Johnny Dangerously is a riotous send-up of the gritty Warner Bros. gangster films of the Depression era. Johnny Kelly (Michael Keaton) is a “good boy” who is forced into a life of crime to pay for his mother’s (Maureen Stapleton) endless and increasingly absurd medical bills.
Taking the alias “Johnny Dangerously,” he rises through the ranks of the mob under the tutelage of the soft-hearted boss Jocko Dundee (Peter Boyle).
While Johnny becomes a high-rolling criminal, he keeps his identity secret from his younger brother, Tommy (Griffin Dunne), an honest man who eventually becomes a crusading District Attorney.
Johnny’s life is further complicated by his rivalry with the unhinged, “farging” sociopath Danny Vermin (Joe Piscopo), and his blossoming romance with the glamorous nightclub singer Lil (Marilu Henner).
The film is a whirlwind of sight gags and linguistic gymnastics.
Byron Thames appears as a young Johnny Dangerously.
The supporting cast is a “who’s who” of 80s comedy and classic TV, including Danny DeVito, Dom DeLuise, Dick Butkus, Ray Walston, Alan Hale Jr., and Joe Flaherty.
Directed by Amy Heckerling (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Clueless, Look Who’s Talking), the movie meticulously recreates the 1930s aesthetic only to gleefully dismantle it with slapstick and a legendary running joke involving Vermin’s penchant for creative profanity.
While Johnny Dangerously was only a modest success upon its initial release, its legacy flourished in the era of premium cable television and home video, where it achieved undeniable cult status.
It remains one of the most quotable comedies of its decade, famously remembered for the “farging icehole” sequence – a clever workaround for censorship that became more iconic than the words it replaced.
“My mother did it to me once… ONCE!” — This line, delivered by Piscopo’s Danny Vermin, has become a permanent fixture in the lexicon of comedic movie quotes.
Michael Keaton and Joe Piscopo in Johnny Dangerously (Photo/20thCentury Fox)
Reception for Johnny Dangerously
Johnny Dangerously grossed $2.9 million on its opening weekend, finishing ninth at the box office.
The film would gross $17.1 million on its theatrical run.
Roger Ebert gave the film two out of four stars in his review.
Legacy
The film serves as a pivotal showcase for Keaton’s manic, rubber-faced charisma, proving his ability to carry a film as a leading man just a few years before he would don the cape and cowl as Batman.
Heckerling’s direction is praised for its breakneck pace and its deep affection for the genre it parodies.
Johnny Dangerously is celebrated alongside Airplane! and The Naked Gun as a cornerstone of the “spoof” genre and its legacy is one of pure, unadulterated silliness, reminding audiences that sometimes the best way to honor cinematic history is to give it a hilarious, pinstriped hot-foot.
