| Going Ape! | |
| Director: | Jeremy Joe Kronsberg |
| Producer: | Robert L. Rosen |
| Starring: | Tony Danza Bobby Berosini's Orang-Utans Jessica Walter Stacey Nelkin Danny DeVito |
| Music: | Elmer Bernstein |
| Cinematography: | Frank V. Phillips |
| Distributor: | Paramount Pictures |
| Runtime: | 87 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Gross: | $5,504,218 |
Going Ape! is a 1981 American comedy film directed by Jeremy Joe Kronsberg and produced by Paramount Pictures. The film starred Tony Danza, Danny DeVito, and three orangutans.[1]
Struggling slacker Foster Sabatini is the only member of his circus family who left the life, greatly disappointing his wealthy father Max. When Max dies, Foster and his sisters (who all hate Foster) are shocked to hear that Max left his entire estate to Foster, but only on the condition that Foster must care for his father's beloved trio of orangutans. Along with the orangutans, Foster also inherits the services of Lazlo, Max's manservant & protege. The arrival of the orangutans and Lazlo turn Foster's life upside-down, all while he attempts to win back his disgruntled girlfriend and impress her high-society mother.
Things are further complicated by a trio of bungling assassins hired by the local zoological society, which will inherit both the money and the orangutans if any of the apes die. Once aware of the danger to the apes, Foster and his friends must save the newly accepted primates from the assassins.
The film was poorly reviewed by Janet Maslin of the New York Times, who called it a "completely unimaginative romp, standard to the point of being waxen" and referred to director Kronsberg's "messy directorial debut".
The film was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor for DeVito.[2]
The film was released on VHS in the 1980s, but was never released on DVD and remained out of print on home video for many years until it was released in January 2022 on Blu-ray.[3]