Vibes

Having little more to offer than a generic "greed is bad" message, along with some hokum about love being where we least expect it, Vibes is far from a successful film, being essentially a bad rip-off of Romancing the Stone, but it is strangely amusing, at times, in an entirely random, "did that just happen?" kind of way. The characters seem indifferent to death, making quips about it, and seem aware of the implausibility of their adventure, frequently making very matter-of-fact statements about the irrationality of their surroundings, which frequently prove funny. This is all the film has going for it though, as the plot and progression are entirely perfunctory, and Cyndi Lauper's debut acting gig as an astral projecting psychic is essentially Lauper being Lauper, with an occasional speech made in tongues. As the film tanked in 1988 when it hit theatres, it may find more appreciation on DVD 20 years later as a camp title with a bizarre comic sensibility. Starting out with a psychic research centre, we learn that not all psychics are the same, as Nick Deezy (Jeff Goldblum) is able to see the history of objects via touch and Sylvia Pickel (Cyndi Lauper) has an invisible friend who can read people's history. Despite having just met, Sylvia quickly approaches Nick for help when Henry (Peter Falk), a man in need of psychics, offers her 50 grand to help him on a quest in Ecuador. Inevitably, Nick tags along with the unorthodox gal, only to find a mysterious pyramid and many dangerous perils. The DVD version includes no special features related to the film but has martini recipes and strange minute-long snippets called "How To Dress In Style" and "Secrets of Deception," which add nothing.