Sidekicks (1992) User Reviews

Good, undemanding fun for Norris fans

[houseofjames · 6/10 · 3 September 2005]

Sidekicks is a pretty entertaining little film about a young, asthmatic boy who, in his imagination, is the sidekick to his hero, Chuck Norris. Barry, the kid (Brandis) is taught martial arts by his teacher's uncle (Mako). The story culminates with an exciting martial arts exhibition where Barry meets his idol, Chuck Norris, who agrees to help the boy in the competition.

A wish-fullfilment movie in the juvenile sense. Although Chuck has definitely had his day, the idea of meeting and being helped by your fantasy hero, is good fodder for a kids film like this. Some people will probably quibble at the occasional silliness (Richard Moll's ridiculous gym teacher, and Piscopo's over-the-top bad guy karate teacher, to name a few), as well as the obvious self-promotion for Chuck Norris, but I think that the fantasy of the film will work itself over it's intended audience, who should enjoy this little treat of a movie.

Really cheesy but not bad

[ty-jensen · 4/10 · 31 August 2021]

The Nostalgia Critic introduced me to Sidekicks, maybe he introduced lots of people to the film. Sidekicks was okay, its really cheesy.

The acting was okay, nobody had juicy material. Mako gave the best performance, I think most people agree. Jonathan Brandis was easily likeable, I can see why he was a teen heartrob. Mako and Brandis are no longer around, they died years ago. Chuck Norris plays himself, he's portrayed as a superhero.

The story is cheesy and predictable, you know what's going to happen from beginning to end. The film is a cheap Karate Kid knockoff but it feels different. The film is more family friendly than Karate Kid, you don't have to worry about cursing.

The action was okay, its basic and maybe Aaron Norris was told the film must be tamer than Karate Kid. The action is cartoony since its mostly daydreams. Yes, the final fight is the best one.

Overall, Sidekicks was okay. The film is really cheesy and tame so I easily understand why people don't care for it. If your kids loved Karate Kid, they may enjoy this. If you're simply looking for a cheesy martial arts movie, you could give Sidekicks a shot.

"It's not going to be so easy this time"

[znowhite01 · 6/10 · 14 February 2002]

Aaron Norris delivers a wonderful blend of kung fu fighting, day dreams and high school angst in this underrated family film. Jonathan Brandis (who was having a banner year in '92 with this and Ladybugs) dreams of being Chuck Norris' 'sidekick' in fighting terrorists, evil dictators and various other cardboard cut-outs. Why Norris you ask? Probably because they couldn't get Stallone or Schwarzenegger. This is surprisingly watchable if you don't let logic get in the way.

Wonderful movie for children

[patience-hervey · 29 August 2004]

I just got done watching this movie on Television with my 2 children a boy who is 5 and a girl who is 7, and feel it is a wonderful family movie. My children asked if we could buy it. I remembered watching this movie when it first came out. I was about 17 at the time, and I liked it then too. It is similar to Karate Kid, but I enjoy the twist of the kid daydreaming and overcoming is asthma. This movie sends a wonderful message to children: it shows them that having an illness doesn't mean they can't be "normal", it also teaches them how to gain control of their anger and channel it into something good, and like the Karate kid it shows that being a bully never pays off. Furthermore, it shows kids that it's "normal" to daydream and don't let others tease you and push you around because you are different; all it takes is a little hard work and determination and you can find something you are good at.

hard to watch

[jacobnunnally · 1/10 · 19 September 2021]

It's hard to watch a movie that thinks it's smart but is actually dumb as a rock. Brutal - this is lost on the movie, so the viewer is embarrassed for it. Cringey!

Movie desperately wants to just do Karate Kid. High school kid gets bullied, wants to learn karate, Japanese tutor that helps him learn karate and encourages him, girl who likes him, karate tournament that ends the movie, etc etc etc. What audacity!! Can you imagine. 100% cliche. 100% embarassing.

I could handle all that ... maybe ... but holy cow, put Joe Piscopo in for the villain and you quickly have a completely unwatchable, unbearable film. Piscopo's performance here is one of cinema's all-time most laughable. Not laughin' with ya, Joe!

All characters are 100% good or 100% bad. Not much subtlety here. Reeks of Aaron Norris.

BTW Mako is in a dope episode of Columbo that also features Louis Jourdan. Watch that instead.

Cheesy, frequently culturally offensive 90s blather

[circleresidents · 3/10 · 5 February 2022]

About what one would expect for a Chuck Norris movie aimed at kids written directed by another Norris...self-aggrandizing, 'isn't Chuck just the coolest, bestest guy ever!' time wasting. Bad enough to have been an 80s movie. Plenty of Asian stereotyping and Joe Piscapo SERIOUSLY over-hamming it up so if that's your thing, give it a watch.

Only reason I gave it 3 stars is because I like Mako and a number of friends worked on it. A paycheck is a paycheck!

stupider Karate Kid

[SnoopyStyle · 3/10 · 30 April 2015]

Barry Gabrewski (Jonathan Brandis) is an asthmatic bullied Texas teen picked on by the other students. He daydreams about being Chuck Norris' sidekick. His only friend is Lauren (Danica McKellar). His father Jerry Gabrewski (Beau Bridges) struggles to reach him. His teacher Miss Chan is concerned about him. Jerry tries to sign him up with Kelly Stone (Joe Piscopo) to learn Karate but the arrogant Stone dismisses the weakling and his love of Chuck Norris. Chan introduces him to her uncle Mr. Lee (Mako) who teaches him martial arts.

It's the Karate Kid except stupider and with lots of campy dream sequences with Chuck Norris. It tries to be funny but it's done badly. It comes off as silly. Joe Piscopo is annoyingly idiotic although his Bruce Lee impression is so stupid that it's actually funny. I like the Chuck Norris dream sequences at first. They're good deliberate camp but even those get a bit tired. I'm not taken with Jonathan Brandis or his boyish charms. Other than the silly weak humor, that's probably my biggest problem with this movie.

lots of fun plus Chuck Norris

[mcdlt2002 · 7/10 · 20 May 2006]

The great thing about this film, and yes it is indeed a great thing, is that it knows it is corny. It is well-cast, and it maintains a great sense of humor throughout the story. As far as Barry's dreams being too violent for a kid to be having, are you joking?!? Our society today is becoming so numb to violence,and often it film it is gratuitous. But in this film it's more slap stick humor than anything else. You can't compare this to any other Chuck Norris film. It is a genre all it's own. I saw this film as a kid and recently it was on Encore and I watched it again and had a great time. Taken for what it's worth, this film will make you do a happy dance.

Another droll Chuckie show

[helpless_dancer · 5/10 · 9 June 1999]

Well, here we go again. Hai-Karate, chopie-sockie, butts kicked, and a boy becomes a MAN. Why does Chuckie make these dull, meaningless, fluffy little popcorn pictures? Money, of course. Certainly not to make a point, for it takes substance to make something significant. In this gratuitous pulp an emotionally stunted, physically challenged young boy becomes an overnight sensation in the martial arts. How did he do this? Easy. Chuckie inspired him! How stimulating! How moving! What a load of dung.

This film is funny

[mm-39 · 7/10 · 5 March 2002]

Joe however you spell his last name is funny. I mean real funny. I love the part where he plays these fantasy bad guys. The best part is where he makes a fool out of himself when he fights Chuck in a tournament. The other part I get a laugh out of is the biker and the hot Chinese soup. Well the rest, of it is a bit sappy, but oh well.

So Bad It's Awesome!

[funrocket · 5/10 · 24 January 2008]

This is intended to be sort of a martial arts drama for kids, but it is in fact one of the best unintentional comedies ever. Most really bad movies are just bad and will bore you and make you not want to watch anymore, but Sidekicks is entertaining throughout. Mako, the martial arts instructor, and Joe Piscopo, the evil rival dojo owner, are clearly in on the joke and really ham it up. Brandis and Norris generally play it straight, although I'd have to honestly wonder if Chuck knows how cheesy the stuff is, I'd imagine not, having made Walker Texas Ranger.

I will not spoil the ending, but it fits perfectly with the movie. Watch this one with a group of friends and/or on an intoxicating substance for best effect. Chuck fans and children will also love this, but don't expect a good movie or a plot and dialogue that make sense.

Such a Great Classic Cheese Fest

[Pistol219 · 10/10 · 22 January 2021]

This was never meant to be serious and clearly Is meant to be corny. I just watch this again for first time in almost 20 years , Joe Piscipo Is the man.

Great movie!

[Clothahump · 7/10 · 20 March 1999]

I had the pleasure of being a crowd scene extra during the filming of the tournament scenes. Some excellent martial arts technicians showed up to demonstrate their skills.

The movie has been compared to The Karate Kid, but it stands on its own legs. Good acting throughout and a good storyline. I got a kick out of the scenes filmed at Lamar High School - my alma mater.

Yeah it was not that good.

[Jcsdude4ever · 1/10 · 5 May 2005]

Yeah when i saw sidekicks i wanted to cry. not for Barry for myself because i could not believe i wasted my time like that. #1. The movie had a bad plot to it. #2. Chuck Norris is possible the worst actor out there, really he hasn't had a good movie ever. In fact i think he is the worst actor ever. So anyway if you have an hour and half to kill and you have the choice to watch sidekicks or watch paint dry Please save yourself and watch the paint. Really if it was a good movie you would be able to buy it somewhere. Because my friends have tried to buy it and it is no where to be found. When amazon.com doesn't even carry it....yeah that should they you something. I really advise you not to watch this movie.

For the kids ...

[abentenjo · 14 April 2002]

Aaron's firmly in the driver's seat while brother Chuck lays down the action yet again in this enjoyable and harmless action romp, a re-hash of The Karate Kid only less involved and played mainly for laughs. Brandis is the asthma-induced child who dreams of fighting alongside his screen hero Chuck Norris. Mako plays loveable sage Mr. Lee who teaches the kid a little confidence and karate and soon enough his dreams form reality as the man himself soon turns up in the flesh at a martial arts tournament. Tame and undemanding, Sidekicks is an idle gem that whiles the hours away.

I can name 2 things bad about this movie..

[AguirreWrathOfGod · 4/10 · 19 October 2002]

the first thing that is bad about this movie is that chuck norris is in it. chuck norris is one of the worst action movie actors ever. the second bad thing about it is that the kid fantasizes about chuck norris. no one would ever fantasize about norris because he sucks. this movie sucked a lot and it gets a 1/10.

a bargain basement karate kid

[movieman_kev · 1/10 · 20 September 2005]

Barry, (Jonathan Brandis) an asthmatic daydreaming loser who wants to learn karate to protect himself from the school beating (just like his fantasy man, Chuck Norris), that he in all likelihood brings upon himself by being an unlikable spaz. Chuck's brother Aaron, is a horrible director and this film made want to curl up in a fetal position and just cry for inflicting my eyes with this horrid excuse for a movie. The great Mako is wasted here and can ANYone tell me why Joe Piscopo keeps getting jobs when everything he does is horrible?? this film is among the crappiest movies I've ever seen and they should just burn any existing copies. I wouldn't be surprised if this and "Ladybugs" in all likelihood contributed to the main actor's suicide.

My Grade: F

A Decent Enough Riff on KARATE KID

[PartTimeCritic · 5/10 · 30 April 2023]

SIDEKICKS (C+) is a perfectly acceptable family directed martial arts film. It stars Jonathan Brandis who plays high-schooler Barry who can't stop dreaming about being Chuck Norris' sidekick on his many action adventures. Large segments of the movie are given over to Brandis day-dreaming of himself fighting or shooting alongside Norris in mockups of several of his movies. Brandis, however, has a tough time facing reality and his daydreaming is getting him in trouble at school and with a high school bully. Luckily, his teacher and father come up with a plan for Brandis to train with a Master Miyagi like mentor who whips him into shape and gets him into a karate style tournament finale where, Chuck Norris actually joins his team. They do battle against the high school bully and a local jerk karate master played by Joe Piscopo and it's all decent stuff. It's essentially a riff on the much better Karate Kid, but Brandis and Piscopo are game to ham it up at times and the little action vignettes are all good natured. Nothing great, but a fun little fighting family film.

Unintentional Hilarity

[emcneill · 7/10 · 2 March 2006]

This movie is the most hysterical proof of Chuck Norris' ability to make men engage in homosexual fantasies. This movie would've had a less, for lack of a better word, gay feel to it had the character not been obviously in high school. If he had been say ten years old, this movie would not have been half as achingly hilarious as it was. For those too lazy to read the plot synopsis (but obviously love me enough to read my review <3), the movie centers around a young asthmatic who "daydreams" that he is the almighty Chuck's sidekick (HENCE THE TITLE). He suffers from the typical high school loner woes: bullies, girl troubles, reconciling his homo-erotic fantasies with himself, et. al. There is a particularly laughable scene when our intrepid lad meets The Chuck, I swear I nearly heard him say "I think I wet my pants, but I didn't have to pee." SEE THIS MOVIE.

Where's Kevin Arnold?

[chwillard · 2/10 · 5 January 2003]

The first time I saw this film I thought I was watching an old episode of "The Wonder Years." Danica McKellar plays Jonathon Bradis' love interest in this movie. Combine that with the washed-up talents of Joe Piscopo, Chuck Norris, and Beau Bridges and it makes for an agonizing hour and a half. Even though Chuck Norris is in this film, it ain't no "Delta Force." The fantasy scenes are way too violent for any teenager to be having. It sends the wrong message to younger kids watching it. One reason to suffer through this movie: Richard Moll's small but hilarious one-liners. Stick with "The Wonder Years", at least there Winnie looks attractive. * out of ***** stars. IMDB Scoring: 2 Stars

Much better than Karate Kid!!!

[ChrEberle · 7/10 · 21 December 2004]

I can absolutely NOT agree, that SIDEKICKS is a "Karate Kid" rip-off - it is thousand times better than Karate Kid! I am training martial arts since many years, and I can say, that Sidekicks is one of the better movies of this genre. The martial arts sequences are great. Maybe the humor is too much slapstick sometimes, but because of it is in Barry's dreams, I can look over it.

AND Sidekicks is a movie showing all the weak and helpless kids, that you can make more out of yourself. You don't have to be a loser all your life. You can fight!

I can identify with the character of J. Brandis. And I think, every movie who helps people to find faith in their selves, is a good movie...for those people.

Movie for Teenagers

[ebiros2 · 5/10 · 16 September 2012]

I'm not sure what kind of a movie this is. Is it a Chuck Norris movie, or a comedy that has Chuck Norris in it.

Chuck Norris is in it and doing his usual actions, but it's not part of the real story. It's part of some kid's day dreaming. The life surrounding the kid is written as a comedy

The quality of the movie is not bad. It has good production, and not bad of acting.

The kid's character is not strong enough to be the focus of the story, and Chuck's potential is hampered by having the kid as the center piece. Same goes for other actors.

It's a good movie for teenagers, but not for Chuck Norris or martial arts movie fans.

A decade of inspiration that never got old.

[Fireyforce · 10/10 · 29 May 2006]

This was the first Chuck Norris movie I ever saw and it hooked me to his career. This light hearted movie is perfect for people of all ages and can be seen again and again. It really stresses the important values of martial arts training and the stereotypes surrounding them when comparing Lee's (Mako) and Stone's techniques. This is a great family movie and one that I have recommended to family and friends for over a decade. The cast for this movie could not have been chosen better if Aaron and Chuck had tried. In many ways the actors are able to pull the viewers back in time to when they were in high school and remember what it was like. You can relate to these characters which only makes this film better. Again I would recommend this movie to anyone five and up.

"The Karate Kid" On Crack.

[Movie-ManDan · 7/10 · 4 February 2021]

While the legendary 1984 film helped revive the martial arts genre in the 80s, it also sparked many copycats. The most evident copycat, as well as the best, is this funny 1992 movie with Chuck Norris added to the mix. Chuck Norris isn't really a good actor, but his star power is used properly so that it elevates this film.

The late Jonathan Brandis may be best known for his tv appearances, but this may well be his best feature film. He plays asthmatic teenager, Barry Gabrewski with no friends who always daydreams about being Chuck Norris' right-hand man. These days, he would easily have been diagnosed with ADD. Barry can get so deep into his own little world that he ends up embarrassing himself. He is an easy target to bullies.

His widowed father (Beau Bridges) is a computer programmer who will do anything for his son. At first, he talks to crazy sensei, Kelly Stone (Joe Piscapo) about Barry attending his dojo, but Stone is even wilder than his "Karate Kid" counterpart, John Kreese.

Barry's favourite teacher, Noreen Chan enlists her uncle to be Barry's private sensei, Mr. Lee, played by Mako, who played Chuck Norris' mentor in the film "An Eye For An Eye," so casting him as the Mr. Miyagi counterpart was a good choice. Lee is a restauranteur whose chemistry with Barry is great, nearly as good as Daniel and Miyagi. He helps Barry overcome his fears and asthma, and control his daydreams.

Eventually, Barry gets good enough to enrol in a major tournament. And who should make a guest appearance at the tournament? None other than Barry's idol in the flesh. Noreen actually talks him into competing in their team. Chuck Norris stepping out of Barry's dreams and into his corner is actually better than you would think. Norris and Kelly Stone actually know each other, so them fighting is pretty fun too. There isn't a major final fight like Daniel and Johnny Lawrence, but we don't seem to mind what is presented.

Everybody is so over-the-top that you can't help but laugh at everything. I mentioned Stone, but Barry's peer bully plus his gym teacher (Richard Moll) are funnily crazy too. The thing that made "The Karate Kid" so good was that everything seemed legit. The only things in this that seem normal are Barry's dad and Noreen.

So this movie isn't truly good, but not very bad either. It takes serious skill to make a bad movie with so much heart and enjoyment. Okay, maybe that's a little far-fetched, but the movie is good. If Chuck Norris and a cast of well-known stars weren't in this, then it would have sucked. Only people of this talent could pull their own weight and make this silly Karate Kid rip-off watchable and enjoyable.

3/4

Chuck Norris confirms his status as a legend with "Sidekicks", a movie that could only be made in the 1990's

[redcrossaint · 5/10 · 23 August 2022]

Sidekicks (1992)

2/4

Chuck Norris is an interesting talent. He can be great at what he does, like with films such as "Lone Wolf McQuade" or "Code of Silence" with those films, he's a pretty talented guy - he's quite the martial artist and quite the action hero.

In "Sidekicks" he is nothing less than a bonafide legend, playing himself as a mentor to a young kid. What does it take to do something like that? Oh, you'd be surprised. I was going to say that he plays himself, but he literally does, here, so that's something that wouldn't make any sense. It is not a particularly good movie, but it sure is not boring, that's for sure, because this is a story so ridiculous that it has to be seen to be believed, but this is a movie review, so I'll tell you to believe it.

It mainly follows Barry (Jonathon Brandis), a young asmatic kid who's constantly bullied in school and isn't getting far in life. It's clear he has a passion for karate and Chuck Norris, having daydreams in class, fantasizing about karate, etc. Deciding to finally do something with his life, he wants to train in karate, and asks Kelly Stone (Joe Piscopo), a strict, almost cartoonishly strict martial arts instructor villain, and long story short, he says no, with a bit of drama. That's when he meets his schoolteacher's uncle, Mr. Lee (the legendary Mako) who agrees to train him in karate. Barry actually does really well as a karate student, and is put into a karate championship, facing, of course, Kelly Stone, yet again. At the championship, a big surprise comes; Chuck Norris shows up. And because Barry only has three for his team and needs four, they ask Chuck, who actually agrees and fights with Kelly Stone.

What do you think? Sounds insane? It is. It very much is. Joe Piscopo gives one of the most hilariously bad performances of all time as Kelly Stone. He screams, yells, and just about makes you have a heart attack from laughing so hard. As for the plot, it's "The Karate Kid" all over again, but just copied. Mako is the Mr. Miyagi character, and Brandis is the Ralph Maccio character. Chuck Norris actually playing himself is crazy, and this film is ridiculously entertaining, yet also, really cheesy and predictable. One thing that I found even more crazy was that Piscopo's character is basically a rip-off of the villain of "Karate Kid III" which in itself was a ripoff of every cheesy 80's villain... see my point? "Sidekicks" is recycled, except for the fact that Chuck Norris is here. It's a bad but gloriously, entertainingly bad movie, with a lot of camp and enjoyment value. "Sidekicks" is also certainly not boring - not with all these colorful performances and random moments.