Buckaroo Banzai, born to an American mother and
a Japanese father, thus began life as he was destined
to live it - going in several directions at once...

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai across the Eighth Dimension is a film that has attained significant cult status. Filled with errors, omissions, inside jokes, inconsistencies, questionable directorial decisions, unfulfilled promises, and more problems in the eyes of the average movie viewer than one could shake a stick at, it is still an adorable and heartwarming film for those of us who truly grok it.

It's about a man who has lived an adventurous but comparatively sheltered life. He's a rich philanthropist with incredible credentials and successes to his name. His birth the result of an interracial marriage, Buckaroo Banzai contains the best of both worlds from his heritage, seeks out the brightest minds and bodies on the Earth and bands them together for a common purpose, to help him thwart evil and seek adventure however it comes their way. The tale told, and the world created for the tale, is incredibly hokey, childish and impossible to believe. On the surface this film looks like trash until one realizes what it stems from and what it represents.

This film is the culmination of an idea. There is so much about this character and his world that never made it to film. It's both an example of the potential for filmmaking and an example of what can go wrong if chaos overrides order in filmmaking. This film is like staring at a baby as it exits the womb. It's simultaneously horrific and exhaustingly beautiful at the same time.

The Cast, in order of appearance:

ED, the voice of Mission Control                Kent Perkins
PROFESSOR HIKITA, a scientist                   Robert Ito
MARINE LIEUTENANT                               Radford Polinsky
GENERAL CATBURD                                 William Traylor
PERFECT TOMMY, a Hong Kong Cavalier             Lewis Smith
RENO NEVADA, a Hong Kong Cavalier               Pepe Serna
BUCKAROO BANZAI, particle physicist,
        rock star, neurosurgeon, etc.           Peter Weller
NEW JERSEY, another neurosurgeon                Jeff Goldblum
RAWHIDE, a Hong Kong Cavalier                   Clancy Brown
SENATOR CUNNINGHAM                              Mariclare Costello
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE                            Matt Clark
DOCTOR EMILIO LIZARDO, a scientist            \
LORD JOHN WHORFIN, an evil alien dictator     / John Lithgow
ANCHORWOMAN                                     Francine Lembi
HOSPITAL GUARD                                  Jonathan Banks
ARTIE DUNCAN, a New Jersey club manager         Leonard Gaines
PENNY PRIDDY, Buckaroo Banzai's ex-wife's 
          identical twin                        Ellen Barkin
RADAR BLAZES                                    Robert Gray
                                                Gary Bisig
JOHN BIGBOOTE, a Red Lectroid                   Christopher Lloyd
JOHN O'CONNOR, a Red Lectroid                   Vincent Schiavelli
JOHN GOMEZ, a Red Lectroid                      Dan Hedaya
REPORTERS                                       Ray Birk
                                                Jane Marla Robbins
BLACK LECTROID WING COMMANDER                   Jessie Lawrence Ferguson
MOTORCYCLE EXHIBITOR                            Reed Morgan
BUBBA, a duck hunter                            James Keane
BURT, a duck hunter                             Kenneth Magee
JOHN PARKER, a Black Lectroid diplomat          Carl Lumbly
HIGHWAY PATROLMAN                               John David Ashton
SCOOTER LINDLEY, a Junior Blue Blaze Irregular  Damon Hines
CASPER LINDLEY, Scooter's father                Bill Henderson
MRS. JOHNSON, Buckaroo's secretary              Laura Harrington
JOHN GANT, Black Lectroid thermopod pilot       Kevin Sullivan
BILLY TRAVERS, a Hong Kong Cavalier             Michael Santoro
PINKY CARRUTHERS, a Blue Blaze Irregular        Billy Vera
SAM, the jet car mechanic                       uncredited
JOHN EMDALL, Black Lectroid leader              Rosalind Cash
PRESIDENT WIDMARK                               Ronald Lacey
SMIRNOFF, the National Security Advisor         Yakov Smirnoff
JOHN YAYA, a Red Lectroid                       James Rosin
KOLODNY BROTHERS                                Sam Minsky
                                                Robert Hummer
RUGSUCKER                                       Gerald Peterson

Added Sunday February 5th, 2006
The Custodian says re Buckaroo Banzai: Hey, you might want to add... http://www.moonstonebooks.com/banzai.asp Woooohoooo!

Cool. Done. =)

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