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| Midnight Madness | 
 enlarge | Directors: Michael Nankin, David Wechter
Actors: David Naughton, Debra Clinger, David Damas, Michael J. Fox, Stephen Furst
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Category: DVD
Buy Used: $24.99
Used (6) from $24.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  156 reviews
Sales Rank: 54478
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 112
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
UPC: 013131140491
EAN: 0013131140491
ASIN: B000059PPF
Theatrical Release Date: February 8, 1980
Release Date: May 15, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Original Authentic USA released DVD - Used item, disc has some kight surface marks checked and in perfect working order
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Nothing dates a movie quite as much as a roller-skating blonde in white shorts and a tube top. Midnight Madness opens with exactly that and quickly follows with a scene in which a student counselor reassures a romantically nervous freshman with the line, "Flynch, you could be a real Burt Reynolds, I know you could." Ah, nostalgia. Made on the cusp of the '80s, after Animal House but before Porky's, Disney's college comedy gained a considerable following, thanks to countless screenings on HBO during the Reagan administration. Like all the best cult movies, it's awful, but compelling nonetheless. This is a film in which all the nerds look alike, the jocks have names such as Armpit, and you get to see fat twins shake their abundant disco booties. The plot revolves around an all-night scavenger hunt, with five teams of competing students racing around Los Angeles solving clues and getting into all sorts of amusing scrapes, including a visit to the Pabst brewery that will have you humming ancient advertising songs for days. David Naughton, who went on to star in An American Werewolf in London, is our hero, but the real fun comes from Stephen Furst as the mean and chubby rich kid and the legendary ueber-nerd Eddie Deezen as Wesley. Michael J. Fox makes his film debut as Naughton's troubled but feisty kid brother, and the eagle-eyed viewer may even spot Paul Reubens in a tiny role. Being a Disney film that was released before Porky's made shower scenes an integral part of campus comedies, this is a curiously innocent movie--just watch how long it takes the teams to decipher the clue, "Look between the two giant melons." Nevertheless, Midnight Madness is 112 minutes of undemanding, cheesy fun for anyone who remembers the last days of disco. It makes Animal House look like Chekhov, but watch it with a group of friends, and perhaps a little Pabst Blue Ribbon, and you'll have a hoot. --Simon Leake
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| Customer Reviews: Read 151 more reviews...
 Classic Original Teenage Comedy May 12, 2008
This movie is more fun than anything bearing the "teenage comedy" moniker. A classic in every sense of the word. 80s awesomeness at its finest!
I love this movie!! November 9, 2007
I used to watch this movie over and over when I was a kid. I felt compelled to purchase it as an adult. I still love to watch it!!!
Dated - but Underrated August 24, 2007
Sure, this movie may seem quite dated, but it's nevertheless quite underrated. A highly unique game that takes the players on an all-ight scavenger hunt around the city of Los Angeles, looking for clues that'll propell them forward when solved. The contributers consist of one skinny college genius, two pretty girl accomplices and five teams of students from varying walks of life. Three of the teams may appear stereotyped: the red team compraises four members of an outcast sorority; the white team consists of a quartet of skinny, four-eyed debaters; the green team includes fivefootball gorillas who spend their time off the field creating misery for he other teams. But, these individuals are still genuine at the core.
The core focus of the film's main body is the competition between the blue team and the yellow team. The yellow team's leader, Adam (played by David Naughton) is a highly intelligent, driven and forward-looking college senior who understands the importance of teamwork. The blue team leader, Harold (Stephen Furst) is self-centered, overweight and oblivious to the world around him. While Adam enters the game willingly, Harold is forced headlong into it b his frustrated father. And, while the yellow team is interested in fair play and following directions, Harold's only interest is in winning and going to any extremes to do it.
Interestingly enough, this movie was produced at a pivotal moment in American pop culture. At the start of the game, we witness the red team inhabiting a discoteque, the likes of which had already begun to go out of fashion. Also of note was the use of the Pabst Brewery as a clue location; Pabst Blue Ribbon bear is now produced by the Miller corporation. Another clue location is in an arcade referred to as Pinball City and, as the name would suggest, populated largely by pinball tables. One of few videogames in the place is an actual game called StarFire. This game pointedly draws on the first StarWars film from 1977. In one year's time, there'd be more videogames than anything in most arcades and more money going towards playing them than towards buying music.
In addition, the Walt Disney company and Buena Vista Entertainment made a supposedly calculated move when the movie was packaged, not including the Disney logo, for fear that a PG-rated movie would tarnish their reputation. However, this writer is mildly convinced that the inclusion of Disney packaging might've aided this film's popularity on the strength of notoriety. Six years later, we were given the Disney film flight of the Navigator, and their adult divison, Touchstone Pictures was fully active, producing pictures of its own.
The leading man, (Naughton) is best known for his role in the 1981 comedic horror flick, An American Werewolf in London. It is commonly believed that Naughton was chosen by director John Landis for this role on the heals of his spokesmanship for Dr. Pepper. However, as mentioned before, Naughton's advocary is played by Stephen Furst. Furst is best known for his portrayal of Kent 'Flounder' Dorfman in the Landis film Animal House. This writer is convinced that Landis opted to follow Stephen Furst's caeer path. This would ultimately lead to a screening of Midnight Madness, in which case David Naughton would become clearly visible. The likelihood that John Landis would recruit Naughton American Werewolf on the heels of this film is at least as likely as on the heels of a soft-drink commercial.
(Of corse, it doesn't hurt that one of the jocks is portrayed by Dirk Blocker, whose legendary father Dan Blocker was internationally known for portraying Eric "Hoss" Cartwright on Bonanza. Dirk also made a cameo appearance during Season 1 of Little House on the Prairie. And, his character definiely adds surrealistic levity to the film's main plot. Good-looking guy, too.)
FINALLY.... December 17, 2006
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I remember watching this movie when I was young and I LOVED IT soo much. But I could never remember the name of the movie; after all these years I finally got to see it again and I still absolutely love it. And now I have it on DVD, I feel so complete!!!
My kids love this video! November 5, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
My little boy who is 8 years old loves this movie. He goes around acting like the characters from the movie! He really likes Harold and keeps watching the movie over and over again hoping for a different ending. He is also convinced that they should make a Midnight Madness 2 and let Harold win the next time! This is a great movie, with a young Michael J. Fox in it, and has no sex or violence and is a very kid friendly movie.
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