OK, this is far from a piece of Hollywood excellence and my rating is honestly more for reasons of nostalgia than quality, but it's still a fun film.I mean, sure, Richard Grieco isn't a great actor, or even a particularly good actor. There is a reason the dude had to audition to play himself in "A Night at the Roxbury." But he pulls off the typical American teen at the end of the 90s pretty well.The plot is sort of absurd as well, the mistaken identity, an 18 year-old kid seems to pass believable for a middle-aged super spy? It doesn't exactly fly in Hollywood, he doesn't look the part, he doesn't act the part...so that might make him a great spy in real life...but not in the movies.Still, the absurdity of the plot line is part of it's charm. It isn't a serious film, it's a teenager's fantasy film and it completely pulls off the fantasy. Every kid in high school wants a grand adventure and If Looks Could Kill delivers.It doesn't take itself too seriously, right down to the title that openly mocks a James Bond film...and in a few cases is actually a better title.The action again, is awesome, sort of spy movie great and sort of teen adventure fantasy great.The movie itself is the day dream of a kid sitting through a boring class dreaming about a way to make school fun again, and If Looks Could Kill fits beautifully into that mold.

If you're looking for any sort of award winning cinematic experience with deeply textured meaning this flick is not for you. However if you just want to relax with something that demands almost no thought but will give you more fun than it should this will be perfect.A teen comedy mixed with spy spoof this was supposed to be the launch pad for current teen dream Richard Grieco. It didn't lead to a big career for him but he is appealing in the lead. His extremely over-waxed eyebrows aside he is attractive and humorous as a college student mistaken for a secret agent on a summer class field trip in Europe. The script is silly and the situations ludicrous but there are two things that make this worth catching, the gadgets and the cast. Once the plot kicks in Grieco's character is outfitted with the sort of weapons, cars, etc that wouldn't be out of place in a Bond picture all utilized in a fun way. The real strength of the film though is a cast that is far above what would be usual in this type of flick. Aside from Grieco's game performance there's Robin Bartlett's ever more flustered French Teacher who by the end is kicking butt and taking prisoners. Plus the totally unhinged evil duo of Roger Rees and Oscar winner Linda Hunt chewing the scenery and having a hell of a good time thereby providing the audience with one too. The rest of the cast also plays into the proper mood of lampooning the spy genre making this a breezy delight. With Quebec standing in for Europe there are some beautiful locations and for any car lover some very cool vehicles. The definition of escapist fare.

Made in 1991, "If Looks Could Kill" was a fun flick and a pleasant surprise. I'm not sure why it has such a low rating on IMDb. There was some high school level humor, but in general it's good, clever humor.Basically "If Looks Could Kill" is a cute comedy/action spoof using some of the James Bond themes (M giving James Bond a tour of the secret weapons development lab) and a few other spy movies, but basically on James Bond movies.Little did I know that a refreshingly young Gabrielle Anwar would be in it. I have a fondness for her, she's a great actress! Linda Hunt was terrific as always. Richard Grieco did a great job as the unsuspecting "kid" spy who is reluctantly mistaken to be a real spy.The humor and action rolls smoothly and people renting this will enjoy this flick.

This movie was okay. I've seen it a couple of times and it's all right. The one-liners in the movie are the best part, but they do hurt it by overdoing them. The action sequence at the end is enjoyable. I only wish they didn't take Mrs. Grober, a complete wuss in one act and turn her into an over-amped, wanna-be, confident fighter. It just didn't work. The only acting worth crediting is that of Marishka's. The only character who acts her role out well. The plot is original and good which made it a little more watchable. Oh, and did they really have to underuse the Lotus. Come on, we see him screwing around with the gadgets while not even trying to get into too much conflict with the bad guys. So there's one guy chasing him. Do we give a rat's ***? No. If they had almost the whole force on him, then there's something worth watching. Steranko is just plain annoying at times. I wish that that what's her face short lady was the main bad guy(girl). At least she's more intimidating than this tall wimp. One last thing, the helicopter and the fire at the end. Can anyone say,"too much?" I mean a blade going off on its own is the weirdest thing ever, even for a movie. And the fire; I didn't know it could spread so fast in under 3 minutes. Plus, you can tell in the far away shot of the castle at the end when it on fire that it is pure model or something like that. Thank God for CGI these days. 5/10