Amazon.com

Steven Spielberg produced this underwhelming 1986 effort at a slapstick spin on Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. The pre-Oscar Tom Hanks stars with Shelley Long as a married couple whose efforts to finish construction on their home are sabotaged by costly and sporadically funny accidents. The unfinished domicile becomes a metaphor for their troubled relationship, as evidenced by Long's character's attraction to a madman violinist (Alexander Godunov). Hanks is the only reason at this point to check this film out. Richard Benjamin (My Favorite Year) directs but with no flair or distinction. --Tom Keogh. ... Read more

Reviews (60)

Classic, Classic Tom Hanks
My wife and I have seen this movie MANY times and we laugh harder each time we see it. This movie must be a cult classic, mainly because if we act out a piece of a scene or speak a line from it (as we often do) many people are 'in' on the joke having seen it repeatedly themselves. Alexander Gudenov really steals the scenes that he's in portraying Shelly Long's ex-husband/Symphony conductor. I love it when he admonishes the orchestra at lunchtime after a lackluster rehearsal and tells the members to '...go stuff yourselves, I hope you choke!' (in that wonderful accent).
I highly reccommend this film to anyone, especially if you own a house. Those laughing the loudest will have had home repair experience I'm sure. Tom Hanks at his funniest. You won't be dissapointed!

Favorite moments:

bathtub scene (with pop-up thermometer in the turkey)
raccoon scene
The Shirk brothers contractors
All of the Alexander Gudenov scenes
'The Cheap Girls' band
borrowing money from 'Benny'
Hanks and Long fighting in front of the contractors

.....the list goes on......

Simply too funny
"The Money Pit" may have been a disaster at the box office and with critics at the time but this movie is just too hilarious. This is one of the few movies that makes me laugh until tears starts rolling down my face. My personal favorite moment is when Shelly Long finds a raccoon in the dumb waiter and it leaps at her. Seeing her running around screaming with a raccoon on her shoulder is hysterical. Of course just watching Tom Hanks' character try to fix the house is equally funny, particularly when he hears Shelly's character screaming and he runs...or tries to run up the poorly built staircase. The classic moment is when he falls into that hole and is stuck there for most of the day, missing out on an important meeting with a contractor and then seeing Shelly Long's expression when she finds him stuck in the hole. "The Money Pit" remains one of my top favorite comedies of all time as well as favorite Tom Hanks film.

home blech home!
Tom Hanks and Shelly Long star in this 1980s Steven Spielberg movie as Walter and Anna, a Manhattan couple who are unceremoniously evicted from her ex-husband's apartment and must search for new housing. They find what seems to be a steal -- a huge million-dollar mansion for next to nothing --- and move in, only to be besieged with a collapsing staircase, chocolate-brown "water", rotting wood, exploding doorbell, you name it. Probably one of the funniest scenes I have ever seen is when Tom Hanks sinks through the rug into a hole in the den floor and gets stuck.

Broke and cranky from sinking more and more resources into the money pit in which they live, Anna and Walter snipe at each other. The shady contractors they hire say they can get the job done in 2 weeks -- and continue saying that four months later.

The house may or may not get rebuilt, but will Walter and Anna survive as a couple? Being a typical 1980s comedy which paved the way for everything starring Meg Ryan for 16 years, you already know the answer. But it is still a hilarious movie to watch, depsite its predictability.

Sigh sigh
When I watched this movie for the very first time, I was 18 yold. It was and it is one of the most loved movies I ever seen in my whole life and it meant so much to me because I felt like Tom Hanks when I was rising up my new house and I seen myself in that movie with all the hard time to make the house of my and her dream nice and cozy. We did it but I miss those times.

Thanks "The money pit".

Luca

One of my all-time favorites!
Who wouldn't want to see Tom Hanks stuck in a hole in the floor? This movie is hilarious right from the start - Shelley Long and Hanks play off each other well. Well worth a few bucks to have your own copy at home! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Moving Violations a Very Moving Comedy!
A movie notable to me and our family personally because a distant relative (an uncle) ended up being cast as an extra in one of the classroom or courtroom scenes of the film. We never found out about it until the movie came out on cable a couple of years later and we happen to see him in the scene. He's the asian guy with glasses sitting next to John Murray's character (Dana Cannon) when all the other characters in the film are being sentenced to traffic school. They actually exchange glances with each other when Murray is rattling on with one of his smart remarks during the scene. Otherwise, MOVING VIOLATIONS aims for a low brow audience and delivers. A simple and funny plot where various people with multiple traffic violations are sentenced to traffic school and have their vehicles impounded until they pass traffic school. They then band together when they uncover a scam by the police officer (James Keach) giving the traffic school course, to sell the impounded vehicles. They have to stop and expose his plot to the authorities. John Murray's character is a rehash of all characters of the more famous and older sibling Bill, from his previous work in SNL, STRIPES and GHOSTBUSTERS. However, because he is a "Murray" it is to be expected and his character is pretty funny as the as the [truck driver]. Good supporting cast from Jennifer Tilly, Fred Willard, Wendi Jo Sperber, Sally Kellerman, the "WHERE'S THE BEEF?" elderly lady from the old Wendy's commercials, and Robert "THE WILD,WILD,WEST" Conrad. Also, look for actor John Cheadle (BOOGIE NIGHTS, TRAFFIC,OCEAN'S ELEVEN) in a small role as a fast food drive-in window attendant. Note: Classic line: "When the going get's tough, the tough get's goin'...in the pants!"

I laughed so hard, I cried
This movie just happened to be on tv one day, and I taped it. My sister stopped by and I asked her if she wanted to watch it. It was so funny, neither of us could stop laughing. We had tears streaming down our cheeks, and I laughed until, I thought I was going to die. This is the funniest movie I have ever seen and I am not that easily impressed. My sister was trying to tell a friend about it, and she couldn't stop laughing, while just talking about it.

I do love the stupid
This is one of those movies that should not be funny. It's something that should've looked decent on paper, but never worked. But it does!!

I think it works because the situations are so goofy that they come out funny, as opposed to relying simply on the actors to deliver the jokes. Watch this film and you'll understand what I mean. It's one of those I have to stop and watch every time it's on.

What a Stupid Movie. I LOVE IT
You'll laugh your behind off watching this film.I still bust a gut,and I've seen the movie twenty times. "Where's the Meaf" lady has a cameo,and Bill Murray's younger brother John,is the star.He's great,but looks and acts alot like Bill. I would never pay the price there asking for this video.Just go out and rent the film,or wait untill its on TV. They play this movie at least ten times a year.

one of the best comedies of the 80's
This movie is about some people who lose their driver's liscence's and have to go to traffic school to regain them. Of course, the instructor (James Keach) does't want that to happen. It sars Bill's brother John Murray, Jennifer Tilly, Fred Willard, and Sally Kellerman. My only complaint is the fact that it's not worth the $'s. Why so expensive? The movie is not THAT good. Don't buy it for that price. Save your money. Just find a video store and rent it. It's worth a couple of dollars to watch once or twice. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Before he became an overrated filmmaker, Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire) was a reporter for Rolling Stone who was so youthful looking that he could go undercover for a year at a California high school and write a book about it. He wrote the script for this film, based on that book, and it launched the careers of several young actors, including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, and, above all, Sean Penn. The story line is episodic, dealing with the lives of iconic teen types: one of the school's cool kids, a nerd, a teen queen, and, most enjoyably, the class stoner (Penn), who finds himself at odds with a strict history teacher (a wonderfully spiky Ray Walston). This is not a great movie but very entertaining and, for a certain age group, a seminal movie experience. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (168)

Get off my case....................!!
A classic line from Brad Hamilton (Judge Reinhold) as well as "Doesn't anyone know how to knock around here?" or "Sir, if you don't (be quiet), I'm gonna kick 100%...!" As entertaining as Penn was, I think Reinhold did the best acting job in the enitre movie. Directors were som impressed by his work that he started in Beverly Hills Cop's 1 and 2, two of the biggest box-office hits of the 80's. Anthony Edwards (Gilbert on Revenge of the Nerds) did a great job as a stoner bud as well as Harold (Scott Thompson, Copeland on Police Academy), Jefferson, Rat (Police Academy 4), Stacy, DeMone, Linda (Phoebe Cates) and many others.

This movie was based on Clairemont High School in San Diego. I have a friend who graduated from Clairemont High in '82 who constantly tells me stories about incidents that actually happened in the movie as well as at the high school. He remembers when some guy ordered a pizza in history class. The teachers name was Mr. Crocker (not Mr. Hand). BTW, the screen names, including the teachers, are not the actual names of the ones who revolved around the high school. However, the personalities in the movie are very similar to the one's in real life. As for the mall, that was supposed to imitate Unviserstiy Town Center in San Diego. I was told that that was where every teenager wanted to work during that time.

Great movie of a semi-true story!!!

"Why don't you get a job, Spicoli?" "What for?"
Slice of life of Southern California kids dated with great early '80's tunes. Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and Mark Ratner (Brian Backer) are interested in the fair sex, but their more experienced friends Linda Barrett (Phoebe Cates) and Mike Damone (Robert Romanus) give them hopelessly bad advice. Great performances all around, but the scene-stealers are surfer pothead Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn), who thinks nothing of having a pizza ordered in to his history class, Stacey's older brother Brad (Judge Reinhold), who has bum luck with women and jobs, and history teacher Mr. Hand (Ray Walston), who has all the patience of a boiling tea kettle. Unfortunatly, extra scenes that appear on Comedy Central among other stations are not included here, as director Heckerling is not particularly fond of them. Look for Nicholas Cage, Anthony Edwards, and Eric Stoltz as Spicoli's fellow stoners, and Forest Whittaker as Ridgemont's football hero. Bruce Springsteen's younger sister Pamela appears briefly as a cheerleader.

The background of Fast Times...
The film itself is a classic, from the soundtrack (which features recently broken-up members of The Eagles), Stevie Nicks, and Jackson Browne. Cameron Crowe wrote the true story of teenagers in late 70s San Diego (Clairemont High) from his own perspective, originally written for Rolling Stone magazine. Because he looked so young at the time, he was able to go to school and fit in. Even though Crowe changed the city to the LA area (the movie also takes place in LA), the Clairemont High schoolers were upset with a lot of it. "Rat" is now the writer of some of the "Dummies" books.

The film itself is an essential 80s comedy classic, a lot of subjects bold at the time, a lot of new talent to move on to bigger paychecks (Forest Whittaker, Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage).
Cameron Crowe should make a film about the story behind making "Fast Times" as a sequel to "Almost Famous".

I think it would be great if Crowe and Heckerling did a commentary with the original cast members as well as the Clairemont High students to give added perspective on the fact and fiction of it all. I think people would want to know if these people really existed, and what happened to them.

movie
This movie has no real point to it. But its fun watching different teens in the same school and follow their lives as they try to be as cool as they can be. I wish Sean Penn got more scenes because he made this movie a definate classic.

Greatest teen comedy ever made
OK, "greatest teen comedy ever made" really isn't setting the bar all that high, but this really is a wonderful film. I almost docked it a star for being at least partially responsible for a lot of copycat garbage that followed, but that would be punishing it unfairly. It deserved the tons of money it made.

Many of the other reviews on this site have rehashed the plot(s) and the fact that it introduced an amazing array of acting talent to the world. What I think is most impressive however, is the honesty and poignancy this film delivers while being hysterically funny. The relationship between Brad and his sister is incredibly touching. The characters are real, three-dimensional people (yes even Spicoli; I knew someone almost exactly like him in school and I'll bet you did too). It is beautifully written, directed, and acted. It is also one of the most quote-worthy films this side of Tarantino ("All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine").

On a final note, I disagree with the Amazon reviewer's assessment that Cameron Crowe is an overrated director. "Say Anything" is probably the best teen movie made since this one, and "Almost Famous" is a stone cold masterpiece, IMHO. ... Read more

Reviews (168)

Get off my case....................!!
A classic line from Brad Hamilton (Judge Reinhold) as well as "Doesn't anyone know how to knock around here?" or "Sir, if you don't (be quiet), I'm gonna kick 100%...!" As entertaining as Penn was, I think Reinhold did the best acting job in the enitre movie. Directors were som impressed by his work that he started in Beverly Hills Cop's 1 and 2, two of the biggest box-office hits of the 80's. Anthony Edwards (Gilbert on Revenge of the Nerds) did a great job as a stoner bud as well as Harold (Scott Thompson, Copeland on Police Academy), Jefferson, Rat (Police Academy 4), Stacy, DeMone, Linda (Phoebe Cates) and many others.

This movie was based on Clairemont High School in San Diego. I have a friend who graduated from Clairemont High in '82 who constantly tells me stories about incidents that actually happened in the movie as well as at the high school. He remembers when some guy ordered a pizza in history class. The teachers name was Mr. Crocker (not Mr. Hand). BTW, the screen names, including the teachers, are not the actual names of the ones who revolved around the high school. However, the personalities in the movie are very similar to the one's in real life. As for the mall, that was supposed to imitate Unviserstiy Town Center in San Diego. I was told that that was where every teenager wanted to work during that time.

Great movie of a semi-true story!!!

"Why don't you get a job, Spicoli?" "What for?"
Slice of life of Southern California kids dated with great early '80's tunes. Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and Mark Ratner (Brian Backer) are interested in the fair sex, but their more experienced friends Linda Barrett (Phoebe Cates) and Mike Damone (Robert Romanus) give them hopelessly bad advice. Great performances all around, but the scene-stealers are surfer pothead Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn), who thinks nothing of having a pizza ordered in to his history class, Stacey's older brother Brad (Judge Reinhold), who has bum luck with women and jobs, and history teacher Mr. Hand (Ray Walston), who has all the patience of a boiling tea kettle. Unfortunatly, extra scenes that appear on Comedy Central among other stations are not included here, as director Heckerling is not particularly fond of them. Look for Nicholas Cage, Anthony Edwards, and Eric Stoltz as Spicoli's fellow stoners, and Forest Whittaker as Ridgemont's football hero. Bruce Springsteen's younger sister Pamela appears briefly as a cheerleader.

The background of Fast Times...
The film itself is a classic, from the soundtrack (which features recently broken-up members of The Eagles), Stevie Nicks, and Jackson Browne. Cameron Crowe wrote the true story of teenagers in late 70s San Diego (Clairemont High) from his own perspective, originally written for Rolling Stone magazine. Because he looked so young at the time, he was able to go to school and fit in. Even though Crowe changed the city to the LA area (the movie also takes place in LA), the Clairemont High schoolers were upset with a lot of it. "Rat" is now the writer of some of the "Dummies" books.

The film itself is an essential 80s comedy classic, a lot of subjects bold at the time, a lot of new talent to move on to bigger paychecks (Forest Whittaker, Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage).
Cameron Crowe should make a film about the story behind making "Fast Times" as a sequel to "Almost Famous".

I think it would be great if Crowe and Heckerling did a commentary with the original cast members as well as the Clairemont High students to give added perspective on the fact and fiction of it all. I think people would want to know if these people really existed, and what happened to them.

movie
This movie has no real point to it. But its fun watching different teens in the same school and follow their lives as they try to be as cool as they can be. I wish Sean Penn got more scenes because he made this movie a definate classic.

Greatest teen comedy ever made
OK, "greatest teen comedy ever made" really isn't setting the bar all that high, but this really is a wonderful film. I almost docked it a star for being at least partially responsible for a lot of copycat garbage that followed, but that would be punishing it unfairly. It deserved the tons of money it made.

Many of the other reviews on this site have rehashed the plot(s) and the fact that it introduced an amazing array of acting talent to the world. What I think is most impressive however, is the honesty and poignancy this film delivers while being hysterically funny. The relationship between Brad and his sister is incredibly touching. The characters are real, three-dimensional people (yes even Spicoli; I knew someone almost exactly like him in school and I'll bet you did too). It is beautifully written, directed, and acted. It is also one of the most quote-worthy films this side of Tarantino ("All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine").

On a final note, I disagree with the Amazon reviewer's assessment that Cameron Crowe is an overrated director. "Say Anything" is probably the best teen movie made since this one, and "Almost Famous" is a stone cold masterpiece, IMHO. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Horribly disfigured by fire after a prank goes awry, dissolute camp caretaker Cropsy (Lou David) emerges five years later from the burn ward to wreak vengeance on a new batch of hormone-driven campers with a pair of oversized garden shears. Director Tony Maylam leans heavily on slasher-movie clichés (false scares, multiple climaxes, Vaseline-smeared POVs, and leering angles on female anatomy), but they're at least handled with a degree of competence and attention to pacing not usually found in post-Friday the 13th thrillers. The cast (which includes film debuts by Holly Hunter, Jason Alexander, Fisher Stevens, and Brian Backer from Fast Times at Ridgemont High) also approach their cookie-cutter characters with a let's-put-on-a-show level of enthusiasm and earnestness. Eighties gore fans should know that MGM's release of this full-frame print marks the first time The Burning has been available in an uncut form in the United States. Some 45 seconds of gruesome special effects (courtesy of Tom Savini) were trimmed from the theatrical and home video releases to insure an R rating. In the United Kingdom, an additional 19 seconds were removed after the film was placed on the notorious "video nasties" list. The Burning was produced (and "created," whatever that means) by Harvey Weinstein and his then-fledgling company Miramax; Harvey also contributed to the original story with brother Bob and future producer/talent agent Brad Grey (The Sopranos, The Larry Sanders Show). Editor Jack Sholder went on to direct The Hidden. The cacophonous electronic score is by Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman. --Paul Gaita ... Read more

Reviews (45)

BEST HORROR/SLASHER FILM FOR SURE!
awesome movie! it was filmed in upstate new york and anyone who has hiked, camped or gone rafting on the east coast,(or anywhere!) will really dig this gruesome and scary horror/slasher outing! storyline is simple- a caretaker at a summer camp is horribly burned in a prank gone wrong(you will see why and who later revealed in the movie ). a few years later he comes back for bloody revenge at the camp ! excellent script, fx/make-up effects by tom savini, atmospheric filming, creepy music score by legendary keyboard player rick wakeman! this 80s horror/slasher has it all... many gory killings, nudity, sexual situations, the bully. the nerd, skinny dipping women, campground pranks, creepy ghost stories by the campfire all done in a realistic fashion! look for- holly hunter, brian backer, jason alexander,fisher stevens, larry joshua, leah ayres , all seen later in movies and t.v. this is the true uncut version !!!! watch those garden shears and that raft scene! [...]

AWESOME! THE BURNING
THIS MOVIE RULES! AWESOME EARLY 80s HORROR MOVIE ! AN UNCOOL CARETAKER AT THE BLACKFOOT SUMMER CAMP IS HORRIBLY BURNED IN A PRANK THAT WAS MEANT TO SCARE THE HELL OUT OF HIM . A FEW YEARS LATER HE IS OUT FOR REVENGE! DISFIGURED, AND ARMED WITH SOME GARDEN SHEARS AND AFTER KILLING A HOOKER IN THE CITY, HE RETURNS TO A NEARBY CAMP FROM WHERE HE WAS BURNED, TO BEGIN HIS REIGN OF TERROR ON THE CAMPERS! EXCELLENT DIRECTION BY TONY MAYLAM, AWESOME STORY AND SCRIPT FROM THE MIRIMAX FILMS/WEINSTIEN BROTHERS! MAKE-UP/ FX EFFECTS BY TOM SAVINI, VERY COOL AND HAUNTING SOUNDTRACK (BY FORMER YES KEYBOARDIST MR RICK WAKEMAN!)AND ALAN BRAWER ON THE PEDAL STEEL GUITAR/BANJO INSTRUMENTAL "DEVIL'S CREEK SOME REALLY SCARY MOMENTS AND ATMOSPHERIC FILMING,AND SOME NOT SO BAD ACTING BY SOME LATER KNOWN ALUMNI! THE BURNING HAS IT ALL- MANY BRUTAL SLAYINGS, A TWIST IN THE STORY,CREEPY CAMPFIRE TALE, CAMP GROUND HI-JINX,SKINNY-DIPPING WOMAN, NUDITY, THE NERD, THE BULLY! SCENIC NEW YORK STATE LAKE REGIONS, AND A REALLY SPOOKY ABANDONED MINE-SHAFT! BUY THIS VIDEO, YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY! COMPLETE WITH ALL THE EXTENDED GORE!! LOOK FOR- HOLLY HUNTER-SOPHIE, BRIAN MATTHEWS-TODD, FISHER STEVENS-WOODSTOCK(SOON TO BE IN THE NEW FILM FROM WALTER HILL "UNDISPUTED"), LEAH AYRES-MICHELLE, BRIAN BACKER-ALFRED/THE NERD, NED EISENBERG-EDDY, CARRICK GLEN-SALLY, JASON ALEXANDER-DAVE, LARRY JOSHUA-GLAZER/ THE BULLY (MOST RECENTLY SEEN IN "SPIDERMAN") CAROLYN HOULIHAN-KAREN, LOU DAVID-CROPSY, K.C. TOWSEND-HOOKER, MANSOOR NAJEEULLAH-ORDERLY. JERRY MGEE- INTERN HAVE FUN IN FINDING THEIR OTHER MOVIES/T.V. ROLES THANKS FOR READING MY REVIEW!

The Burning
I'm writing from Sweden and i must have yhis movie on DVD , because we have another system than you so i can not buy a VHS movie either , please hurry to sell as DVD

BURNING TO BE ON DVD
THIS IS THAT ONE GOOD HORROR MOVIE THAT NEEDS TO BE ON DVD IVE BEN AFTER THIS MOVIE FOR 3 YEARS NOW WHY IS THIS MOVIE NOT ON DVD I KNOW THAT ALL OF YOU LOVE TO SEE THIS ON DVD

Another great 80s horror flick!!!
Well this movie has been out of print for years now. It was funny reissued by mgm only through amazon.com for about 1 year and it had the restored cut scenes that were edited out from the 80s thorn/emi release. This movie has been seriously neglected. It was released in 1981 and came to video for 1 year in 1981, and has been out of print ever since. Its only been reissued once and it wasnt global it was amazon.com exclusive and only on VHS and now out of print. Ive been begging MGM to release this in widescreen with a theatrical trailer and maybe some bonus features. If u want this reissued on DVD, like they have in UK. Then goto mgm's website and under frequently asked questions in click on suggestions/comments and suggest the burning for reissuance on DVD. Thank you! ... Read more

Description

A new batch of civilian volunteers joins the new Citizens on Patrol program, but Captain Harris is determined to see it fail. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

The last good "Police Academy" movie
I enjoed watching Police Academies 1,2, and 3, but I probably laughed harder watching this one. G.W. Bailey (Cpt.Harris) and especially Lance Kinsley (Proctor) are the life of this movie, not to mention several other actors. Bailey did an excellent job of acting, especially during the Blue Oyster scene. That was the funniest Blue Oyster part out of all the movies! It was great to see Harris come back to the series and also to see several different characters play important roles like David Spade, Sharon Stone and several others. Unfortunately, this was the last good police academy movie. The ending was kind of depressing as I realized characters like Zed, Mahoney, and other crack ups would leave the series.

A GREAT FAMILY COMEDY
Police Academy 4 citizens on patrol is a great movie.
Kids would love this one all the police academy movies are so funny but this one is one of the best.The charecers are so funny. This movie is steve guttenbergs last. It is a real disapointment that he is not in the other movies.
If you like great family comedy's this is the movie for you.

The title says it all!
The Metropolitan Police Academy's commandant Eric Lassard(George Gaynes) has initiated a community relations program called Citizens On Patrol. That's where ordinary citizens witness criminal behavior and bring the criminals to justice. Much of the original gang is still here,so are Zed(Bobcat Goldthwait) and Swechiuk(Tim Kazurinsky). G.W. Bailey returns in this sequel as Captain Thaddeus Harris(he was a lieutenant in the first film). Lt. Proctor(Lance Kinsey) is now a member of Harris' precinct. Bailey returned because Art Metrano was written out for good after the previous sequel. Chad Copeland(Scott Thomson) is part of Harris' team also. Sgt. Moses Hightower(Bubba Smith) says in one of the first scenes,"I believe Brother Swechiuk is suggesting we recruit in our old neighborhood." Lassard strongly agrees. Some of the COP team members are Lois Feldman(Billie Bird) & Thomas "House" Conklin(Tab Thacker),an overweight black guy who resembles one of The Fat Boys members. Two other young male members(Brian Backer and David Spade)are assigned to the program after they're tried for disorderly conduct via their skateboards in a shopping mall. Carey Mahoney(Steve Guttenberg) who was present at the trial,suggested the idea to the presiding judge. Again,it's another gang making a large illegal mess. This film features Sharon Stone who was in 1986,when this film was made,not-so-famous. Spade would also become a major celebrity several years later,becoming a member of NBC's Saturday Night Live. Stone is Claire Mattson,who joins COP also. She and Carey went partners in whatever either did. In the last scene,Zed tells Swechiuk,"You look a little like Tom Cruise in 'Top Gun'(one of 86's biggest films)." Also Carey and Claire toast the MPA with champagne("To the academy") while ascending to the friendly skies in a hot air balloon. Remember Metrano losing his hair in PA2,and his eyebrows in PA3? Well,one funny scene is where Harris,after showering is about to apply his deodorant,and it's stolen and replaced with mace! The stinging was so painful that he couldn't bring his arms down. They were braced. He angrily warns that those caught with mace from that point on would be reprimanded and fined. Also Harris' lips are glued to the mouthpiece of a bullhorn after Carey applies the strong,powerful adhesive. This sequel would be Guttenberg's last. Goldthwait and Kazurinsky were written out. Guttenberg bowed out of the three yet-to-come sequels in favor of "Three Men And A Baby". Well,that's my assumption. Well,the next three sequels would feature a new prankster.

Release The Extended Widescreen Version On DVD!
When Police Academy 4 originally premiered on Network Television, additional footage was added that was not seen in the theatrical cut. What's amazing is how well these extra scenes help move the story along, which makes you wonder why they were deleted in the first place? (Most likely because of the running time difference from 102 minutes to the theatrical release of 88 minutes.)

Some of the best cut stuff is of Steve Guttenberg and Sharon Stone, whose relationship seemed a bit empty in the theatrical cut. But with the extra scenes, which included Mahoney taking Claire Mattson (Stone) home in a squad car, while doing a little stuntdriving, followed by a bit of flirtatious fun back at her place, this really added another dimension to their relationship, and gave more meaning to the ending, with them up in the weather balloon together. In fact Sharon Stone's role in the theatrical version seemed very small indeed. But with these added scenes as well as another between Lt. Harris (G.W. Bailey), her screentime is lengthened considerably.

Other cut scenes include additional banter between Sweetchuck (Tim Mazurinsky) & Zed (Bobcat Goldthwait), some fancy skateboarding by Mahoney, more screentime for Butterworth (Derek McGrath), and even an explanation of how Zack (Randall "Tex" Cobb) ended up in jail in the first place.

Those scenes, along with a few others totaling about fourteen minutes, are included separately as bonus material on the DVD. But hopefully, Warner Brothers will eventually release the movie with these scenes put back in, as well as showing the film in the proper Widescreen format (1.85:1) instead of Fullframe (1.33:1) as it is shown here. Why they did this (as well as also releasing Police Academy 5 Fullscreen on DVD) is anybody's guess.

The image quality on the DVD is very cropped and grainy looking. Other extras include a short 8 1/2 minute "making of" featurette, with interviews from some of the cast and crew, and the original theatrical trailer. If you would like to see the expanded version of Police Academy 4: Citizen's On Patrol released on DVD, contact Warner Brothers Home Video, or write your own review here. Until then, I'll see you all back at the Academy.

Police Academy 4: Citizens On Patrol - The Gang That's All 4 Fun And Fun 4 All!

A HILARIOUS FILM
This is a funny movie and had me laughing hard. I still like Tackleberry, Larvell Jones and Zed. Get the pack on dvd when it comes out in april ... Read more

Reviews (86)

Why is everyone bagging this movie?
Though it's definately not Amy Heckirling's best film (check out Fast Times at Ridgemont High' for that), it's not a bad movie. And though Mena and Jason have both done better for themselves (American Beauty and American Pie respectively), it's not a waste of your time. Maybe it's not a buying type of movie. But at least rent it. It's truly a hidden gem. It got lost at the theaters this summer. I saw it with some friends because we're all in love with Jason Biggs (even though his hair was a monstrosity in itself). Basically it's about a very smart, but not exactly rolling in dough type of kid. He gets made fun of by his beer-swilling, sterotypical roommates. He doesn't get any of the girls. Then he meets Dora. Dora has it just a bit rougher than Paul, considering Paul's on a schlorship and she's, well, not. Not to mention the fact that she has a not so innocent relationship with a professor. I won't tell you anymore except that Paul must find another place to live when he gets kicked out of his dorm by those roommates mentioned earlier. Anyway's, although it's definately not her best film, this one isn't so bad. So just let go of your inhabitions annd see this little movie. It's definately worth your time.

Hilarious
I have to say this is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Not only is the script written well, but the actors are excellent.

Loser is all about a guy named Paul (Jason Biggs) who wins a scholarship to a fancy Manhattan school. He falls for the Dora (Mena Suvari), a girl from the Bronx, the only problem is she's having a secret relationship with her Lit teacher (Greg Kinnear).
Not only that, Paul is living in a dorm with 3 rich roomates who don't study, party 24/7, and use date rape on any girl they can.

This is an excellent movie and I recommend it to anyone who's in the mood for a good laugh.

This movie is lame
gay, stupid, boring, pitiful
however you wann put it
but i have one word to describe this movie
that word is "lame"

Great Date Movie!!
This movie is really great to go see on a date or to rent for a date, to stay in all night! I love the humor in this movie and the cast was well chosen! I recommend this to anyone who wants a good laugh!
***Check it out!!***

Disappointing
I took a date to see this movie and we ended up staring at each other saying....what the? For a date movie this was a wierd one. Biggs plays a dweeb again but this time doesn't have his support system around him like he did in American Pie. Instead he has 2 freaky roommates who border on criminals (they use date rape drugs?) and nobody to help him out.
The professor and college student romance is equally creepy. The whole movie is so dysfunctional that I cringed so often my back hurt. There is zero chemistry between biggs and suvari. Its more like she pitied him more than anything else. ... Read more

Reviews (86)

Why is everyone bagging this movie?
Though it's definately not Amy Heckirling's best film (check out Fast Times at Ridgemont High' for that), it's not a bad movie. And though Mena and Jason have both done better for themselves (American Beauty and American Pie respectively), it's not a waste of your time. Maybe it's not a buying type of movie. But at least rent it. It's truly a hidden gem. It got lost at the theaters this summer. I saw it with some friends because we're all in love with Jason Biggs (even though his hair was a monstrosity in itself). Basically it's about a very smart, but not exactly rolling in dough type of kid. He gets made fun of by his beer-swilling, sterotypical roommates. He doesn't get any of the girls. Then he meets Dora. Dora has it just a bit rougher than Paul, considering Paul's on a schlorship and she's, well, not. Not to mention the fact that she has a not so innocent relationship with a professor. I won't tell you anymore except that Paul must find another place to live when he gets kicked out of his dorm by those roommates mentioned earlier. Anyway's, although it's definately not her best film, this one isn't so bad. So just let go of your inhabitions annd see this little movie. It's definately worth your time.

Hilarious
I have to say this is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Not only is the script written well, but the actors are excellent.

Loser is all about a guy named Paul (Jason Biggs) who wins a scholarship to a fancy Manhattan school. He falls for the Dora (Mena Suvari), a girl from the Bronx, the only problem is she's having a secret relationship with her Lit teacher (Greg Kinnear).
Not only that, Paul is living in a dorm with 3 rich roomates who don't study, party 24/7, and use date rape on any girl they can.

This is an excellent movie and I recommend it to anyone who's in the mood for a good laugh.

This movie is lame
gay, stupid, boring, pitiful
however you wann put it
but i have one word to describe this movie
that word is "lame"

Great Date Movie!!
This movie is really great to go see on a date or to rent for a date, to stay in all night! I love the humor in this movie and the cast was well chosen! I recommend this to anyone who wants a good laugh!
***Check it out!!***

Disappointing
I took a date to see this movie and we ended up staring at each other saying....what the? For a date movie this was a wierd one. Biggs plays a dweeb again but this time doesn't have his support system around him like he did in American Pie. Instead he has 2 freaky roommates who border on criminals (they use date rape drugs?) and nobody to help him out.
The professor and college student romance is equally creepy. The whole movie is so dysfunctional that I cringed so often my back hurt. There is zero chemistry between biggs and suvari. Its more like she pitied him more than anything else. ... Read more

Reviews (168)

Get off my case....................!!
A classic line from Brad Hamilton (Judge Reinhold) as well as "Doesn't anyone know how to knock around here?" or "Sir, if you don't (be quiet), I'm gonna kick 100%...!" As entertaining as Penn was, I think Reinhold did the best acting job in the enitre movie. Directors were som impressed by his work that he started in Beverly Hills Cop's 1 and 2, two of the biggest box-office hits of the 80's. Anthony Edwards (Gilbert on Revenge of the Nerds) did a great job as a stoner bud as well as Harold (Scott Thompson, Copeland on Police Academy), Jefferson, Rat (Police Academy 4), Stacy, DeMone, Linda (Phoebe Cates) and many others.

This movie was based on Clairemont High School in San Diego. I have a friend who graduated from Clairemont High in '82 who constantly tells me stories about incidents that actually happened in the movie as well as at the high school. He remembers when some guy ordered a pizza in history class. The teachers name was Mr. Crocker (not Mr. Hand). BTW, the screen names, including the teachers, are not the actual names of the ones who revolved around the high school. However, the personalities in the movie are very similar to the one's in real life. As for the mall, that was supposed to imitate Unviserstiy Town Center in San Diego. I was told that that was where every teenager wanted to work during that time.

Great movie of a semi-true story!!!

"Why don't you get a job, Spicoli?" "What for?"
Slice of life of Southern California kids dated with great early '80's tunes. Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and Mark Ratner (Brian Backer) are interested in the fair sex, but their more experienced friends Linda Barrett (Phoebe Cates) and Mike Damone (Robert Romanus) give them hopelessly bad advice. Great performances all around, but the scene-stealers are surfer pothead Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn), who thinks nothing of having a pizza ordered in to his history class, Stacey's older brother Brad (Judge Reinhold), who has bum luck with women and jobs, and history teacher Mr. Hand (Ray Walston), who has all the patience of a boiling tea kettle. Unfortunatly, extra scenes that appear on Comedy Central among other stations are not included here, as director Heckerling is not particularly fond of them. Look for Nicholas Cage, Anthony Edwards, and Eric Stoltz as Spicoli's fellow stoners, and Forest Whittaker as Ridgemont's football hero. Bruce Springsteen's younger sister Pamela appears briefly as a cheerleader.

The background of Fast Times...
The film itself is a classic, from the soundtrack (which features recently broken-up members of The Eagles), Stevie Nicks, and Jackson Browne. Cameron Crowe wrote the true story of teenagers in late 70s San Diego (Clairemont High) from his own perspective, originally written for Rolling Stone magazine. Because he looked so young at the time, he was able to go to school and fit in. Even though Crowe changed the city to the LA area (the movie also takes place in LA), the Clairemont High schoolers were upset with a lot of it. "Rat" is now the writer of some of the "Dummies" books.

The film itself is an essential 80s comedy classic, a lot of subjects bold at the time, a lot of new talent to move on to bigger paychecks (Forest Whittaker, Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage).
Cameron Crowe should make a film about the story behind making "Fast Times" as a sequel to "Almost Famous".

I think it would be great if Crowe and Heckerling did a commentary with the original cast members as well as the Clairemont High students to give added perspective on the fact and fiction of it all. I think people would want to know if these people really existed, and what happened to them.

movie
This movie has no real point to it. But its fun watching different teens in the same school and follow their lives as they try to be as cool as they can be. I wish Sean Penn got more scenes because he made this movie a definate classic.

Greatest teen comedy ever made
OK, "greatest teen comedy ever made" really isn't setting the bar all that high, but this really is a wonderful film. I almost docked it a star for being at least partially responsible for a lot of copycat garbage that followed, but that would be punishing it unfairly. It deserved the tons of money it made.

Many of the other reviews on this site have rehashed the plot(s) and the fact that it introduced an amazing array of acting talent to the world. What I think is most impressive however, is the honesty and poignancy this film delivers while being hysterically funny. The relationship between Brad and his sister is incredibly touching. The characters are real, three-dimensional people (yes even Spicoli; I knew someone almost exactly like him in school and I'll bet you did too). It is beautifully written, directed, and acted. It is also one of the most quote-worthy films this side of Tarantino ("All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine").

On a final note, I disagree with the Amazon reviewer's assessment that Cameron Crowe is an overrated director. "Say Anything" is probably the best teen movie made since this one, and "Almost Famous" is a stone cold masterpiece, IMHO. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

The last good "Police Academy" movie
I enjoed watching Police Academies 1,2, and 3, but I probably laughed harder watching this one. G.W. Bailey (Cpt.Harris) and especially Lance Kinsley (Proctor) are the life of this movie, not to mention several other actors. Bailey did an excellent job of acting, especially during the Blue Oyster scene. That was the funniest Blue Oyster part out of all the movies! It was great to see Harris come back to the series and also to see several different characters play important roles like David Spade, Sharon Stone and several others. Unfortunately, this was the last good police academy movie. The ending was kind of depressing as I realized characters like Zed, Mahoney, and other crack ups would leave the series.

A GREAT FAMILY COMEDY
Police Academy 4 citizens on patrol is a great movie.
Kids would love this one all the police academy movies are so funny but this one is one of the best.The charecers are so funny. This movie is steve guttenbergs last. It is a real disapointment that he is not in the other movies.
If you like great family comedy's this is the movie for you.

The title says it all!
The Metropolitan Police Academy's commandant Eric Lassard(George Gaynes) has initiated a community relations program called Citizens On Patrol. That's where ordinary citizens witness criminal behavior and bring the criminals to justice. Much of the original gang is still here,so are Zed(Bobcat Goldthwait) and Swechiuk(Tim Kazurinsky). G.W. Bailey returns in this sequel as Captain Thaddeus Harris(he was a lieutenant in the first film). Lt. Proctor(Lance Kinsey) is now a member of Harris' precinct. Bailey returned because Art Metrano was written out for good after the previous sequel. Chad Copeland(Scott Thomson) is part of Harris' team also. Sgt. Moses Hightower(Bubba Smith) says in one of the first scenes,"I believe Brother Swechiuk is suggesting we recruit in our old neighborhood." Lassard strongly agrees. Some of the COP team members are Lois Feldman(Billie Bird) & Thomas "House" Conklin(Tab Thacker),an overweight black guy who resembles one of The Fat Boys members. Two other young male members(Brian Backer and David Spade)are assigned to the program after they're tried for disorderly conduct via their skateboards in a shopping mall. Carey Mahoney(Steve Guttenberg) who was present at the trial,suggested the idea to the presiding judge. Again,it's another gang making a large illegal mess. This film features Sharon Stone who was in 1986,when this film was made,not-so-famous. Spade would also become a major celebrity several years later,becoming a member of NBC's Saturday Night Live. Stone is Claire Mattson,who joins COP also. She and Carey went partners in whatever either did. In the last scene,Zed tells Swechiuk,"You look a little like Tom Cruise in 'Top Gun'(one of 86's biggest films)." Also Carey and Claire toast the MPA with champagne("To the academy") while ascending to the friendly skies in a hot air balloon. Remember Metrano losing his hair in PA2,and his eyebrows in PA3? Well,one funny scene is where Harris,after showering is about to apply his deodorant,and it's stolen and replaced with mace! The stinging was so painful that he couldn't bring his arms down. They were braced. He angrily warns that those caught with mace from that point on would be reprimanded and fined. Also Harris' lips are glued to the mouthpiece of a bullhorn after Carey applies the strong,powerful adhesive. This sequel would be Guttenberg's last. Goldthwait and Kazurinsky were written out. Guttenberg bowed out of the three yet-to-come sequels in favor of "Three Men And A Baby". Well,that's my assumption. Well,the next three sequels would feature a new prankster.

Release The Extended Widescreen Version On DVD!
When Police Academy 4 originally premiered on Network Television, additional footage was added that was not seen in the theatrical cut. What's amazing is how well these extra scenes help move the story along, which makes you wonder why they were deleted in the first place? (Most likely because of the running time difference from 102 minutes to the theatrical release of 88 minutes.)

Some of the best cut stuff is of Steve Guttenberg and Sharon Stone, whose relationship seemed a bit empty in the theatrical cut. But with the extra scenes, which included Mahoney taking Claire Mattson (Stone) home in a squad car, while doing a little stuntdriving, followed by a bit of flirtatious fun back at her place, this really added another dimension to their relationship, and gave more meaning to the ending, with them up in the weather balloon together. In fact Sharon Stone's role in the theatrical version seemed very small indeed. But with these added scenes as well as another between Lt. Harris (G.W. Bailey), her screentime is lengthened considerably.

Other cut scenes include additional banter between Sweetchuck (Tim Mazurinsky) & Zed (Bobcat Goldthwait), some fancy skateboarding by Mahoney, more screentime for Butterworth (Derek McGrath), and even an explanation of how Zack (Randall "Tex" Cobb) ended up in jail in the first place.

Those scenes, along with a few others totaling about fourteen minutes, are included separately as bonus material on the DVD. But hopefully, Warner Brothers will eventually release the movie with these scenes put back in, as well as showing the film in the proper Widescreen format (1.85:1) instead of Fullframe (1.33:1) as it is shown here. Why they did this (as well as also releasing Police Academy 5 Fullscreen on DVD) is anybody's guess.

The image quality on the DVD is very cropped and grainy looking. Other extras include a short 8 1/2 minute "making of" featurette, with interviews from some of the cast and crew, and the original theatrical trailer. If you would like to see the expanded version of Police Academy 4: Citizen's On Patrol released on DVD, contact Warner Brothers Home Video, or write your own review here. Until then, I'll see you all back at the Academy.

Police Academy 4: Citizens On Patrol - The Gang That's All 4 Fun And Fun 4 All!

A HILARIOUS FILM
This is a funny movie and had me laughing hard. I still like Tackleberry, Larvell Jones and Zed. Get the pack on dvd when it comes out in april ... Read more

Reviews (60)

Classic, Classic Tom Hanks
My wife and I have seen this movie MANY times and we laugh harder each time we see it. This movie must be a cult classic, mainly because if we act out a piece of a scene or speak a line from it (as we often do) many people are 'in' on the joke having seen it repeatedly themselves. Alexander Gudenov really steals the scenes that he's in portraying Shelly Long's ex-husband/Symphony conductor. I love it when he admonishes the orchestra at lunchtime after a lackluster rehearsal and tells the members to '...go stuff yourselves, I hope you choke!' (in that wonderful accent).
I highly reccommend this film to anyone, especially if you own a house. Those laughing the loudest will have had home repair experience I'm sure. Tom Hanks at his funniest. You won't be dissapointed!

Favorite moments:

bathtub scene (with pop-up thermometer in the turkey)
raccoon scene
The Shirk brothers contractors
All of the Alexander Gudenov scenes
'The Cheap Girls' band
borrowing money from 'Benny'
Hanks and Long fighting in front of the contractors

.....the list goes on......

Simply too funny
"The Money Pit" may have been a disaster at the box office and with critics at the time but this movie is just too hilarious. This is one of the few movies that makes me laugh until tears starts rolling down my face. My personal favorite moment is when Shelly Long finds a raccoon in the dumb waiter and it leaps at her. Seeing her running around screaming with a raccoon on her shoulder is hysterical. Of course just watching Tom Hanks' character try to fix the house is equally funny, particularly when he hears Shelly's character screaming and he runs...or tries to run up the poorly built staircase. The classic moment is when he falls into that hole and is stuck there for most of the day, missing out on an important meeting with a contractor and then seeing Shelly Long's expression when she finds him stuck in the hole. "The Money Pit" remains one of my top favorite comedies of all time as well as favorite Tom Hanks film.

home blech home!
Tom Hanks and Shelly Long star in this 1980s Steven Spielberg movie as Walter and Anna, a Manhattan couple who are unceremoniously evicted from her ex-husband's apartment and must search for new housing. They find what seems to be a steal -- a huge million-dollar mansion for next to nothing --- and move in, only to be besieged with a collapsing staircase, chocolate-brown "water", rotting wood, exploding doorbell, you name it. Probably one of the funniest scenes I have ever seen is when Tom Hanks sinks through the rug into a hole in the den floor and gets stuck.

Broke and cranky from sinking more and more resources into the money pit in which they live, Anna and Walter snipe at each other. The shady contractors they hire say they can get the job done in 2 weeks -- and continue saying that four months later.

The house may or may not get rebuilt, but will Walter and Anna survive as a couple? Being a typical 1980s comedy which paved the way for everything starring Meg Ryan for 16 years, you already know the answer. But it is still a hilarious movie to watch, depsite its predictability.

Sigh sigh
When I watched this movie for the very first time, I was 18 yold. It was and it is one of the most loved movies I ever seen in my whole life and it meant so much to me because I felt like Tom Hanks when I was rising up my new house and I seen myself in that movie with all the hard time to make the house of my and her dream nice and cozy. We did it but I miss those times.

Thanks "The money pit".

Luca

One of my all-time favorites!
Who wouldn't want to see Tom Hanks stuck in a hole in the floor? This movie is hilarious right from the start - Shelley Long and Hanks play off each other well. Well worth a few bucks to have your own copy at home! ... Read more