Ignored both at the cinema and on tape, this is a gem that is as happy sending up the music video world as it is poking fun at politics.
Tapeheads (1989)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:15
Fresh:9
Rotten:6
Average Rating:5.6/10
Synopsis: John Cusack and Tim Robbins star in this comedy as Ivan and Josh, a pair of dim witted security guards who love music videos and lose their jobs after throwing a party while they're supposed to be... John Cusack and Tim Robbins star in this comedy as Ivan and Josh, a pair of dim witted security guards who love music videos and lose their jobs after throwing a party while they're supposed to be working. Having no immediate job prospects, the two decide to form their own music video production company, dubbing themselves the "Video Aces." These aces soon learn that it's hard to get work in LA and end up working on spec for Mo Fuzz who instructs them to fill their videos with lots of T&A. It's not long before Ivan and Josh have become hot property in the business and try to use their newfound status to resurrect the career of their favorite R&B duo, the Swanky Modes. However, their plans hit a snag when they receive a potentially damaging videotape of a prominent politician indulging in his bizarre fetish and the two try to cash in on their find. [More]
Starring: John Cusack, Tim Robbins, Sam Moore, Junior Walker
Starring: John Cusack, Tim Robbins, Sam Moore, Junior Walker, Connie Stevens, Don Cornelius, Fishbone, Sy Richardson, Jello Biafra, Bobcat Goldthwait, King Cotton, Lyle Alzado, Zander Schloss, Martha Quinn, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Ted Nugent
Director: Bill Fishman
Director: Bill Fishman
Reviews for Tapeheads
A painful attempt to satirize the making of rock videos that runs aground with a puerile plot and bombastic, self-infatuated delivery.
It's the kind of harmless breezy film that's easy to take on late night cable TV when you don't feel like using your noodle.
Tapeheads plays with the same kind of off-kilter energy that Repo Man has, but lacks the complete abandon of the former.
It's all good fun: likeable performances, unpretentious, larky direction, and a haphazard story.
The amiable screenplay by Mr. Fishman and Peter McCarthy is often funny, and never worse than silly.
The irony is that nothing Fishman and his cohorts have come up with is really as funny as a two-hour slice of MTV itself.
All of these elements have been lifted off the shelf of exhausted cliches, given a quick dusting, and plugged directly into the movie.
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