Vibes

1988 "The psychic comedy that's out of its mind."
5.7| 1h39m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 05 August 1988 Released
Producted By: Columbia Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

Medium Sylvia Pickel and psychometrist Nick Deezy meet at a psychic research facility in New York. Not long after, they're contacted by Harry Buscafusco, who offers them $50,000 to find his lost son in South America, in the heart of Incan territory where they discover an ancient mystical secret, and each other.

Watch Online

Vibes (1988) is now streaming with subscription on Prime Video

Director

Ken Kwapis

Production Companies

Columbia Pictures

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

Stream on any device, 30-day free trial
Watch Now
Vibes Videos and Images
View All
  • Top Credited Cast
  • |
  • Crew

Vibes Audience Reviews

Greenes Please don't spend money on this.
UnowPriceless hyped garbage
Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated
Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.
larryy I'm really glad to see other reviewers talking about how much fun this film is. It's so good, sweet, and funny that I can't believe it's so poorly rated in some places. Roger Ebert must have eaten something bad before watching it, because 1 star is just ridiculous. And Rotten Tomatoes, that usually picks up on the more quirky films gives it just 6%? Really? Dark Star, which I also love, but is much more reliant on sheer quirkiness and offers much lower quality plotting and acting, gets 79%? Vibes is a film that, like Dark Star, should really be appreciated by anyone who loves film and appreciates smart-but-silly humor. It has higher quality production values and much better acting than Dark Star, but is lighter and less dark.Others have talked about the great comedic timing and lots else to enjoy in this film, so I'll skip all that, and just give a word of advice.... Don't even look at the trailer. It is absolutely abysmal. I'm grateful I never saw the trailer or I'd probably never have seen the film. Really. It's that bad. And given the huge disparity between critics' ratings and the great joy this film brings, just skip bad reviews as well. That person didn't get it, and it's their loss. Just relax and enjoy this great little hidden gem.
blanche-2 Jeff Goldblum, Cindy Lauper, and Peter Falk star in "Vibes," a 1988 comedy.Goldblum and Lauper play psychics Nicky Deezy and Sylvia Pickel (pronounced pick-EL) who are at an institute where their abilities are being tested. Sylvia has a spirit guide named Louise, and Nick's specialty is psychometry, which is picking up vibes from objects. They are approached by Harry Buscafusco (Peter Falk) to find his son in Ecuador. Since he's offering a great deal of money, they accept.Falk is lying, of course, and it doesn't take Goldblum long to figure it out. He wants them to find a hidden temple in the mountains where all the psychic energy in the world comes from. One of his friends found it, but is now comatose. But they're not the only ones looking for it.This is sort of a Raiders of the Lost Ark meets The Power. What makes it a cut above a fluffy comedy is the casting of Cindy Lauper, a unique personality, the talented, quirky Jeff Goldblum, and the always wonderful Peter Falk. I think my favorite scene is the one where Goldblum confronts him, and Falk quickly makes up another story to support his lies.Fun movie.
GoneWithTheTwins 1988's Vibes is definitely cheesy, but wholeheartedly light, flamboyant, and funnily romantic. Packed with verbal comedy, facial expression contortionist Jeff Goldblum, loopy quips, and ditzy Cyndi Lauper, this Ken Kwapis-directed adventure film is worth a look, especially for fans of (not so) perilous journeys and silly excitement.At a Department of Paranormal Studies research center, Dr. Steele gathers several of the most brilliant psychics to help him with a special project. The two brightest of the bunch are Sylvia Pickel (Cyndi Lauper's acting debut), the epitome of incredibly sexy but dumb-blond girls, and Nick Deezy (a young Jeff Goldblum), a museum employee who prefers not to sacrifice his humanity to be used as a walking Ouija board. His specialty is psychometry, the ability to touch objects and see where they've been – his other gift is skepticism. Sylvia, on the other hand, is accompanied by invisible friend Louise from the "other side" who forewarns her of dangerous events. She also deals with astral projection, the power to place conscience awareness outside of the physical body – and bad luck with manipulative men (Steve Buscemi makes a brief appearance) and utter losers: "my last boyfriend was a guy who drank soup by putting his head in it."Harry Buscafusco (Peter Falk) recruits the two talented psychics (for a cool $50,000 in counterfeit bills) on an expedition into the mountains of Ecuador, where they hope to find his missing son. But the mission leads the trio into danger and disaster when it's revealed that they're really in search of hidden Incan treasures – with supernatural powers! With 3-foot-tall multi-colored hair, bright makeup, squeaky voice and loud clothing, Cyndi Lauper is surprisingly entertaining as Sylvia, and brings a pleasantly contrasting character to Goldblum's straight-laced, sensible Nick. The two have an undeniable chemistry, filled with giddy flirtations and lots of cheesy one-liners. Add to that the dawdling and obnoxious villain Ingo (Googy Gress), Falk's rapid-fire jokes, a consistently kooky tone, music by James Horner, and Lauper's luscious legs, and Vibes isn't such a bad way to spend 99 minutes. Mike Massie
LesHalles Every time I see this film I find it hilarious. The film-makers have great resumes, much of them in TV. The cast includes comic masters Falk and Goldblum, and Lauper does a great job in one of her first roles; these are little gems of comic performances. Peter Falk is nearly as funny here as he is in _The In-Laws_. Sands and Gress are great as well.The plot moves along briskly and the action/adventure/travel side of the film works on its own as well as framing the humor. The romance is like something from screwball comedy.So why did the film get such a cold reception? I think this film has done so poorly because the humor depends on being familiar with new-age religion, psychics, channels, ESP, magic, etc. The script lampoons the kind of new-age/psychic phenomena popular in Hollywood. The target audience- those who are familiar with such things and at the same time don't take them too seriously- must only include the three writers.Although the film appears cynical and pessimistic about people, it cheers me way up. It has the same uplifting effect as another under-rated comedy masterpiece, _Into The Night_, also featuring Jeff Goldblum.Films like _The Matrix_ and _Star Wars_ are sometimes praised for communicating a philosophical and spiritual message. While those films certainly wear philosophical robes, I suspect they are actually driven by motives of greed, violence and melodrama. On the other hand, _Vibes_ and _Into the Night_ are both low-key, pessimistic, even cynical films that paradoxically seem to be driven by an inner engine of warmth and insight that can give viewers a real lift instead of hollow thrills.If you like _Vibes_ try another way-out-there under-rated comedy, _Simon_ (1980) with Alan Arkin.