Hiding Out (1987) DEG/Comedy-Action RT: 98 minutes Rated PG-13 (language, violence, sexual material) Director: Bob Giraldi Screenplay: Joe Menosky and Jeff Rothberg Music: Anne Dudley Cinematography: Daniel Pearl Release date: November 6, 1987 (US) Cast: Jon Cryer, Keith Coogan, Annabeth Gish, Claude Brooks, Oliver Cotton, Tim Quill, Alexandra Auder, Tony Soper, Ned Eisenberg, Marita Geraghty, John Spencer, Gretchen Cryer, Nancy Fish, Anne Pitoniak, Beth Ehlers, Richard Portnow, Gerry Bamman, Jack Gilpin, Joy Behar, Lou Walker. Box Office: $7M (US)
Rating: ***
I was recently asked what my favorite part of my job is. That’s easy. I LOVE going back and revisiting movies from back in the day- i.e. the 70s, 80s and 90s. Call it sentimentality, I guess. There’s something pleasing about rewatching a movie from my youth and young adulthood. Movies like Hiding Out, an underrated comedy-action hybrid starring Jon Cryer (Pretty in Pink) as a stockbroker hiding out from mobsters by posing as a high school student. It doesn’t come up much in conversation; it seems to have been forgotten by all but a few ardent aficionados of 80s movies. Such is the fate of several movies released by short-lived major studio DEG (De Laurentiis Entertainment Group)- e.g. Body Slam, From the Hip, Million Dollar Mystery and Date with an Angel.
The complaint I hear the most about teen movies is that the actors look too old to be playing teens. Look no further than the Porky’s movies. The opposite is true of Hiding Out. Cryer, sporting the fakest-looking fake beard this side of the mall Santa industry, looks too young to be playing a nearly 30YO man. At 22, he’s more convincing as a high school student. It’s just one of many strange things about this silly movie.
Cryer plays Andrew, a Boston stockbroker compelled by the FBI to testify against a mobster after he and two colleagues have dirty dealings with him. He’s taken to a safe house after one of his colleagues is murdered. Andrew escapes custody after a hitman makes an attempt on his life. He makes his way to Delaware where his teenage cousin Patrick (Coogan, Adventures in Babysitting) and Aunt Lucy (Cryer’s real-life mother Gretchen) live. After shaving off the beard and changing his hairstyle to a two-toned punk do, he goes to the high school to meet up with his family. Once there, he decides to enroll as a new student named Maxwell Hauser (he gets the name off a coffee can).
Unfortunately, this is where Hiding Out kind of blows it. Doing high school over again is an idea rife with possibilities. If given the opportunity, what would you do differently? Take a moment to think about it. How would you deal with not being a member of the popular clique? Would you stand up to the teacher who takes delight in bullying students? Would you be able to gather up the courage to ask the girl you like out on a date? High school wasn’t exactly a great experience for Andrew. As Max, he gets a do-over. It’s his chance to do it right. The movie fails to develop this premise beyond a superficial level. It’s a little disappointing.
HOWEVER, there’s a sweet love story at the center of Hiding Out. That is, if you can set aside the age difference. Max connects with Ryan (Gish, Mystic Pizza) after defending her in class against a mean teacher (Fish, The Exorcist III) who openly criticizes a paper she wrote on Nixon. This doesn’t set well with her boyfriend Kevin (Quill, Hamburger Hill), the resident Big Man on Campus and current class president. He’s conceited, jealous and possessive; you know the type, there’s at least one in every high school. Although the movie never shows it, Ryan eventually breaks up with Kevin. She goes on a date with Max to the local roller rink where he shows off his lack of roller skills. There’s a great scene before that where Max worries about meeting her father when he goes to pick her up (“Please, please don’t let her father answer the door”). Of course, it’s Dad who answers the door. After some initial awkwardness, Max ingratiates himself to him by saving him $1000 on his income tax return.
There’s also a subplot about Max running against Kevin for class president, a position he clearly doesn’t want. His rebellious attitude makes him popular with students tired of the status quo. And no high school movie would be complete without a geek transformation. Patrick is a geek when we first meet him. By the movie’s end, he’s one of the cool kids. As for the transformation process, we don’t see much of it. It’s yet another underdeveloped plot point in a movie filled with underdeveloped plot points. Take the rivalry between Max and Kevin. They don’t even talk to each other until late in the movie. We only know that Kevin is his nemesis because the screenplay demands it.
Another weird thing about Hiding Out is how it seems to forget about the FBI and the mobster’s hitman hunt for Andrew for long stretches. The FBI doesn’t show up at the aunt’s house until it’s convenient for the story. Same goes for the hitman who conveniently shows up when the student body has gathered to hear election results. Okay, I actually expected that. In a movie this far removed from reality, it wouldn’t make sense for the hitman to wait until Andrew/Max is alone.
For all its problems, Hiding Out is entertaining. It’s amusing as opposed to hilarious. It has a pretty good soundtrack that includes Roy Orbison doing a beautiful duet (“Crying”) with k.d. lang. Cryer is likable in the lead. Coogan is likable as well. Gish is absolutely endearing as the beautiful, smart girl who captures Max/Andrew’s heart. Claude Brooks (Solarbabies) provides the movie’s cool factor as the hip, confident student who runs Max’s campaign.
It should be mentioned that Hiding Out is the first feature film of Bob Giraldi, a director better known for his music videos. He made some biggies like “Beat It” (Michael Jackson), “Love Is a Battlefield” (Pat Benatar), “Say Say Say” (Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson) and “Hello” (Lionel Richie). He does a decent job with Hiding Out. Like I said, it has its flaws, but it’s so likable that you can overlook all of them. At least I can. What can I say, I just like this movie.
