"Gotcha" is one of those movies most people forgot, but one they easily remember when you mention the title. It's a typical product of the Eighties: corny, as subtle as concrete, lots of spies and plenty of sex (especially in the dialogues). Jonathan Moore goes to Europe for the summer holidays and meets an intriguing woman who is actually (can you guess it?) a spy! She seduces him (not that difficult) and gets him to accompany her to East-Berlin (which is Eastern-Europe and that means... oh my God, the Russians!). Not good there, go back to West-Berlin and the Freedom. The first thing Jonathan Moore does when he's back on the Good Side is visit Burger King where he orders "a large American burger with large American fries" and of course a tasty American cola. (Well, actually the first thing he does is raise his middle finger to East-Berlin, an act that makes an American soldier whisper "I wanted to do that for the last six months".) But how could this movie know that five years later down would go the Berlin Wall? When "Gotcha" was made we were all in the middle of Star Wars (not the epic plan by George Lucas, but the big-budget movie by Ronald Reagan). Yes, it's dumb, but still entertaining (apart from the dull first half hour).
Oh, what happens there then? Well, after five minutes of paintball and a hand full of jokes on sex Jonathan and roommate Manolo arrive in Paris where the not-so-talented-in-French Jonathan asks a woman out for dinner. He says: "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?" We laugh and cry (well, certainly the latter) and we wait for the spy. After all that's the hyper-talented Linda Fiorentino in one of her first roles. As if director Jeff Kanew (he who gave us a Revenge of the Nerds movie) knows of her talent, all the parts of the movie with Linda are decent or even good. The rest indeed is forgettable.
This largely has to do with the character Manolo, a true Mexican stud. You get the feeling they needed him to make the movie longer (bad move). Later in the movie Jonathan asks him if he's still a homeboy. "Of course", Manolo replies. In the next scene the spies are stopped by big fiery Mexicans with big fiery guns. Exit Manolo.
"Gotcha" is a movie like a bubblegum: tasty, but after a while you need to spit it out. Only to be seen once every decade.
Oh, what happens there then? Well, after five minutes of paintball and a hand full of jokes on sex Jonathan and roommate Manolo arrive in Paris where the not-so-talented-in-French Jonathan asks a woman out for dinner. He says: "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?" We laugh and cry (well, certainly the latter) and we wait for the spy. After all that's the hyper-talented Linda Fiorentino in one of her first roles. As if director Jeff Kanew (he who gave us a Revenge of the Nerds movie) knows of her talent, all the parts of the movie with Linda are decent or even good. The rest indeed is forgettable.
This largely has to do with the character Manolo, a true Mexican stud. You get the feeling they needed him to make the movie longer (bad move). Later in the movie Jonathan asks him if he's still a homeboy. "Of course", Manolo replies. In the next scene the spies are stopped by big fiery Mexicans with big fiery guns. Exit Manolo.
"Gotcha" is a movie like a bubblegum: tasty, but after a while you need to spit it out. Only to be seen once every decade.