Summary1956. Obsessed with the hottest girl in class (Kelly Preston), a gawky high school student (Doug McKeon) takes a crash course in teenage coolness from his motorcycle rebel neighbour, under the watchful eye of the eternal symbol of teenage rebellion: James Dean.
Directed By:Mel Damski
Written By:Noel Black
Mischief
Metascore
Mixed or Average
53
User score
Generally Favorable
7.8
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Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
53
29% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
71% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
75
A modest and charmingly genuine youth movie. Mischief doesn't, to be sure, fall squarely into the latter, uncrowded category that includes Diner, The Flamingo Kid, and Puberty Blues. But it has a lot more going for it than Porky's.[9 Feb 1985]
63
Mischief is captivating enough that its small failings are forgiveable. Its four principal actors -- McKeon, Stewart, Preston and Nash -- are fine-looking, but they don't rely on that surface characteristic to get them through. Under Mel Damski's direction, they seem to know their craft. And so, Mischief is a twinkle for the eye and a wash of nostalgia for the memory. [11 Feb 1985, p.D4]
60
As comfortable as an old pair of saddle shoes, and just as worn...But for the persistent nostalgia buff, there are rewards -- five cents on a cash register, a dollar's worth of gas, car hops, submarine races, Howdy Doody, mirror dice, stacks of 45s -- all the froth that's left at the end of the ice cream soda. [8 Feb 1985, p.24]
60
IF Norman Rockwell had wanted to make ''Porky's,'' he might have come up with something like Mischief.
50
Neither terrible nor outstanding, it's the kind of middle-of-the-road picture that's hard to remember a week after seeing it. [8 Feb 1985, p.C2]
50
Mischiefin other words, is echt teen sex comedy, hitting its marks in the way a skilled carpenter drives home his millionth nail. Even the deviations from the formula, like the movie's sweet, naive tone, are only predictable extensions of the formula.
50
This one combines elements of AMERICAN GRAFFITI, GREASE, and PORKY'S with a liberal dose of TV's popular sitcom Happy Days.
User score
Generally Favorable
7.8
75% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
25% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
May 11, 2021
7
Most critics who savaged this film simply understood it. It's not a coming-of-age sex comedy. It's a story about a friendship between two young men. It includes a fantastic performance by Kelly Preston (RIP), an homage to "Rebel Without A Cause," and has good intentions at its core. It also could never be made today. Not everybody's cup of tea, but worth a look, esp if you are an 80's kid or take umbrage with how norms surrounding sex and movies have somehow regressed from the decade in which it was made.
