Verdict
Summary
Balancing hard-edged violence and high school comedy / romance vibes as best it can, the edgier-than-usual Hiding Out features a good cast (surprisingly diverse for an ’80s teen film), a more-or-less believable plot, and an appealing Cryer (who also produced) in a role he navigates deftly. You can believe that he’s this guy he’s playing, and while it treads a bit of a dangerous path with its older / younger romance, it keeps itself innocent and doesn’t really have anything objectionable beyond some pretty hard-hitting violence.
Plot:
A guy on the run from the mob hides out in a small town high school, where he becomes the most popular kid in his school.
Review:
Andrew Morenski (Jon Cryer from No Small Affair and Pretty in Pink) is a young stockbroker with a big target on his back when he is marked for death by the mob so that he can’t testify in a big upcoming trial. He goes on the run, ending up in a small(ish) town where he shaves his beard, dyes his hair, swaps clothes with a bum, and changes his name to Maxwell Hauser. Without exactly meaning to, he ends up enrolling in the same high school where his cousin Patrick (an energetic Keith Coogan) attends classes, and as Maxwell, Andrew “hides out” at the school, living in the custodian’s office at night, keeping himself on the down low … until his opinionated comments with his teachers and his slick style make him the most popular kid in school. Thrust into an ASB election for class president, Maxwell finds his face plastered all over town, which inevitably gets the attention of the mob who figure out that he’s in this small town. Further complicating his already hectic life, Maxwell gets a 17-year old girlfriend named Ryan (Annabeth Gish), whom he quickly grows to love, but must fight back his feelings for … or become the biggest creep in town.
Balancing hard-edged violence and high school comedy / romance vibes as best it can, the edgier-than-usual Hiding Out features a good cast (surprisingly diverse for an ’80s teen film), a more-or-less believable plot, and an appealing Cryer (who also produced) in a role he navigates deftly. You can believe that he’s this guy he’s playing, and while it treads a bit of a dangerous path with its older / younger romance, it keeps itself innocent and doesn’t really have anything objectionable beyond some pretty hard-hitting violence. The soundtrack is filled with good, rather off-the-radar songs, and director Bob Giraldi (best known for his “Beat It” Michael Jackson video) does a solid job with this material, treating it like a grown up film rather than some lowbrow teen coming of age comedy. It works.
Kino Lorber has just released an excellent 4K Ultra HD / Blu-ray combo pack for Hiding Out, presenting the film in a sparkling transfer that shines. The 2-disc set comes with a bunch of great special features, including three different audio commentary choices, an on-screen interview with star Cryer, and another one with co-star Gish, plus a trailer and a slipcover.
