Film Review: Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986)

Some films are interesting merely for featuring details that give insight into early years of phenomena that are nowadays taken for granted. In case of Jumpin’ Jack Flash, 1986 spy comedy directed by Penny Marshall, that phenomenon is online chat.

In time of film’s production computers were still expensive and thus out of reach for most private individuals, which meant that you were most likely to encounter them only in major institutions. One of such is First National Bank in Manhattan where the protagonist Terry Doolittle (played by Whoopi Goldberg) works as operator of computer terminal. Her job requires her to conduct all kinds of complicated bank transfers and similar operations with banks in the other parts of world, but she still catches enough time for non-business messages with her peers on the other side. One day she receives unusual message from individual calling himself “Jumping Jack Flash” who claims that he is British secret agent stuck in (then Soviet-controlled) Eastern Europe. He is in immediate need of rescue and asks Terry for help. After successfully solving the riddle and finding password for Jack’s computer network, she gets in touch with Jack’s regular contact in British Consulate. But that visit seems to fruitless apart from bringing attention of KGB operatives. Terry must use all of her skill and ingenuity to find Jack’s alternative contacts and help Jack devise proper extraction plan.

This was directorial debut for Penny Marshall, who was until that time known exclusively as star of television sitcoms. Her lack of experience (something that would quickly disappear judging by number of future hit comedies) is quite noticeable, but even a more seasoned director would have problems with messy and disorganised script written by four different writers. Main flaw of Jumpin’ Jack Flash is lack of focus; film makers didn’t know whether to make a regular spy thriller or comedy, nor did they showed skills necessary for proper balance between the two. As as result, seemingly complicated spy plot dealing with intrigues and double agents looks generic, while the quality of humour is low. Like in many bad 1980s comedies, lack of jokes is compensated with scenes of mayhem that seem unrealistic and out of place, and the ending is unnecessary prolonged. Whoopi Goldberg and her undisputable comedic talent are the only elements of this film that make it watchable, at least in the first part when the character of Terry and her quirkiness is properly established. There are some funny scenes, especially those in which Goldberg impersonates famous musicians like Tina Turner or Ray Charles and some might appreciate homage to legendary British television comedian Benny Hill. That, however, isn’t sufficient to recommend this film to anyone but the most loyal among Goldberg’s fans.

RATING: 4/10 (++)

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Movie URL: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/10945-jumpin-jack-flash
Critic: AA