Robert J. Maxwell Well, "Airplane" was released in 1980 and proved a cash cow so it was inevitable that sequels, imitations, and rip offs should follow. The duo responsible for the first, Zucker and Abrahams, did it best. They imitated themselves with relish and with skill. "Johnny Dangerously" is amusing too but not quite in the same vein as the others. In high school English class I was always puzzled by the distinction between parody, satire, and farce. With little help from the teacher, Ms. Olive Rapp, I decided that a parody consisted of gently making fun of something, that a satire involved edgier ridicule, and that a farce was a fast comedy in which people fell over things like furniture.This is a satire of 1930s gangster movies that sometimes elbows its way uncertainly into farce territory. For the most part, the laughs lie in the often witty dialog. And there ARE laughs. Many of them come from Richard Dimitri's character of Roman Troy Moronie, a caricature of a mustachioed foul-mouth Italian rival of the Kelly gang. He's always overwrought, teeth bared with rage, his eyes blacked out like the villain's in a Charlie Chaplin short. He reads a statement to the congressional committee investigating him: Something like, "Ladies and Gentlemen. You cork-sacking foragging faggots ain't got no right to take a man's freedom." He gets deported to Sweden.The plot follows the usual formula of the gangster movie. Michael Keaton is one of the Kelly brothers. Their "Ma", Maureen Stapleton) is always suffering from some increasingly expensive illness or other that doesn't stop her from plodding on with her laundry in order to support her two boys now that their Dad is gone. (A photo of Dad hangs in the kitchen; he's in a striped prison suit and strapped in an electric chair.) Keaton changes his last name to Dangerously so that Ma and his younger brother don't know about his sensational career in crime. He even puts his brother through law school and when he becomes D.A. the clash is inevitable.Keaton does all right as Johnny Dangerously but is perhaps outdone, or at least outwritten, by some of the supporting players. Some of the sight gags are dated and a few are sloppy but the film is redeemed by the dialog, which can get pretty funny, funner than a similar satire (or is it a parody) in "Movie, Movie."

Mmmavis This early 80's spoof is a spot-on parody of the old Warner Brother's gangster films and classic screwball comedies of the thirties. If you like those old classic films then you need to see this, you'll get all the gags and nonsensical plot details that make it so funny.Michael Keaton is great as the title character, channeling the long gone spirit of Jimmy Cagney with the same irresistible Irish charm; but it's the supporting actors who give the film its hysterical brilliance, from Joe Piscopo---wickedly sending up the kind of despicable, second-banana roles Humphrey Bogart used to play---to Richard Dimitri, whose wildly funny portrayal of the sociopathic, unintelligible, ethnic-looking gangster is a pitch-perfect illustration of the unspoken racism in those old films, to Maureen Stapleton, who utterly steals every scene she's in as the lazy, dotty, foul-mouthed 'Sweet Irish Mum' those old gangster characters were always so devoted to.It's one of the most perfect parodies of a film genre ever made, and it's still funny, 25 years later. Watch it.

zengator Reading over all the great quotes from this movie, I found myself laughing out loud and wondering why I had rated Johnny Dangerously so mediocre-ly after the last time I'd seen it a few years ago.Than I actually watched it again and remembered. Yes, this film has lots of memorable lines and a few funny scenes. But due to many dead spots and comedic bits that just don't click, it doesn't work as a consistently enjoyable whole.There's a tipping point for this kind of movie, a percentage of rapid fire jokes that have to work so that you can forget the ones that don't. Airplane succeeds, Airplane 2 doesn't. Johnny Dangerously comes close, but doesn't quite make it.I must admit, tho, it's still pretty farkin' enjoyable watching Michael Keaton hamming it up playing a role he was born to play.

endzoneartimis If your a fan of Airplane type movies this is a must see! Set in the 1920's and 30's Johnny Dangerously has not only great actors but great lines. "knock down dat wall,knock down dat wall and knock down dat #@$%#@$ wall." "You shouldn't hang me on a hook johnny" or "Sounds like Johnnys getting laid". Its definitely a spoof of the old James Cagney Movies and references them a lot. There's a great scene when Jhonnys walking down death row and has a priest set up for his escape. Listen closely to the fake priests readings, its pretty funny. Another great scene is when Dom Delauise plays the Pope. Watch his reaction to Johnny after he tips the Pope, a lot said without making a sound.I recommend this movie to all who love to laugh or are old movie buffs.