Uneasily set between two genres, Mystery Date begins as a teen comedy, then becomes a thriller full of guns, explosions and sinister villainy. Tom (Ethan Hawke) a lost, not-so-happy teenager perpetually overshadowed by his suave, good-looking elder bro Craig. Tom dreams of a rendez-vous with the beautiful girl next door Geena (Teri Polo), but cannot even bring himself to say hello.Things are to change when Tom's parents are away for a weekend and Craig pays a surprise visit. He calls Geena and arranges a date for Tom. Then turns Tom into the virtual image of himself: hipness incarnate. At Craig's suggestion, Tom calls for a limousine which does not arrive. So Tom borrows his brother's cool car.The date kicks off wonderfully. Geena is nice smart and pretty, and she seems to really like Tom. But wherever they go, strange things happen. Women slap Tom and men threaten to beat him up - all mistaking him for Craig. Then matters turn truly ugly when Tom finds an armed corpse in the trunk of his brother's car.For the most part this movie works quite well, balancing black comedy and thriller skilfully. Ethan Hawke's acting is endearing. The denouement is a bit of a let-down, but that doesn't mar what is essentially a rather enjoyable picture.

The shy teenager Tom McHugh worships his sexy neighbour Geena Matthews who lives on the other side of the street, but he does not dare to talk to her.When his parents travel with their dog for a competition and his self-confident big brother Craig McHugh unexpectedly arrives from California for a visit with a classic 1959 Cadillac.Craig decides to call Geena and schedule a date with Tom.He lends his clothes and his credit card to Tom, who cuts his hair like Craig, buy flowers while Tom calls a limousine service.However, the driver has an accident and Tom decides "to borrow" the fancy car to impress the girl.When Tom is mistakenly taken as being Craig and finds a body in the trunk, his dream-night with Geena becomes a nightmare....It appears to be, and I have thought for twenty years, that this was just going to be one of those goofy comedies, where the guy keeps falling over and eventually gets the girl. I had no idea that the film had such a ruthless streak in the middle of it, pretty much in the same vein as 'Adventures in babysitting'.It's not the best story in the world, and the narrative ensures that you need an unhealthy pinch of salt to take the plot events, but the two leads are likable, and it goes at such a quick pace, it's hard not to be entertained.it's one of those early nineties films that are still stuck somewhere in the eighties, that should have it's own sub genre. it's dated badly, thanks to the fashion and the hair.But it's still a guilty pleasure nonetheless

Mystery Date doesn't offer a thrilling suspense, doesn't have an intricate plotline, and doesn't have mind-boggling special effects. It does, however, give an entertaining hour and a half.This film may be able to be counted as the last eighties movie; the type where the hero is a jerky, awkward boy who does not realize the situation he is in. He does manage, however, to end up in the end with the girl of his dreams. If only one of the Cory's (Haim or Feldman) could have made a guest spot.

This movie brings to life all the "first date" fears you could have and makes them come true for poor Tom. Sort of "After Hours" meets "Risky Business." The plot is a bit unbelievable, but it isn't predictable and is a lot of fun. If you are the type to say "now why would he do that?" and insist on plots that are believable, you probably won't like this movie. At one point our hero is driving around with a dead body in the trunk and treats it with the same urgency as a rip in his pants he doesn't want his date to see! Still, it's a fun romp that's easy to watch. A good date movie.