Throwback Thursday: Jumping Jack Flash

Hey guys sorry I haven’t been up to date on these Throwback Thursdays, I’ve been busy out of town so today I am going to be taking it way back. Back to 1986, yes the good old 80’s a time when most of my favorite movies were made. This film Jumping Jack Flash is no different. It has everything you could possibly want in an 80’s film, a funny relevant cast, 80’s style and a great mix of action/drama/comedy. Whoopi Goldberg leads the way in this hilarious film about Terry, a data entry analyst for First National Bank in Manhattan who receives coded messages from an unknown source asking her to help him with his situation. Her workspace is surrounded by some well known and equally funny actors including Jon Lovitz, Steven Collins, Carol Kane, Annie Potts, and the one and only Phil Hartman (RIP). These costars give a spectacular performance along with the frontrunner Whoopi who delivers a great performance as always. She is a funny and outspoken woman who is just trying to do her job as well as wanting to help this person in trouble. The hilarity begins with this unknown person telling Terry that all the clues to find him are hidden in The Rolling Stones song…can you guess, “Jumping Jack Flash” very good! So she bundles herself up and begins the process of listening to that song on constant repeat to figure it out, now this was before CD’s or IPod’s so she has rewind the cassette tape which makes it even funnier. I’m not going to give away any of the details of how this film plays out but trust me if you love a good action film with many humorous scenes please watch this movie for your own good.

Now I love Whoopi Goldberg I think she is one of those versatile actors who can do serious films such as Ghost and then can turn around and do a fun comedy like this. Though its not going to earn her any Oscars its fun to watch when you want something that’s light hearted yet heartfelt. Penny Marshall directed this film so you can’t really go wrong with her behind the wheel. One of my favorite scenes is when Whoopi has to get inside an exclusive Ball, obviously her name is not on the list so she decides to impersonate Diana Ross which she pulls off flawlessly, ok that’s the only thing I’ll give away. I gladly own this film and would highly suggest as least watching it once just to see the 80’s charm in all its glory.
-Molli