Midnight Madness
Midnight Madness
PG | 08 February 1980 (USA)
Midnight Madness Trailers

A genius grad student organizes an all-night treasure hunt in which five rival teams composed of colorful oddballs furiously match wits with one another while trying to locate and decipher various cryptic clues planted ingeniously around Los Angeles.

Reviews
joeydoughnuts-1

My favorite movie from my youth. This was one of my favorite movies of my youth and now it means one of my favorite movies of all time to watch I probably know the words by heart and when it finally came to DVD and was quick to buy and download it so I could stream it on my computer This is great for anybody who hasn't seen it before and you won't be disappointed he has his labs and memorable freezes they'll stay with you

... View More
SnoopyStyle

Grad student Leon recruits five captains to form teams to compete in "The Great All-Nighter" where they solve clues to go on the road. Yellow leader Adam Larson (David Naughton) is a nice guy. Blue leader Harold (Stephen Furst) is a lazy slob. Red leader Donna has her sisters from an unpopular sorority. Wesley (Eddie Deezen) leads the nerdy White team. Lavitas leads the offensive line on the Green team. Every one of them laugh off Leon at first but they are all pushed into the game.This is Disney doing its silly family fares. It tries to incorporate college but only with the cleanest of smiling family fun and tamest of raunchy sex comedy. It's kind of sad and a bit campy. In addition to a couple of early 80's stars, Michael J. Fox has a minor role. It's bad acting, bad slapstick, and bad writing. It's so bad that it does have some camp value. Unless one sees the camp value, there is nothing funny and it's ultimately boring.

... View More
thesar-2

Here's a movie I saw once…ONLY ONE TIME before…when I was probably 8-9 years old and I seriously never forgot...the Midnight Madness theme song throughout my entire life. (Weird how the child's mind works, eh?)Picture it: Paradise Valley, Arizona, early 1980s, I was at a sleepover at one of my friend's house and they were RIIIICH because they had a V/C/R. His mom thought we would enjoy a movie for the night, but in reality she was just trying to tone us (and the volume) down so she and his daddy could sleep.I was captivated – for one, it was a…V/C/R player! We could…PAUSE, REWIND and PLAY! And second, it was a funny adventure with a great intro song I could cling to.Oh, I forgot, we could fast-forward as well. So, fast-forward 30+ years, until tonight and I have to say: This movie was AWFUL. Is it a remake of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, or a cheap rip-off? Either way, it's enormously offensive in both its tone and dated themes.Some might say this PG-Rated movie was silly, harmless fun, but it's really only "silly." It's not "fun." And it's certainly not "harmless." This movie made me think of a TOP TEN THINGS I TOOK FROM MIDNIGHT MADNESS list:10. Oh, this is sooo 1980s. Racism is so funny! Being so un-P/C is so acceptable! 9. Wearing a wedding ring means you're married? Nah, it means "kid" Stephen Furst forgot to take it off when selecting his marshmallows for the film's prop. 8. Teaching freshmen to follow their dreams, be all-they-can-be and that they're "all right the way they are" only works when you judge their mates by their appearance. 7. Ahhh, that pathetic product placement didn't work on me at all. I just happened to buy this 30-pack of Dr. Pepper bottles coincidentally following this movie. 6. George Lucas isn't one of my favorite people, but even he should sue over the blatant STAR FIRE video game rip off of his famous movie series. The real name of that franchise slipped my mind. 5. Being mean to relatives, heavier-set women, nerds, employees, "dumb" jocks and immigrant maids, can be funny if…if…Actually, not in this day and age. 4. The art of winning something without doing so is just not worth it. 3. Thank God, Marty McFly got work after this. 2. Angry at, said God, for Pee-Wee Herman getting work after this.…and the number one thing I took from Midnight Madness…1. Only the token black guy can "jimmy a lock." Nope, no racial discrimination here. At least, he wasn't wearing a hoodie.Possibly, worst of all – this movie is far too BLEEPING long at 112 minutes. The film, again, is meant to be a "hilarious, 1980s college edition" of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, and it far overstepped its welcome. It's not recommended, especially by those easily offended today. There is nothing present in this feature that can enhance or teach today's youth. Heck, even the clues to "The Great Allnighter" game of the movie's premise, weren't clever, puzzling or inventive.This movie has been buried and rightfully so. I'm glad I never have to revisit it, again.(…BUT…I might still download that theme song. Hey, now! Its part of my childhood. And…who doesn't miss those sleepovers?!?)

... View More
ReelCheese

It doesn't quite deserve the disproportionate number of "10" votes it's received on this web site, but "Midnight Madness" is still a lot of fun. The eccentric Leon (Alan Solomon) organizes a cross-city scavenger hunt for five groups of college students ranging from nerds and jocks to babes and good guys. Each team must decipher a series of clues ("Mr. Carson's obese male child" leads to Johnny's Fat Boy Restaurant, and so on) before racing to the next location to do it again, all the while battling some occasional dirty tricks from rivals. The actual laughs few and far between, but you can't deny "Midnight Madness" carries heaps of cheesy '80s appeal. Look for Michael J. Fox (billed without the middle initial) in his film debut.

... View More