Skin Deep (1989)

42% of critics liked it
(12 reviews)
48% of users liked it
(2,668 ratings)

Blake Edwards, mining the same territory as in his 10, Micki and Maude, The Man Who Loved Women, and That's Life, (not to mention Blind Date), once again deals with male mid-life menopausal angst. Zach (John Ritter) is a novelist suffering from writer's block, spiraling downward in a sea of women… More Blake Edwards, mining the same territory as in his 10, Micki and Maude, The Man Who Loved Women, and That's Life, (not to mention Blind Date), once again deals with male mid-life menopausal angst. Zach (John Ritter) is a novelist suffering from writer's block, spiraling downward in a sea of women and booze. To illustrate the depths to which Zach's life has sunk, the film begins when his mistress catches him in bed with another woman. Then his wife walks in. As a result, his wife leaves him. Things keep getting worse --his agent is dying, his house burns down, and he gets picked up for drunk driving. But in spite of his despair, he can't help chasing women, engaging in a series of bedroom misadventures with a collection of women --including a female body builder; a woman who likes to set pianos on fire; and the girlfriend of a rock star who suggests that he wear one of her boyfriend's glow-in-the-dark condoms. Helping Zach regain control of his life is Barney the lawyer (Vincent Gardenia) and Dr. Westford (Michael Kidd), a helpful psychiatrist. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 42 min.
Directed By: Blake Edwards
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Mar 3, 1989 Wide
On DVD: Jun 4, 2002
Studio: Media Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Probes the life of a compulsive womanizer.
Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com
A very funny movie. I had almost given up hope on Edwards by this point.
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)
A sex farce with more smarm than charm.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Yet another nail in the coffin of Edwards' reputation
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
The comedy in Skin Deep is little more than skin deep.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...a sporadically amusing, mainly tiresome television sitcom spiced up to R-rated, sex-farce status for the big screen.

Read all 6 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Lucas M

Blake Edwards tenta repetir Mulher Nota 10. O que não funciona.
David L

"Skin Deep" is not only one of Blake Edwards' very best films, it is probably his most successful combination of comedy and drama to date. Edwards wants to have it both ways and it succeeds. The film stars John Ritter as Zach Hutton, a one-time famous, best selling… More
"Skin Deep" is not only one of Blake Edwards' very best films, it is probably his most successful combination of comedy and drama to date. Edwards wants to have it both ways and it succeeds. The film stars John Ritter as Zach Hutton, a one-time famous, best selling author who has stumbled. He is quick to blame it on writer's block, but he has other problems. He drinks excessively. He womanizes even more excessively. His wife has left him after finding him in bed with his mistress' hairdresser. (No, I'm not spoiling the film for you; Edwards makes this all clear in the first 12 minutes) Hutton then sets out on a mission to get his life in order and gain his wife back. Right there, "Skin Deep" resembles another film, Paul Mazursky's great "Blume in Love". But Edwards takes some turns that Mazursky never even considered. Yeah, Zach wants his wife back, but does he want to change? The answer could be no, but I'm not saying yes either. As in his best films, Edwards never gives any easy answers to the questions he asks and he simply records an existence. I've made "Skin Deep" sound awfully serious. But I want to say that "Skin Deep" is one of the funniest Edwards films I've ever seen. There are sequences here that rival the best Panther films in terms of hilarity. The house fire. The glow-in-the dark condoms. The electrical therapy sequence. The tsunami warning. His sleepover at his best friends' house, but I can't list them all. I want you to discover some as well. I have to give special mention to John Ritter. Most people had written him off as Jack Tripper from his hit TV series "Three's Company", but he had developed into a fine actor with roles in "Sling Blade", "Unnatural Causes" and "Nowhere". Here, he finds the right tone for all of his scenes. He can go from comedy to drama and always be convincing. It's a brilliant performance and it was a real shame the Academy couldn't recognize it. He is a actor who passed away to soon. "Skin Deep" marked a milestone for Blake Edwards. At the time of its' release, 1989 was his 50th year in show business. I've always been an admirer of his work and it gave me great pleasure to see that he still has it in him. It is also kind of sad that Edwards followed this masterpiece with the lackluster "Switch". To sum up here, this is a film worth checking out if you can find it. A very high recommendation.
Barry L

I saw this when I was quite young and enjoyed it but I think I missed some of the subtley...lol...good movie.

Cast

            John Ritter as Zach Hutton

            Vincent Gardenia as Barney

            Alyson Reed as Alex Hutton

            Joel Brooks as Jake

            Julianne Phillips as Molly

            Raye Hollitt as Lonnie

            Michael Kidd as Dr. Westford

            Chelsea Field as Amy

            Harlan Arnold as Divorce Judge

            Toni Attell as Waitress

            Diana Barton as Helena

            Denise Crosby as Angie

            Ed de Fusco as Policeman

            Richard Domeier as Policeman

            Peter Donat as Sparky

            Nina Foch as Alex's Mother

            Bo Foxworth as Greg

            Bryan Genesse as Rick

            Mark Goldstein as TV Director

            Karen Haber as Leah

            Ben Hartigan as Blind Man

            Scott Kraft as Lucas

            Steven Majewicz as Romeo

            Don Maxwell as Fire Chief

            John McCann as Howard Simon

            Heidi Paine as Tina

            Sheryl Lee Ralph as Receptionist

            Dee Dee Rescher as Bernice

            Charles David Richards as Party Guest

            Brenda Swanson as Emily

            Arsenio "Sonny" Trinidad as Danny the Butler

            Don Gordon as Curt

            Judy Toll as Dixie

            Robert Dowdell as Traffic Judge

            Robert Burleigh as Martin Dunn

            Deryl Carroll as Funeral Minister

            Jean Marie McKee as Rebecca

            Sol Vang Tanney as Hotel Concierge

            William Hubbard Knight as Adam White

            Robert Arthur as Wedding Minister

            Bob Hopkins as Jonas
See full cast

Skin Deep (1989)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Lucas M

David L

Barry L

Cast

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