One of the most underappreciated comedies of the 1980s, Johnny Dangerously seems to have slipped under the radar of most movie-watching audiences. But this is a true comedy gem created in the spirit of cult hits like Airplane and The Naked Gun. With an all-star cast and tons of hilarious scenes and one-liners, Johnny Dangerously is one of my favorite comedy movies of all time. Michael Keaton is at his best in a comedic role (as was Tom Hanks before he, too, moved on to more serious roles). Joe Piscopo also makes for one of his most memorable film appearances, but the stealer of the show is little-known actor Richard Dimitri in his portrayal of Roman Moronie – that bloody bastard can really act!
Set in the 1930s, Johnny Dangerously follows the life of Johnny Kelly (Michael Keaton), an honest, American boy who turns to crime to help pay his mother’s mounting medical bills. When the enterprising young paperboy saves the ass of local gangster Jocko Dundee (Peter Boyle), he gives him the nickname Johnny Dangerously and hires him to work as a messenger for his operation. Boyle, an excellent actor in his own right (Honeymoon in Vegas and Everybody Loves Raymond), has several great lines, and from the start, this movie is scene after scene of laughs…
As the years go by, Johnny works his way into the Dundee gang, which wages a constant turf war with immigrant mobster Roman Moronie (Richard Dimitri). However, when Jocko is killed, Johnny is appointed to take his place, leading his gang rival Danny Vermin (Joe Piscopo) to form his own gang in direct competition with Johnny. Things get even more complicated when Johnny’s little brother Tommy (Griffin Dunne) rises to the rank of Attorney General and promises to take on mobsters like Johnny Dangerously. When Danny Vermin finds out that Johnny and Tommy are brothers, he uses the information to his own advantage, threatening to ruin Johnny and everything he holds dear…
With a brief cameo from Danny DeVito and Marliu Henner in a supporting role, Johnny Dangerously is packed with top-tier talent. Well-written and downright funny, the film is another comedy classic from director Amy Heckerling (Fast Times At Ridgemont High, European Vacation, Clueless and A Night At The Roxbury). The laughs are endless in Johnny Dangerously, which is filled with scenes like the one where Michael Keaton gives his mob friends a pep talk about the need to compete against “low-cost, high-quality Japanese gangs” and the warning from Joe Piscopo not to hang it on a hook, because his “sister hung it on a hook once…once!”
The key to Johnny Dangerously’s success is the performers and their ability to deliver the lines with absolute perfection. A cast with less comedy experience would have made this film a footnote in history. Instead, Johnny Dangerously turned out to be one of the best comedies of the decade. If you haven’t seen it (and a lot of people haven’t even heard of it), I recommend you check out Johnny Dangerously. It’s quite simply one of the funniest movies ever made, and it’s definitely a must-see…