In Amy Heckerling’s parody of classic mob movies, an honest man (Michael Keaton) is forced to turn to a life of crime to finance his neurotic mother’s skyrocketing medical bills in 1930s New York City. Adopting the alias of “Johnny Dangerously,” he strives to keep his criminal contacts separate from his family, including his straight-laced younger brother Tommy (Griffin Dunne) who works at the District Attorney’s office and might pose a threat to both his secret and scheme. Dunne proves to be an ideal straight man in relation to Keaton’s whirring histrionics, subtly counterposing a spectacle that incorporates slapstick, bawdy comedy, and genre parody.
Presented on 35mm
