Skin Deep (1989)

So much average

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Writer Zach Huttons (John Ritter)life is falling apart. He has writers block, can't stop drinking, can't stop womanizing, his agent is dying AND his wife Alex (Alyson Reed) understandably wants to divorce him. We then get a series of supposedly "comic" struggles involving his womanizing and drinking.Director Blake Edwards made some of the best comedies and dramas ever early in his career ("The Pink Panther" and "Days of Wine and Roses" come to mind) and even a few in the 1980s ("Victor Victoria"). But he then made a whole bunch of disastrous comedies in the late 1980s and into the 1990s. This is one of them. It's not the worst ("A Fine Mess" and "Switch" are much worse) but it's definitely not good. The jokes are either unfunny or pretty sick (one cruel joke involving a dog almost had me turn this off). The cast does their best (Ritter is especially good) but it's a no go. The one funny scene involves glow in the dark condoms. When THAT'S the funniest scene you know you're in trouble. Unfunny and boring. A 1 all the way.

John Ritter basically plays Jack Tripper (AKA Zachary Hutton) in a more adult setting in this movie. All the physical comedy practically screams Jack Tripper at you. That is a good thing, and it resulted in a pretty funny movie.. at times. It did seem to drag around the beginning, but when his life started falling apart, that's when the fun began. Another movie that this one reminded me of is Burt Reynolds' The Man Who Loved Women. The plot seemed to be the same. A womanizing man's ways catch up with him. Skin Deep was funnier, though, due to Ritter's comedy. The "Glow In The Dark" scene still holds up as a very funny scene today. I'm surprised I haven't seen it spoofed in one of many of today's "gross out" comedies, as it would certainly fit right in.The comedy was certainly up to par, but the movie makes you wait until the it is over half done to see it. The ending also seemed left a little unfinished. Nothing really happens to end the movie. It was very Adam Sandler-esque with how all of the characters in the movie were now his friends and he was just successful, without going into how he accomplished what he did despite all of his previous problems that hindered him before. Overall, I give this movie a 7 out of 10.

It was a hot summer afternoon and I was happy to stay in and watch this John Ritter movie when I saw it featured in the TV guide, but it turned out worth not to be watching at all, unless you are planning on doing a thesis about the 70's "Me Generation", the I-want-it-all and the I-want-to-have-sex-with-anyone-and-everyone lifestyle, or maybe you're interested in 70's disco costumes and puffy super-sprayed mullet hairstyles. but maybe you can tolerate it if you drink as much as the characters do. Hoo boy, what made me ever think those times were FUN!I turned it off halfway through and I don't even wonder if the pitiful protagonist played by Ritter got to live happily ever after - he certainly didn't deserve to.

I seemed to have missed this film and had the great surprise to view John Ritter on TV. John has always been a great actor and can perform all kind of roles placed before him. In this picture he is very funny as a great lover of beautiful women. He plays a dramatic role as a drunk, who tries to dry out and wraps himself in toliet paper in the process. His sexy love scenes will simply tear you up. This is a great film to view again and again. His first wife seems to win in the end and all his girl friends seem to make out just as well!