Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Tapeheads

Play trailer Poster for Tapeheads R 1988 1h 37m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
60% Tomatometer 15 Reviews 46% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Unemployed pals Ivan (John Cusack) and Josh (Tim Robbins) decide to start Video Aces, a company that produces music videos. Their initial clients include Billy and Lester Diamond, members of the music group The Swanky Modes, whose careers have slowed since their heyday during the '70s. As the Video Aces crew attempts to revive The Swanky Modes' careers by staging and broadcasting a concert, they also have to deal with the unwanted attention of a conservative politician (Clu Gulager).

Critics Reviews

View All (15) Critics Reviews
Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader A painful attempt to satirize the making of rock videos that runs aground with a puerile plot and bombastic, self-infatuated delivery. Nov 6, 2009 Full Review Time Out It's all good fun: likeable performances, unpretentious, larky direction, and a haphazard story. Feb 9, 2006 Full Review Janet Maslin New York Times The amiable screenplay by Mr. Fishman and Peter McCarthy is often funny, and never worse than silly. Rated: 3/5 May 20, 2003 Full Review Film4 Ignored both at the cinema and on tape, this is a gem that is as happy sending up the music video world as it is poking fun at politics. Nov 6, 2009 Full Review TV Guide A wacky, high-energy satire of the music business. Rated: 3/4 Nov 6, 2009 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews It's the kind of harmless breezy film that's easy to take on late night cable TV when you don't feel like using your noodle. Rated: C+ Sep 22, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (144) audience reviews
Flick F This is a sleeper cult movie. I really enjoy this movie and I love to revisit it from time to time. A young John Cusack and Tim Robbins. It screams 80's and that's part of what I love about this movie. If you haven't seen it, take a chance. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/25/23 Full Review Naz H I laughed so much. It's a really smart and funny movie that stands the rest of time. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/04/23 Full Review Audience Member An 80s hipster movie, it both reveres and satirizes the music video-fueled pop culture of the 1980s with humour and smarts.. It was too smart for its time. It's the "High Fidelity" of the 80s (featuring two of High Fidelity's actors). Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member A seriously funny gem from the late 80s Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Swanky Modes! These two ordinary guys with ordinary jobs decide it is time for a career move in the music industry as music video directors. They meet with a producer and they make a deal but their first project has to be made on the director's own dime. They get some pointers and start heading down their dream path to success. "They sold more records in Sweden than Abba!" Bill Fishman, director of Car 54, Where are You?; Desperate but Not Serious; and My Dinner with Jimi; delivers Tapeheads. The storyline for this picture is lacking in a UHF kind of way. I was disappointed with the content and characters. I thought it would be more clever. The cast includes John Cusack, Tim Robbins, Mary Crosby, Katy Boyer, and Jessica Walter. "There's only one thing that provides real production value...tits and ass!" I grabbed this movie off Netflix because I had never heard of this John Cusack/Tim Robbins collaboration. Well, I kind of wish I never had. This was terrible and a worst version of UHF. I recommend skipping this. "Sometimes it's difficult to believe a slut." Grade: D Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member I love this movie! Granted this isn't for everyone but for me and my group of friends, this was/is a cult classic. It's a silly film, take it for what it's worth and the time at which it was made. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Tapeheads

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

More Like This

View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
Cadillac Man 58% 32% Cadillac Man Watchlist Moving 33% 64% Moving Watchlist Where the Heart Is 9% 57% Where the Heart Is Watchlist See No Evil, Hear No Evil 27% 72% See No Evil, Hear No Evil Watchlist Outrageous Fortune 58% 60% Outrageous Fortune Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All Tapeheads photos

Tapeheads

Tapeheads (1988) Tapeheads (1988) Tapeheads (1988) Tapeheads (1988) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Unemployed pals Ivan (John Cusack) and Josh (Tim Robbins) decide to start Video Aces, a company that produces music videos. Their initial clients include Billy and Lester Diamond, members of the music group The Swanky Modes, whose careers have slowed since their heyday during the '70s. As the Video Aces crew attempts to revive The Swanky Modes' careers by staging and broadcasting a concert, they also have to deal with the unwanted attention of a conservative politician (Clu Gulager).
Director
Bill Fishman
Producer
Peter McCarthy
Production Co
De Laurentiis, Pacific Arts
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$129.0K
Runtime
1h 37m
Sound Mix
Surround