfortunate that "The Heavenly Kid" became lost under the vast muddle of slick teen comedies that were so rampant during the mid 1980's. This film, which has a pre-"Malcolm In The Middle" Jane Kaczmarek, "Animal House's" Mark Metcalf, "Backdraft's" Jason Gedrick, and veteran actor Richard Mulligan, really shined through for me as an entertaining (yet predictable) dramedy on guardian angels.It is the story of a brash 1960's greaser named Bobby Fantana, amiably played by TV actor Lewis Smith, who meets an untimely demise in a drag race accident. Once transported into the Afterlife, Bobby teams up with his roguish, motorcycle-driving spectral mentor Rafferty (Mulligan) and discovers from him that he hasn't quite earned his right into Paradise, and the only way he can redeem himself is to undertake an earthly assignment in assisting the mortals. Fast forwarding to the 1980's, Bobby is given the dubious task of coaching Lenny Barnes (Gedrick), a gifted, gawky teen who is a popular target for the class bullies. It's up to him to befriend and guide the boy through his little life crisis, and he decides to transform Lenny into a cool, confident splitting-image of himself that soon gains the attention of his peers. All is fine until Lenny's newfound cockiness butts heads with his family and with two of his old tormentors, who finally challenge him to a drag race of their own. It's then up to Bobby to rectify the damage he has unintentionally done and save Lenny from repeating history while hopefully garnering his wings at last.Although many critics have scathed this film for a rather shallow, loopholed storyline, "The Heavenly Kid" does exude some attributes that I have come to enjoy over the years. The soundtrack is one of the best I've heard for an 80's teen flick; just love "Out on the Edge" during Bobby's fatal racing scene. Lewis Smith's performance gives a uniquely genial quality to his loner character that makes a sometimes funny "Odd-Couplesque" persona with both Gedrick and Mulligan. Seeing Bobby acclimate to the radically different 80's pop culture brings a laugh or two to myself! Finally, even though the ending is entirely predictable, it always leaves me feeling good inside, even on a bleak, rainy Saturday.It is also unfortunate that "The Heavenly Kid" has gone out-of-print in recent years! I was lucky enough to record it off of HBO this past summer for my collection, but I think it does deserve a chance for a VHS/DVD re-release. This is one comedy that the entire family can enjoy, provided there's no objection to some PG-13 based language and adult humor.