Bad Manners - A Gang Explosiva

There's no easy way to describe what makes this movie great. Many people will hate it, find it offensive or facile, or just plain not be responsive to its crazy sense of humour. But if you love anarchy and you love absurdity, along with a little sentimentality for the 80s, I think you'll love this movie. It's a forgotten classic and one of my favourite comedies ever. DON'T LET THE BAD REVIEWS DETER YOU!!!

The trouble with 'quirky' comedies is that it is so easy to go too far and quirkiness becomes just plain stupidity. Unfortunately, this movie is one of those that goes too far. There are a couple of genuinely funny characters and a number of plot ideas here that in more skilful hands could have been truly funny. As it is, this is the sort of dumb, over the top, trashy comedy that stereo-typically appeals to adolescent boys. The best thing about this is that it is gloriously, outrageously politically incorrect and no one seems to care. Makes a change from today's movies that are painfully timid about offending anyone. Other than that, it is very easy to see why this movie is not well known.

If you can find this movie, it is your destiny to see it. My dad rented it when I was eight. I made him copy it so I could watch it every day. Bad Manners(aka growing Pains, Goonies and Ferris Beuler were the only three movies that I would watch when I was a kid. That may give you some idea of the prestige of this movie. The guy who wrote this movie is a God. The scene in the bus stop is one of the most memorable scenes in any movie ever. Why does everyone start kissing when the fire alarm goes off? I have no idea, but I love it. My best friend Chris saw this movie too. We always talk about it. No one else I've ever met has ever heard of it. I used to think the orphan girl with the black hair in it was hot. I am about to see what other movies she was in. maybe she ended up doing a porn after this. I will have to check.

This is a really, really obscure movie - doesn't make the Leonard Maltin guide under either title - which, for trash movie lovers, offers more than a lot of better known flicks.

For those familiar with the women-in-prison genre of campy movies, this is kind of a kids-in-prison equivalent. You don't want to do "Growing Pains"/"Bad Manners" the disservice of taking it too seriously, since it doesn't demand anything of the sort, but unusually for this kind of film, it has the odd serious undertone, and good acting from the kids.

Where it wins, is its unsentimental, hilariously upfront portrayal of the kids and their language - it kind of pre-dates the "South Park" approach in a small way. The adults are routinely presented as gross caricatures. These two factors, in 1984, probably account for the film's howling commercial success, ahem.

Martin Mull and particularly Karen Black give some good value mugging in the grotesque adult category, but it's the kids' film. In a way it also kind of parallels kid rebellion movies like "Over the Edge", which preceded it. Not great, but very watchable, and unusual enough to be a real curio.

I recently watched Bad Manners (1984) on Tubi. The storyline follows a group of kids at an orphanage who run things their way and have fun doing it. When one of the kids is adopted and begs to stay with them, the friends escape the orphanage and set out on an adventure to find and rescue their adopted friend so they can stay together forever.

This film is directed by Bobby Houston (Shogun Assassin) and stars Karen Black (Five Easy Pieces), Martin Mull (Clue), Anne DeSalvo (Arthur), Pamela Adlon (Grease 2), Edy Williams (Beyond the Valley of the Dolls), and Kimmy Robertson (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids).

I enjoyed this movie much more than I anticipated. Yes, the scenarios were unrealistic, but the kids are wild, vulgar, and unpredictable, which I loved. Karen Black was phenomenal and added a different brand of comedy compared to the juveniles. There's a football helmet sequence that cracked me up. The use of spray paint in the settings and the blood brothers scene, reminiscent of most boys' childhoods, added to the fun. There was also some unexpected nudity, including a random nude nun sequence. The open ending was magic.

In conclusion, Bad Manners is a delightful coming-of-age film with fun characters and circumstances. I would score this a 7/10 and recommend it if you're looking for something different.