Thank the entertainment deities, wherever they may reside, for making certain that Caryn Johnson didn’t stick with putting makeup on dead people. Even though she very well could have had quite a steady career putting the “fun” in “funeral,” we would have been denied the unparalleled joy that is Whoopi Goldberg.
This is one of my all-time favorite Whoopi movies. This is my number one favorite Whoopi movie. I was 10 years old when I first saw it, and, yes, before you even ask, I probably was too young to be seeing this for the first time. I think I turned out all right, though, for being subjected to such filth at such a young age 😉
I don’t know how to explain why I love this movie so much, but it’s been making me laugh for almost 23 years, and I really don’t see that ever stopping. It’s an incredibly silly story and, really, it’s more of a vehicle to show off Whoopi Goldberg’s sometimes raunchy, sometimes slap-sticky comedy style. It’s also Laverne’s first go behind the camera on something bigger than her own television show.
More than just making me laugh, though, I think at some point in my impressionable young mind, I made the choice that, when I grew up and got a “big girl” job, I was going to emulate Terry Dolittle. I have horrid fashion sense, but I still dream of aspiring to the color-coordinated-down-to-her-Reeboks style that Whoopi’s character sported throughout this movie. Plus, if you’ve ever seen my work desk, you’d think that I had pilfered every toy and sticker from the set before they were able to strike it. Same goes with my home decor choices in many regards.
Other things that can be attributed to Jumpin’ Jack Flash: my introduction to Benny Hill, Jonathan Pryce, Tracy Ullman, and the Rolling Stones, as well as some of the most wonderfully offensive additions to my mental “favorite movie quotes” database. I still will zing out some of the less-shocking lines (“I got MOTHS. Giant, mutant, junkie MOTHS!” or “Dogs barking; can’t fly without umbrellas!”) at the most random moments. Few understand, but I just don’t care. Those who love me appreciate my Cinematic Tourette’s and that’s all that matters.
This is also one of the rare movies that has been with me long enough to have gone from my Betamax collection to my VHS collection to my DVD collection. Whenever the digital revolution spikes into full swing, it’ll follow me there as well. I don’t care that Whoopi would later find herself in the middle of that cacophony of cattiness known as The View (although she also has a special place in my geek heart for asking to be on Star Trek, where she
