Memorable, crazy movie

Good movie but grossly overrated

best movie i've ever seen.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Barry Gabrewski (Jonathan Brandis) is an asthmatic bullied Texas teen picked on by the other students. He daydreams about being Chuck Norris' sidekick. His only friend is Lauren (Danica McKellar). His father Jerry Gabrewski (Beau Bridges) struggles to reach him. His teacher Miss Chan is concerned about him. Jerry tries to sign him up with Kelly Stone (Joe Piscopo) to learn Karate but the arrogant Stone dismisses the weakling and his love of Chuck Norris. Chan introduces him to her uncle Mr. Lee (Mako) who teaches him martial arts.It's the Karate Kid except stupider and with lots of campy dream sequences with Chuck Norris. It tries to be funny but it's done badly. It comes off as silly. Joe Piscopo is annoyingly idiotic although his Bruce Lee impression is so stupid that it's actually funny. I like the Chuck Norris dream sequences at first. They're good deliberate camp but even those get a bit tired. I'm not taken with Jonathan Brandis or his boyish charms. Other than the silly weak humor, that's probably my biggest problem with this movie.

Could be the most amazing movie I have ever seen. Period. The acting is incredible, especially by Jonathon Brandis (plays Barry). The day dreaming sequences are great. The movie is one big action movie cliché and I love every bit of it. It goes along with the whole early 90's obsession with corny ninja movies. It rules. I'm starting a new religion known as Sidekickianity. Another factor I took into account when rating the greatness of this movie was the attractiveness of Barry's teacher/father's love interest. Winnie Cooper is also in the movie and she rules in general. Done. Look, I guess IMDb makes you have a certain amount of lines on these posts and I apparently have not fulfilled the minimum number of lines so I'm writing this to fill up space. I don't have too much else to say about this movie, you will just have to watch it in its glory for yourself.

I just got done watching this movie on Television with my 2 children a boy who is 5 and a girl who is 7, and feel it is a wonderful family movie. My children asked if we could buy it. I remembered watching this movie when it first came out. I was about 17 at the time, and I liked it then too. It is similar to Karate Kid, but I enjoy the twist of the kid daydreaming and overcoming is asthma. This movie sends a wonderful message to children: it shows them that having an illness doesn't mean they can't be "normal", it also teaches them how to gain control of their anger and channel it into something good, and like the Karate kid it shows that being a bully never pays off. Furthermore, it shows kids that it's "normal" to daydream and don't let others tease you and push you around because you are different; all it takes is a little hard work and determination and you can find something you are good at.

The main reason I saw this movie was because of Jonathan Brandis who plays Berry. I thought the movie was ok. Some scenes were rather boring and some scenes were rather funny. I do however think it is a decent family film. It did have a nice message though. It really is ok to dream and have fantasies. That part affected me strongly because I think of myself as a "Dream Queen". I sort of can relate to Berry in many different ways. I must say that I love the part where Barry beats up the bully and says "This time it's not going to be so easy" and they get into a fight. Also the part where Berry climbs the rope and is talking to Chuck and then finally reaches the top of the rope.