Touch and Go (1986 film)

{{Infobox film

| name = Touch and Go

| image = Touch and Go FilmPoster.jpeg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Robert Mandel

| producer = Stephen J. Friedman

| writer = Alan Ormsby
Bob Sand
Harry Colomby

| narrator =

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| music = Georges Delerue
Sylvester Levay

| cinematography = Richard H. Kline

| editing = Walt Mulconery

| studio = Kings Road Entertainment

| distributor = Tri-Star Pictures

| released = {{Film date|1986|08|22}}

| runtime = 101 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $10 million{{Cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57498-TOUCH-AND-GO|title=AFI|Catalog|website=Catalog.afi.com|access-date=15 November 2021}}

| gross = $1,254,040

}}

Touch and Go is a 1986 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Robert Mandel, starring Michael Keaton, María Conchita Alonso and Ajay Naidu.

Plot

Bobby Barbato is a pro ice hockey player in Chicago. As always, he expects cheering crowds and beautiful women coming after him. But one day, a gang of youths begin to mug him but he manages to fend them off and then catches the youngest member of the gang, Louis DeLeon. He then gives Louis a ride home and meets the boy's mother, a Hispanic woman named Denise. After a fight, Bobby moves on with his life but then he and Denise begin to fall for each other and Louis eventually becomes close friends with the hockey player.

Cast

Michael Keaton as Bobby Barbato
María Conchita Alonso as Denise DeLeon
Ajay Naidu as Louis DeLeon
John Reilly as Jerry Pepper
Richard Venture as Gower
Lara Jill Miller as Courtney
Cynthia Cypert as 2nd Girl in Bar

Production

The film was wrapped in late 1984 and intended for a 1985 release but then shelved, due to a change of studio representation–from Universal to Tri-Star–as well as extensive rescoring and reassembling of promotional ads during post-production.{{Cite web|url=https://hidden-films.com/2014/05/09/touch-and-go-1986/|title="Touch and Go" (1986)|first=Sam|last=Weisberg|website=Hidden-films.com|date=9 May 2014|access-date=15 November 2021}} Producer Stephen J. Friedman spent a year negotiating a switch in distributors from Universal to Tri-Star while the film was stuck in limbo.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1986/03/02/up-from-obscurity/c8caba53-ba15-4f5e-af8d-b4c6e2d76b63/|title= Up From Obscurity |newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=February 13, 2023}} It was then released in late 1986.

Reaction

It was the very first film reviewed on Siskel and Ebert at the Movies. Both Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert gave the film a thumbs up.{{cite web | url=https://siskelebert.org/?p=1454 | title=Touch and Go, 'night Mother, Blue Velvet, Where the River Runs Black, 1986 – Siskel and Ebert Movie Reviews }}