Gone Fishin' (1997) User Reviews (85)

Dumb But Innocent, And That's Not So Bad

[ccthemovieman-1 · 6/10 · 2 June 2006]

This was "Dumb and Dumber" without the crudeness and profanity. That doesn't mean it's an award winner: it's pretty stupid, but it is refreshing to see a movie in which both Joe Pesci and Danny Glover star and never utter a profane word! Unbelievable! And you can add Rosanna Arquett to that list, too, and she wasn't exactly Mother Teresa in a lot of films.

The professional critics totally lambasted this film, which wasn't altogether fair, either. It is refreshing in its innocence (something critics know nothing about) and it has its funny moments. Best of all it's entertaining. Yes, this is "Lightweight" with a capital "L" but I've seen a whole lot of films that were the opposite and total garbage. At least you watch this with your kids and have some laughs. What's wrong with that?

it's funny

[departed07 · 6/10 · 9 August 2003]

i don't know why people are talking smack about this film. It's funny and stupid at the same time. Joe Pesci and Danny Glover are going fishing before the Thanksgiving holidays and everything turns into a disaster. It's just funny.

No big fish caught...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 7 November 2010]

Well, this is pretty much your basic slapstick goof ball comedy. You have two fairly dim-witted people who aren't too keen on their surroundings and the havoc they wreak around them, and they get into a bunch if jiffies along the way. There, that was pretty much the lay down of the general story.

Now, the performances of Pesci and Glover, are as usual, right on. They both did a good job with their roles, and the chemistry between the two worked marvelous.

There are lots of situations throughout the movie that makes you cringe your toes in awkwardness, but the movie only managed to get a couple of laughs out in me. Lots of pulling on the smiles, but not really the type of comedy that makes you cringe over and laugh so hard you have tears trickling down your cheeks.

The supporting roles were nicely filled out as well, though many of the characters in the movie were somewhat quirky.

The movie is fairly wholesome to watch and good for an entertaining evening, but I say it is hardly the type of movie you return to again a second time, unless you are a die-hard Glover or Pesci fan.

Clean comedy

[Turks · 21 February 2004]

Ok, why's this film get a bad rap? I saw it and enjoyed it thoroughly. Not very often in these days do you get a film like this. It's a comedy without poop jokes, sexual innuendo or foul language. And you know what? It's truly funny. The innocents Joe Pesci and Danny Glover project, mixed with the wacky situations they get mixed up in, is truly hilarious. Not only did I find this film a laugh filled feel-good comedy, but its one of the few comedies of the 90's that I would feel OK about my little brother watching it with me.

There is nothing bad about this film. Sure; the script is silly, and the plot is inane, but the movie itself projects an innocent fun that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Sure, if you're looking for a comedy akin to American Pie or Something About Marry, you won't find anything to your liking here. However, if you want a clean fun comedy with wacky antics and a good fun plot, this will work great.

Gone Tarded

[MarGab0u812 · 1/10 · 19 August 2004]

The previews for this movie made it look really funny. Especially the part where Glover's character says, "I don't want to squeal like a pig!" after a reference to the movie "Deliverance". However, I was extremely disappointed by the movie itself. When we got to the theater, we found only two other couples there, and they both left after about the first twenty minutes. Unfortunately, we stayed and watched the whole thing. The whole movie consisted mostly of two my favorite actors, Joe Pesci and Danny Glover, acting like retarded people and talking baby talk to each other. It is all this "baby talk" that makes the movie so unbearable to watch. I wanted to climb through the screen and slap them. I give this movie a borderline zeebo.

Awful

[stephan-38 · 1/10 · 26 August 2000]

I watched this on a flight to St. Louis, and it's the first ever movie I have had to stop watching. It is awful - I thought Men In White was bad, but this tops everything! What were they thinking? I was trapped for the full length of the movie at 36,000 feet! Never again...

Something went wrong here...

[August1991 · 1/10 · 2 December 2003]

Danny Glover and Joe Pesci are good actors in my book. But something went seriously wrong in this film. What?

For starters, the script is not funny. But the film is worse than the script. There are dumb scripts that attract a certain audience because the actors somehow manage to be funny/interesting/appealing or the director puts the whole thing together in a funny/interesting/appealing way. In this film, everything is pathetic.

Well, the film has so-called "production values". It's not a home movie. So, it's an example of what-not-to-do with several million dollars.

Good family movie

[bbjscooby · 7/10 · 14 July 2006]

Not the best comedy but not the worst either. If your looking for a good family movie to watch with the kids then this is a good choice. But if you actually pay attention to the whole movie you will find that there is more than just a slapstick comedy. this movie has a good theme that two friends (Pesci and Glover) can stick together through the worste of times and still come out ahead as you find out at the end of the movie. as I said if your looking for a movie that you will be laughing all the time then this is not for you but if you want to watch a movie and finish with a happy goodfeeling then this movie is for you. at times you also feel sorry for them because of what they are going through and the actors show it good. and the kids will love it.

Lost in the Everglades

[jotix100 · 1/10 · 16 September 2005]

This attempt at comedy clearly didn't work out as demonstrated by the reaction of the comments to this forum. One could never guess what made the people behind "Gone Fishin'" even attempt to produce a substandard comedy that is an insult to movie fans.

We would have Joe Pesci and Danny Glover's heads examined in order for us to understand how did they agree to appear in this movie. It seems they must have been hard up for cash because this film will not add anything to their careers.

Let's just hope the joke is on us and the director, cast and crew had a fabulous time while doing this movie and that perhaps they managed to have "gone fishin'" themselves while they were in the area.

Why is the rating low? This movie is really good.

[bljk_15 · 6/10 · 8 July 2005]

I have to disagree with all the other comments on this film. Really, I do. I don't understand why people this isn't funny? Well okay maybe not really really funny but, there is some humorous stuff in it. That does make it funny. Especially when those two guys are looking at Ranger boat and then they accidentally hit & break the throttle and the key! Shortly after that they rocket out of the bay and onto land where they lose their 2 engines, and then go skidding right through a boat display area causing everything to knock over and their boat to break in half. Anyway maybe it could be better, but still it was a good film. Rating-6. It was a great film.

Why can't Hollywood writers and directors learn?

[edarem · 1/10 · 17 July 2005]

It's really very simple. A movie is awful when situations are not credible. When something is not credible, then it cannot be funny or scary or whatever! This movie is loaded with situations that are not believable, making it extremely UNFUNNY. Joe Pesci's phony southern/ red-neck/yokel accent was pathetic in it's believability. Glover was okay, but he had a horrible script to work with. The contrived situations are so far-fetched as to make the view say... "Give me a break!" The stunts are pathetic in the extreme. Stunts that are not possible are not enjoyable. Remember, Hollywood, it's gotta be believable to be enjoyed. Life is short, Hollywood Quit wasting our time with junk.

Country Grammar

[raulfaust · 8/10 · 27 January 2014]

According to Murphy's law, "anything that can go wrong, will go wrong", and that is basically what happens with Joe and Gus for most of the time. These two fellas intend to go for a fishing, but things don't go according to plan, delivering a lot of bad situations-- which aren't that bad, since both characters are optimist. What amazes me the most is how the humor scenes are filled with original jokes, like the scene in which they are in the first restaurant making their orders like a homosexual couple, and not paying attention that everybody around them felt that way. It's funny how filmmakers portray them like two very innocent guys that end up succeeding in getting the prize-- in fact, the smaller prize-, making you feel like there's no need to be a smart pants to be rewarded. I read some criticism towards the acting, but in my point of view, the whole cast is professional, and the main actors are even a little above average. Besides, the plot is fast paced, never tiring the spectator. Also, it's a BIG personal coincidence that they mention 1972's "Deliverance", given that I was just about to watch that movie, but preferred catching what was on cable. All in all, "Gone Fishin'" is surely a feel good movie that have been hidden from mainstream since it was released, but it's hard for you to not enjoy it!

Gone Pesci.

[anaconda-40658 · 6/10 · 23 June 2015]

Gone Fishin' (1997): Dir: Christopher Cain / Cast: Joe Pesci, Danny Glover, Willie Nelson, Rosanna Arquette, Lynn Whitfield: Joe and Gus are the best of friends that go back many years. They share a love for fishing and receive coupons to stay at the Florida Everglades. What follows is a series of misadventures. One of the film's running jokes is the childish nature of the leads. We learn that Joe fears lightning while Gus has a sleepwalking disorder. They stop at a diner where their fishing talk catches the attention of the film's villain who steals their car. They are soon accompanied by two women who seek out the thief due to stolen money. Title suggests adventure but the whole love for fishing and such may cue in to certain viewers who may share the passion. Director Christopher Cain proves to understand the style of comedy particularly during a hilarious train track sequence. Joe Pesci and Danny Glover have great comedic chemistry although seeing Pesci bring down a plane with a fishing line is a bit too far fetched. Willie Nelson is embarrassing as a guardian angel who should never have factored in. Rosanna Arquette and Lynn Whitfield play the two females out for justice. Those roles had potential but never really elevate off the screen. Simple yet well made comedy about friendship within a screenplay that remembers those carefree days by the lake. Score: 6 / 10

"Hey Joe, Is This Movie Good?" "I Don't Think So Gus."

[MovieMan-112 · 2/10 · 25 September 1999]

This has got to be the worst comedy I have seen in a few years. Pesci and Glover must have been really desperate to take these roles. Their characters are mentally retarded people from New Jersey who win a fishing trip to the Florida everglades. Could've been a funny movie but everything from start to finish is predictable and NOT FUNNY! It gets even worse after you keep hearing the guys call each other by their first names in every other sentence. Here's an example of the dialogue throughout the entire movie:("Hey Gus, what should we do?" "I don't know Joe." "Gus, this is weird. They stole my car." "We can go find it Joe." "Will you help me find it Gus?" "Sure I'll help you find it Joe." "Thanks Gus." "No Problem Joe, Always glad to help Joe." "Thanks Gus. You know what Gus? You're a real pal!" "So are you Joe! A real pal.") Gus Gus Joe Joe Joe Gus Gus Joe Gus Joe Joe Gus.....on and on and on and on and on. Did the writer not pick up on this when he was writing the script? Maybe he did but he forgot to think about one thing....IT'S NOT FUNNY!!! * out of ****. Waste of talent. Pesci should get back in his mobster roles since he hasn't done a decent movie in 4 years. And Glover better start working on a Lethal Weapon 5. Get to work Boys!

Good clean fun comedy

[csweetleaf2 · 16 July 2003]

Gone Fishin' is a very good movie and it does not deserve to be in the Top 100 worst movies, it's one of the better comedies during the past 10 years and it seems to be scarce to find good comedies that doesn't contain little or no language or sexual innuendo cause that's what people seem to watch these days, the subplot with killer Dekker Massey keeps the movie rolling and while some parts seem to drag a bit, it's a good way to pass an hour and a half with family and friends. 8/10

Can you say "Script" people? Obviously Jeffrey Abrams couldn't.

[big_ego · 1/10 · 7 August 2003]

To think that after a beginning like Raging Bull, and other stellar performances from the truly warped Tommy in Goodfellas to Simon Wilder of With Honors, not to mention actually funny performances in My Cousin Vinnie, The Super, and Leo from the LW series, that he would do a total stinker like this. Although Danny Glover often chooses "Acting Lite" in his roles he does have a fair degree of talent. Why these two paired up to make this "movie" I will never understand.

If you have difficulty counting without the use of your fingers you might find a measure of humor here. Otherwise be prepared for 94 minutes of the most horrendous bad acting caught on film. I firmly believe there was not actually a script for this movie. How many times can you watch these two morons look at each other with their mouths agape, saying "Oh yeaaaah."?

I saw this when it first opened, hoping for some light, funny comedy, what I got was an hour and a half of me staring at my wife, her staring back wondering if it was ever going to be funny. Needless to say, our answer came with the credits. "Gone Fishin'" has become a catchphrase for anything that is truly horrible.

As an aficionado of B movies, in the Mystery Science Theater sense, I thoroughly enjoy a bad movie. It is a wonderful thing to add dialogue with friends and jeer at the horrors of movies like "Surf Nazis Must Die" (an actual title, check it out) but this doesn't even make it to that worthy category of: So Bad You Have To See It. Spare your brain cells. If you want to see something stupid but funny there are an infinite number of choices. Too many choices for anyone to have a good reason to watch this.

Watchable but what a waste of Pesci and Glover's talent

[spencer10 · 3/10 · 18 February 2008]

I think Joe Pesci and Danny Glover are very good actors. They can play great dramatic and comic roles. But with "Gone Fishin'" their first attempt at comedy together someone ought to encourage both Pesci and Glover not to make any other comedy movies together. It's obvious that the biggest problem with "Gone Fishin'" is its script. Pesci and Glover are not to blame they are trying to act good. Its the writers and director's fault. Some of the lines in this film are extremely annoying e.g. "This trip ain't even a one its a frigging zero", or when Pesci tells the film's villain that he is a freak about 10 times and tells him "why don't you join the army if your'e a tough guy you freak". The other problem is that with the exception of the first two "Home Alone" pictures you cannot give Joe Pesci a script that is PG rated and expect him to act funny with it. Joe Pesci needs stronger material. I am not saying they needed to make the film R rated with the f-word every other word, or extreme violence but why couldn't they make this like "Grumpy Old Men" and make it on a PG-13 rated level? If they would have done that this movie would have been ten times funnier. And why didn't they actually have Pesci and Glover actually go fishing in the movie instead of a million disasters preventing them from going fishing? They do not fish in the entire 94 minutes of the movie except for the finale. Danny Glover has made a few other movies since this one but I have only seen Joe Pesci do two other movies since this one. I am wondering if its because he was embarrassed by how he acted in this movie. "Gone Fishin'" certainly is not awful but its such a shame to see two exceptionally talented actors act with such an annoying awful script. Its the kind of movie you might want to watch if the weather is really bad outside and you have nothing better to do. But if you are a big fan of either Pesci or Glover you might want to avoid this one because they are trying to act good with a bad script and in the end they have made a pretty big mistake by making "Gone Fishin'"

go fishing instead of watching this film

[dark-10 · 1/10 · 10 October 1999]

All i have to say is Danny Glover and Joe Pesci must've been bored and/or broke when they made this horrible movie. if i had a 3 year-old kid who had nothing better to watch one day, i still wouldn't submit the poor tyke to this waste of human energy.

Its OK

[chesterfox40 · 7/10 · 2 November 2006]

This movie is not a big thing. Its just a regular comedy with a simple story. It has got good actors like Danny Glover and Joe Pesci. They do a good job playing the two fishermen Gus Green and Joe Waters. But everybody knows that both of them can do better. This movie is basically a story of two ordinary guys who face extraordinary situations. Like their car being stolen by a con artist, causing a fire in a hotel and fighting with a crocodile.

This movie will bring some entertainment on a boring evening. You will have some laughs and be able to kill some time. However buying this movie is not a good idea, go rent it. If you saw it once its enough.

7/10

If you really want to see a good movie with Danny Glover and Joe Pesci then watch "Lethal Weapon 2". Joe Pesci is great in that movie.

Terrible movie and a complete waste of talent.

[intotheabysss · 1/10 · 3 January 2006]

This movie made me feel embarrassed for Joe Pesci and Danny Glover. It wasn't funny... Not funny at all... It disgraces of both of their names in my opinion and is my all time worst waste of time. Where can I get a refund for the 1.5 hours of my life?!?! Hmmm.. Well apparently I have to write at least ten lines about this horrible movie for you to learn of just how bad it is. This is really just another waste of my time but I feel that it is beneficial for people to be aware of just how much I disapprove of this wonderful display of inadequacy. Perhaps I should use the following 2 lines to write script that would be better, but unfortunately it's difficult to write blank script. So what I'll suggest is that the original film should be chopped up into tiny little pieces and used as confetti at REAL movie premiers. If I could vote lower than 1 I would. I guess that's 13 lines. :)

A Rated R Plot Taken in a PG Matter

[StevePulaski · 6/10 · 21 August 2010]

When looked at at a specific perspective, you can see what the producers were trying to do with Gone Fishin'. Make it a quirky, not very serious, fun kids movie. It seems they picked the two most serious actors for the job though. Danny Glover and Joe Pesci are good in lots of things they have been in, but this is just neither of them at their best. I think the problem was the PG rating. This could have been a great film if it had an R rating. Its almost like Glover and Pesci are struggling to hold back the words they want to use. You can tell Pesci just wants to blow off steam at points in the film. If this was R, it could have been a quirky, funny, and all out Comedy.

Glover and Pesci play Gus and Joe, two average guys who want to get away and have a simple, relaxing vacation at the Everglades. They get way more than they ask for after having their car stolen at a restaurant. They realize the man who stole their car is a crook and a killer so Gus and Joe pair up with two girls looking for the man, for a little while, then go off on their own getting into their own trouble. They embark in every which way to try and stop the crook, but they just dig themselves deeper in a hole. Their stupidity doesn't help the situation one bit has both the leads are clueless and naive. But they are dependent on catching the guy and still making it home for Thanksgiving with their family.

Once again, sometimes their stupidity tends to drag the film on which I've never been a fan of. Its just like in Dinner for Schmucks and Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd. Stupidity is one thing, overwhelmingly stupid is another. It wears on you and almost makes you believe the actors are as dumb as they appear. But, thankfully, Gone Fishin' knows its limits and doesn't make the characters brainy, smartasses or make them bumbling nitwits. So the film doesn't fail there.

While being completely harmless, at the same time, its overly kiddish. We saw Joe Pesci play stupid in Home Alone, but now, after seeing Casino and Goodfellas, I don't want to see him in a PG rated kid movie. Id rather have him be in an R rated Comedy where he can be himself and the same goes with Danny Glover. If this was R, it would probably earn another star, and quite possibly, another star in a half. But at least we get a relaxing opening driving scene with a great Willie Nelson tune in the background and a delightful appearance by him as well.

Gone Fishin' was panned at the time, but it should also be taken into mind Janet Wilder was killed during a scene in this movie, so that doesn't give the movie a get-out-of-harsh-words free card, but it should just be said and maybe go easy on the movie. While Im not praising Gone Fishin', Im neither recommending it very far. Keep that in mind.

Starring: Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Nick Brimble, Rosanna Arquette, Lynn Whitfield, and Willie Nelson. Directed by: Christopher Cain.

One of the worst uses of two hours ever.

[johninhalifax · 1/10 · 26 March 2002]

Totally useless movie. Danny Glover in particular, should be ashamed. He is a great actor and this waste of time, only detracts from his stature. Joe Pesci's work is also usually well above the calabre we saw here. I can't even imagine that they could claim that this was fun to make.

Funny like Hope Crosby Films

[mrskywalker · 10/10 · 16 July 2001]

Don't listen to the cynics. Gone Fishing was pretty fun. There is nothing mean spirited here just a a funny flick about two guys who go on a fishing trip. I know it is fashionable to blast this film. I heard so much negative stuff that I almost did not rent it. If you are looking for comedy based on satire, parody, insults, or crude situations you will not find it here. This is just a fun movie with no agenda which makes it a rarity. This film is more in the spirit of Out to Sea, Grumpy Old Men, Road to Hong Kong or even Legally Blonde. Gone Fishing is worth a rental.

Really awful!

[jmanovcanada · 1/10 · 24 October 2005]

I went into this movie really looking forward to seeing Pesci and Glover as a team, boy was I ever let down. I don't know what those 2 were thinking when they signed up for that movie, temporary insanity perhaps. I personally like quite a range of comedies and I certainly like slapstick, this movie isn't slapstick, it's pure stupidity. Movie's like this are so painful because you want to laugh, but good luck trying to find many laughs in this one it's just pure tedium. I've sat through some bad movie's before but, with the exception of Pearl Harbor, I don't normally turn off a movie before the end, but this was just too much!! Be warned.

Rare, Simple, Clean Comedy, Not Too Superb, Though...

[rettaman · 3 September 2002]

After finally watching this movie with a senior citizen and reading all of the other readers' comments about how terrible this movie "is", I thought I should have my say.

First, this movie isn't the BEST comedy ever. There have been better comedies before and since this movie. True, hearing the characters calling each other by their first names every so often can be annoying at times, I am PLEASED that I didn't hear much profanity in the movie.

I would much rather hear the characters' first names in every other sentence than profanity. So, this movie is rare in the sense of NOT having profane jokes and potty humor (like Austin Powers) to encourage laughter. But, knowing how today's society is, there is still the occasional "hell", "damn", and such.

Second, when I was watching this movie, I began to think of how the characters relied on some physical comedy and some crude slapstick humor. I do think the comedic routine could've been more refined and I have laughed at "The Three Stooges", "Oliver and Hardy", "Abott and Costello", and the older classic comedies more than I did in this movie. "Dumb and Dumber" was funnier, but somewhat vulgar.

Third, the plot and the characters could've been more refined, too. It seems as though about all the characters had to do was to act silly and get overly excited about winning a fishing trip and being very naive and innocent while creating havoc. But, this movie is simple and doesn't rely on some of the other crap that other movies rely on to get a laugh.

Finally, I would suggest this movie to older viewers who do appreciate a simple comedy without all of the unnecessary violence, potty humor, and profanity as evident in most of today's movies. (If this movie could've been more refined, I would've given it an "8" out of "10", but instead I give it a "5".)

PS--I don't think that most of mainstream society would appreciate this movie as they might appreciate potty humor and profanity, which I think is worse to think about than this movie itself!

Happy Viewing!