bkoganbing William Richert directed and wrote the novel as a youngster on which A Night In The Life Of Jimmy Reardon is based. Sad to say he failed to capture whatever charm there was in the book for his lead character. As River Phoenix plays him, Jimmy is spoiled, hedonistic, self-indulgent, and a liar. Maybe he should have gone into politics.Richert wrote the book in the Sixties and that's where the film is set, a rich suburb of Chicago. Phoenix as Jimmy Reardon is spoiled kid who has sex more on his mind than anything else, not atypical for someone his age. He's a chick magnet even when he's not trying.What this one wants to do is somehow get an airline ticket to Hawaii where he believes he can be a beachcomber and live off tourists. His father, Paul Koslo, wants him to go to school or get a job, the nerve of the man. So Phoenix hatches this scheme to somehow get enough money in the next 24 hours to fly to Hawaii or its either, the street, a job, or school. That is if the women can leave him alone, which apparently they can't.Including one cougar who is deliciously played by Ann Magnuson, she's the best thing in the film.River Phoenix's fans usually consider this one of, if not the worst film of his short career. I'm inclined to agree with them. River is certainly sexy enough in this film, but he's so incredibly dislikeable in this part.

Joseph P. Ulibas A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988) was another starring vehicle for River Phoenix. The film is filled with a lot of teen stars that paraded around on the silver screen during the eighties. But unlike the teen comedies of today, these were rated R are just rated that way to get more of their core viewers. This was a great era for River Phoenix. He was starring like in every other big production that came out of Hollywood. But like all the stars, they eventually come down hard and River Phoenix was no exception.The movie is about the life of a wild teen. He has all sorts of adventures and conquests. His home life is also a battlefield. Dealing with his absent father and girlfriend take a toll on his personal life as well as his school life. That is also a problem. At his age many kids are at a crossroads on what to do with their adult life. Go to school or get a job like his old man. What is a rapscallion like Jimmy going to do? Until that one wild night comes and passes.Just another run-of-the-mill teen comedy from the eighties. Except this one's a River Phoenix starring vehicle. Nothing more, nothing less. Recommended for fans of eighties films.

me43 "A Night In The Life Of Jimmy Reardon" is a grinless Coming Of Age film which has been mis-packaged as a comedy. It almost seems as if half the film was in the can before someone on high decided to change the genre... either that or Richert forgot to film a lot of scenes.River Phoenix is said to have been ashamed of his part in the film, but he is actually not bad, considering the material he had to rise above. Reardon gives us a Phoenix who has not yet become hard-eyed, 'though the character he played was nearly graceless. River still had fuzz on his chin and boyish charm. This was a young man on the cusp of greatness.The adult actors in this film were dreadful and the other young actors were uneven. I hardly recognized Mathew Perry. Talk about a baby face!Watching Reardon is like watching kids try to play grownup. The script was originally written for older actors and would have been better if older actors were used. Those used seemed hardly past puberty, and had no idea how to play "sexually jaded" at all.Overall, I prefer Reardon to "Dogfight" as a River Phoenix vehicle and a comparison of the box-office take shows many others did too.See it if only to see a still innocent River Phoenix playing a young man far removed from himself.

PeterZ I was only 17. I was expecting a John Hughes film. if this had been an "indie" movie it would have done better, but the movie was Advertised to america like a regular (ie. happy) movie. it does have some spotty acting, slow parts, etc. but the big problem is the only thing I got from the movie (no pleasure, no pay off, no catharsis was):Jimmy has no heart of gold, he is dross. and the film is good at depicting the story of a man who realizes he will be a cheatin', no good jerk like his father, and that he really does not care. he seems at one with his shallowness. I don't think most teens could accept the idea that they are not good, not bad, just blah with such grace. a real human would not just shrug and accept his loserness..when he seemed to have a glimmer of more. It takes longer for life to beat you down at that.I walked out of the movie theater at the age of 17 thinking "THIS SUCKED compared to FERRIS BUELLER" and I was right. 15 years later, I am still right.