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| Available at Amazon.com |
There was a glorious time in Hollywood when cocaine fueled the film industry. Stars, directors, writers and producers felt naked without a touch of white powder around their nostrils. They didn’t go out of their way promote the evils of the white lines. Nobody went to rehab or detox to reform their image. They’d snorted the bottom line to make comic movies about cocaine. Jekyll and Hyde… Together Again should have a special thanks to Peru and Bolivia. The pitch for this thing was probably done over a mirror in Studio 54 with someone saying, “Wouldn’t it be cool if instead of Dr. Jekyll drinking a potion, he snorted blow to become Hyde?”
Kids should not use this film as a cinematic Cliff’s Notesto Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In this version Dr. Jekyll is a world famous surgeon who gives up the scalpel. He wants to fix patients with pills. A Howard Hughes-esque character needs the doctor to save his life since he’s had severe organ failure. He’s already lined up a testicle donor. Dr. Jekyll will have none of it. He must devote himself to his vision and not suck up to a billionaire’s whims.
During a long night of experimenting, the doctor falls asleep next to a pile of powder. The snoring scientist snorts up his latest creation. Instead of transforming into a beastly Hyde, he becomes an ‘80s scumball complete with an extended coke pinky fingernail. He’s a wildman with a toot. He eats chicken sushi while fried. He becomes a stud in bed with an equally wild woman. Imagine Jerry Lewis’ Nutty Professor if Buddy Love was more Jerry than Frank. Hyde attempts to take control of the doctor with only the residue of the blow. Can Dr. Jekyll regain his normal life? Will he ever flush the magic powder down the toilet?
This was supposed to be the major breakout film for Mark Blankfield, cast member on Fridays. That was ABC’s attempt to get a day’s jump on Saturday Night Live. Blankfield was going to be an edgier version of Chevy Chase and John Belushi. Both of those comics did plenty of cocaine, but they kept their characters’ noses clean when the cameras rolled. Blankenfield sort of become the next Steve Martin by playing Navin Johnson in The Jerk, Too, but that went straight to TV. This was Blankenfield’s cinematic legacy.
Jekyll and Hyde… Together Again is filled with obvious and raunchy jokes dealing with hospitals and drugs. There’s not much sophistication in the humor. The script seems like it was transcribed by a guy snorting a film can full of cocaine. They pile on the jokes like Airplane, but the pacing makes them fall short of the big laughs. It’s like they had anticipated using a laughtrack to kick it up. The best joke comes at the end when we visit Robert Louis Stevenson’s grave. Jekyll and Hyde… Together Again takes us back to the time when movies could deal with drugs without turning into “Just Say No” PSAs.
The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The transfer is fine with the occasional debris. The audio is Dolby Digital mono. You can hear the sniffing clearly.
None.
Jekyll and Hyde… Together Again is a dumb cocaine comedy that’s best not experienced sober. Watch it with your alter ego.
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Legend Films present Jekyll and Hyde… Together Again. Directed by: Jerry Belson. Starring: Mark Blankfield, Bess Armstrong, Krista Errickson, Cassandra Peterson. Written by: Jerry Belson, Michael Leeson, Harvey Miller & Monica Mcgowan Johnson. Running time: 87 minutes. Rating: R. Theatrically Released: Dec. 2, 1982. Released on DVD: June 3, 2008. Available at Amazon.com
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