Gotcha! DVD > Reviews > Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi Ce Soir???

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Outstanding
Special Effects	Good
How does it compare to similar films?	Outstanding

Advantages:	Funny, sharp one - liners, suspense, every genre basically
Disadvantages:	Kind of dated, but certainly a relic of its era

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

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TITLE: Gotcha!

RATING: ****

CAST: Anthony Edwards, Linda Fiorentino, Jsu Garcia (Nick Corri), Alex Rocco, Marla Adams, Klaus Lowitsch, Christopher Rydell, David Wohler, Christie Claridge, Berno Kurten, Bernwald Buker, Elke Knittel, J.P. Bumstead, Peter Pan.

DIRECTOR: Jeff Kanew

STUDIO: Universal Pictures

RUNNING TIME: 101 min.

RATED: PG-13 (US) & 15 (UK); for suggested sex, brief nudity, violence and some language.

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I GOTCHA WHERE I WANT YA
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First of all, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to read the umpteenth movie review by me. I understand all you Ciaoers have been giving me some great praise for my reviews, particularly on obscure films like these. I just hope none of you are getting sick of them because I just can't help it; as one person said, it is my niche, and it doesn't exactly prove that I'm a movie freak. Hell, I'm having a lot of fun doing it, and just as much fun as I've had watching this little-seen gem from 1985 called GOTCHA!

Now, how many of you out there are fans of the hit series ER? Probably quite a few, and maybe because of George Clooney, who became an instant star from that show. Forget about Clooney though; this review is going to be a great read for fans of Dr. Mark Greene, played by the immensely likeable Anthony Edwards. Yeah, the cool bald guy, you know who I'm talking about. Not many people know is that he made of string of films in the 1980s with a full head of hair, and the one most people will remember when he played Goose in TOP GUN.

Anthony Edwards looked like a human version of Bambi, as his best friend in this movie likes to describe him as. Plus, if you are a big fan of James Bond, then you will surely love this as well. Anthony Edwards as James Bond? Not exactly, but that is one of the reasons why this is a comedy. Maybe they should have called this movie JAMES BAMBI....lol.

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LOOKING FOR HIS PUSSY GALORE
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Edwards plays a nerdy college student named Jonathan Moore, who first appears following another student going to a class. We soon get the impression that his intentions are hostile, as he pulls out a gun from his jacket. We do witness him shoot this student, but we realize that it is actually a paint pellet he fired and that it is a game that a bunch of students play hunting each other around campus. He managed to get a female student upset for spilling a Pepsi she was holding in her hand all over her expensive sweater. He tries to make it up to her by asking her out to dinner, which she angrily rejects and gives him the middle finger.

So, it's obvious from the word go that this smart dork can't seem to have any luck with the opposite sex. In fact when he tries to ask another girl to go out with him, she says she would rather do nothing than to be with him. Ouch!!!

Anyway, we then meet Jonathan's best friend and roommate Manolo, who he plans on going on vacation to Europe with. While Jonathon's parents are divided on the idea, he convinces them and he and Manolo jump on a plane bound for Paris, where they plan to have some fun and learn about the culture; though Jonathan is also quite determined to lose his virginity. After Manolo hooks up with a Swedish girl by pretending to be a gangster named Carlos, Jonathan is left on his own to try to find a girl.

He doesn't find a girl, but a 24-year-old woman from Czechoslovakia named Sasha (Linda Fiorentino) who seduces him, merely for the fact that she likes virgins, which she amusingly pronounces as "weergins." Soon, they start to spend more time together, with Sasha showing him the finer things of Europe and, needless to say, instructing him on how to become a great lover. She is hiding a few secrets from him, however……

Jonathan, being the innocent young guy he is, falls in love with Sasha, and decides to join her to West Berlin, where she has some "business" to take care of. The one thing you have to realize at this point, and this is the only element that makes the film dated, is the fact that it was made in 1985….so the Cold War is still going on, and things get even more difficult for Jonathan when Sasha explains she has to go into East Berlin now. What business is this mysterious woman into? While she says to Jonathan that she is a "courier," we all know she is hiding something.

Then the roller coaster starts, with Sasha being chased by some Russian KGB spies, and Jonathan getting in the middle of this and finds himself involved with espionage….though that is only the beginning; revealing anymore would be unthinkable.

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BAMBI'S LAST SEDUCTION
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Hands down, this movie is great fun all the way, and those I know who do remember it are in agreement. Edwards was no doubt the perfect actor to play this hormone-driven nerd, considering the fact he starred in director Kanew's REVENGE OF THE NERDS a year before. He is earnest and likeable, and no doubt the female audience will find him boyishly cute and engaging.

Even in his prime, he was quite talented, and that is why he is on my short list of the most underrated actors of all time. I especially loved him as John Cusack's buddy Lance in THE SURE THING, and it's a shame he has only appeared in television shows since then, though ER fans certainly can't object to that. Plus, he delivers some truly funny one-liners throughout the whole film, some of which I will repeat in the Quotes section of this review.

I remember when I listened to the audio commentary track on DOGMA one day, and director Kevin Smith and star Ben Affleck were talking about actress Linda Fiorentino (who played Bethany Sloane in that film). They were discussing her previous film credits, and Affleck suddenly jumped up and said, "Hey, this is all I'm saying guys: she kicked ass in GOTCHA! I watched that film while growing up and she was my first love."

It's interesting that Affleck admitted to this, because she was admired by many people back in the '80s, particularly after her first film VISION QUEST, which is now a cult classic to many people. GOTCHA! was her second film, and believe me, she was sexy, funny, and even intense as Sasha. Her accent is impeccable, considering she is actually a native of Philadelphia and went to school in New Jersey at the same time that Kevin Smith did!!! While this film may be forgotten in her resume, she is more well known for being in the superb film noir THE LAST SEDUCTION and the hit film MEN IN BLACK.

As Jonathon's parents, Alex Rocco and Marla Adams are very funny as a nouveu-riche couple in Beverly Hills, and some of their best moments and dialogue come when Jonathan returns home from his little adventure in Europe, at which time Rocco is upset that his son ruined his Nikon (he doesnt refer to it as a camera). When Jonathan mentions Sasha and how much fun they had, his dad just says, "Yeah, I bet!" Soon, for circumstances I will not reveal, both of his parents being to suspect that Jonathan is a drug addict!

As Manolo, Corri is also a delight to watch, especially when he coaches his best friend early on in the film on how to pick up a girl. He recommends speaking in French since they ARE in France, and Jonathan goes up to a girl and says, "Voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir?" and the girl slaps him and says, "Oh, you asshole!!!" Manolo smiles and says, "Hey, she likes you!!!" By the way, if you don't know what that question means in English, ask me in the comments section and I'll tell you in your guestbooks…lol.

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NERDS AND HURRICANES
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As I mentioned before, the film is directed by REVENGE OF THE NERDS' Jeff Kanew, and if you loved that film, you should enjoy this as well, even though Kanew adds so many other elements, such as suspense and thriller, to this movie. He managed to film the majority of GOTCHA! on location in Europe, including shooting at such famous landmarks as the Citadel de Spandel outside of Hamburg, Germany and the famous museums in Paris.

This is one of the best things I liked about the film: the European flavor, and it's great to see what it was like back then during the days of the Cold War, including the attitudes of those who lived there at time. There is a U.S. military police officer standing guard at the gate of East Berlin (then called the DDR) and West Berlin who Jonathan chances to meet who I think gives the funniest line in the whole movie, which will be the final quote of this review.

The scribes behind this clever film were Paul G. Hensler (a real life military advisor for the movies) and Dan Gordon, who later wrote THE HURRICANE with Denzel Washington and PASSENGER 57 with Wesley Snipes. Their one-liners are some of the funniest and sharpest I've ever heard for such an obscure and forgotten film, which adds so much to the chases and other spy shenanigans going on throughout.

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WHAT DO YOU DO AS A RUSSIAN TARGET?
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My favorite sequence in the film is when Jonathan is on the run from the KGB spies and hitches a ride with a trio of punk singers who are on their way to a gig in Hamburg. In desperation, Jonathan tells them he needs a lift to get away from some Russian's that are trying to kill him, and one of the singers just says, "Far out!! Alright, come on, let's go!!!" The van they drive in is something to see, as it is spray painted with different colors from top to bottom, though these punks are so '80s in their fashion and hair styles that it literally had me laughing so hard I embarrassed myself.

We learn that these guys love watching the show Dallas because J.R. is "one bad dude," and one of the punks has always wanted to meet Joan Collins and Bo Derek….ahh, two women I was in love with at one time!!! Things get insane, though, when Jonathan realizes that they must go through the DDR checkpoint to get to the nearest airport and he soon gets scared that the KGB might be waiting for him. Seeing how he gets out of this predicament is something you may never forget after watching this film!!!

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OH, YEAH...I LOVE ROCK 'N' ROLL!!!
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If you love 80s music, then this soundtrack is a must buy, as it features a great title song by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, whose most famous song will always be "I Love Rock & Roll" though "Gotcha Where I Want You" is just as catchy and great to listen to. It also features two songs by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, including "Relax" and "Two Tribes," which are played at key points in the film, the latter during the scene where Jonathan is riding with the punks in their crazy multi-colored van.

If you remember the group Giuffria, they composed two sweet songs, including "Never Too Late," and "Say It Ain't True." Other bands include Camouflage and Bronski Beat; granted, this music may not be for everyone, though for those that love any songs or groups from that era, they will be wanting to get this soundtrack. Alas, the only place I recommend is Ebay, since it has been out of print for years.

In conclusion, I think GOTCHA! is a must see for those that love Goose, James Bond and Bambi, lmao!!! Relive the horrors and laughs of the Cold War with this exciting, suspenseful and hilarious thriller about a guy who only wanted a little fun and instead, got into a little trouble! The film was released on DVD just recently and is avialble for only 10 GBP on www.amazon.co.uk. Enjoy!!! Look forward to all your comments and Happy Holidays!!!! --- Chris xxxxx

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MEMORABLE QUOTES
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1) "You're right! I'm on drugs! I'm a junkie, you know, I freebase, I snort, I put cocaine on my corn flakes! In fact, now its time to go meet my connection!" --- Anthony Edwards

2) "I love weergins. There is something about touching a boy where noone has touched before...It is a feeling of power!" --- Linda Fiorentino

3) "I think you're letting the little head doin' the thinking for the big head!" --- Nick Corri.

4) "Now the name of the medicine will be Sernalin, which I understand is very popular at your parties!!!" --- David Wohler, the UCLA professor

5) "I thought you leaned how to speak French!?" --- NC "Yes, I did, I can say simple stuff like 'this is my pencil' and 'my pencil is big' you know that kind of stuff." --- AE "You know, under the right circumstances, that could be really useful." --- NC

6) After Manolo picks up a French Playboy mag, Jonathan says, "Wait a minute, this is all in French I don't understand all this!" --- AE "Alright (opens to centerfold), you understand that?" --- NC "Oui" --- AE

7) "Am I in West Berlin now?" --- AE "You bet your ass, man!" --- US officer. Jonathan than turns back to the East Berlin gate, shows it his middle finger and screams, "F*CK YOU!!!!" and then says "Good Night" to the officer. Then the officer looks back at that gate and says, "Man, I've been wanting to do that for the last six months!!!"