Rotten Tomatoes
Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Johnny Be Good

Play trailer Poster for Johnny Be Good R 1988 1h 24m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
0% Tomatometer 18 Reviews 30% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
High-school quarterback Johnny Walker (Anthony Michael Hall) is being courted by elite colleges nationwide. To get the sports star to enroll, an army of recruiters entices him with everything a young, hormonal teenager could want. While his best friend, Leo Wiggins (Robert Downey Jr.), advises him to wait for the most lucrative offer, Johnny's girlfriend, Georgia Elkins (Uma Thurman), wants him to attend their state college -- with her. The trouble is the state school has offered him nothing.
Watch on Fandango Stream Now

Where to Watch

Johnny Be Good

Critics Reviews

View More
Michael Wilmington Los Angeles Times 08/14/2019
"Johnny Be Good," a would-be satire on the excesses of big-time college football recruiting, is so bad that the NCAA might consider using it as punishment for coaches who violate regulations. Go to Full Review
Dave Kehr Chicago Tribune 08/14/2019
1/4
Buried somewhere in the screenplay are some Robert Altman-esque satirical intentions, in which the wildly corrupt college football recruitment process is offered as a panoramic image of frenzied American venality. Go to Full Review
Caryn James New York Times 05/20/2003
2/5
Two of the screenwriters, Steve Zacharias and Jeff Buhai, also wrote Revenge of the Nerds, so it's not surprising that they're more interested in tame teen-age fantasies than in social satire. Go to Full Review
Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies 08/22/2022
1.5/5
“Johnny Be Good” is still a bad movie, and its faults stand out even more today. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 02/12/2022
1/4
The worst football flick ever made. Go to Full Review
Guillermo Altares El Pais (Spain) 08/14/2019
An insufferable comedy. [Full Review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Melissa M @Lisey 3d This movie is definitely a frat-boy movie. With a lot of gratuitous trash talking. But I guess that's the way most locker room or sports talk is. It's not a bad movie. Don't know if it would be considered a cult classic. Paul Gleason & Anthony Michael Hall are in the film. They both starred together in the movie The breakfast club. Robert Downey Jr is also in the film. This is Uma Thurman's 1st movie. In the film Johnny is a star athlete who has football recruiters throwing offers at him he's finding a hard time to refuse. He's getting different advice from his friends especially his best friend Leo. Georgia wants Johnny to go to State college. However the state college is not offering anything that great especially where football is concerned. He has a hard choice to make. Won't say what happens no spoiler alerts here. If you like sports movies you'll like this film. It's watchable. And it has its moments. See more Christopher C. @PapaTangooo May 28 With introduction of NIL into the world of college sports, this movie has a different feel than it did in the 80s. It’s a fun flick. AMH is overall entertaining and has some nice nuance to his comedic delivery although there are scenes where the character work drifts. Interesting to watch Robert Downey, Jr and Uma Thurman as they were starting their acting careers as supporting characters. See more 04/24/2025 I loved this movie as a kid Hall Downie and Gleason were great See more Eric E @RT96541387 04/23/2024 So many great one liners. Coach Hissler's pre-game speech is the stuff of legends. See more alan g @agenser 04/04/2024 Anthony Michael Hall as a high school quarterback is really pushing it. Still a fun coming of age movie. See more Fourpsyte @RT86546669 12/12/2023 This movie is honestly great. You get unhinged RDJ and girls that are new in town and they need a hand See more Read all reviews
Johnny Be Good

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING
The Couch Trip 40% 43% The Couch Trip Watchlist Cadillac Man 62% 33% Cadillac Man Watchlist Caddyshack 73% 87% Caddyshack Watchlist TRAILER for Caddyshack Easy Money 56% 59% Easy Money Watchlist 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag 7% 35% 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis High-school quarterback Johnny Walker (Anthony Michael Hall) is being courted by elite colleges nationwide. To get the sports star to enroll, an army of recruiters entices him with everything a young, hormonal teenager could want. While his best friend, Leo Wiggins (Robert Downey Jr.), advises him to wait for the most lucrative offer, Johnny's girlfriend, Georgia Elkins (Uma Thurman), wants him to attend their state college -- with her. The trouble is the state school has offered him nothing.
Director
Bud S. Smith
Producer
Adam Fields
Screenwriter
Steve Zacharias, Jeff Buhai, David Obst
Production Co
Orion Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 25, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 16, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$15.5M
Runtime
1h 24m
Sound Mix
Surround