Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Instant Favorite.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Jason Bateman stars in this made for TV film about a rock and rolling kid who goes off to a music camp. While gone Bateman's dead Tom Skerritt who works for a big investment house in San Francisco turns federal witness against his employer who has been laundering mob money for decades. Tom Skerritt and the rest of the family go into witness protection, but Bateman who has run away from the long haired music in the old fashioned sense at the music camp is in the winds.When he gets home he finds a house stripped bare and no one knows where the family is. But both the Justice Department in the person of John Glover and a mob hit man Jack Wagner are both after him. Bateman does not know who friend or foe is, so he has to keep a Moving Target.It was interesting to see Glover as a good guy for once and soap opera hunk Jake Wagner is a truly terrifying amoral hit man. As a movie Moving Target obeys the first rule of movie making, it moves.Bateman is good also as a truly clever and bright kid, which should make one fear for the security of witness protection.Fans of the above named players should like this.

**** May contain strong spoilers ****This is a review made by StoneDraim... and that means that if you want to read a probably different kind of review, keep reading....This is my personal experience, my personal point of view/perspective and my personal opinion... and my opinion is just one of like 7 billions in this world.As I love Jason Bateman as an actor and seen this movie before in my youth, I decided to watch it again. I have to say that MR. Bateman either has a full blown talent as an actor that has followed him from youth to today, or Jason has worked extremely hard in becoming a great actor. I can sense his fear and emotionally roller-coaster in this motion picture. I would say near to some kind of a nominee... Academy Award...? As a TV-movie it starts kind of straight on with classic 80's music as a band plays; saxophone and the whole kit. Really good editing as the music follows the drummer; when he or she hits the cymbal, it also happens in the music. Then a guitar and/or saxophone takes over and a typical chopper view of an American city is displayed. As the guitar sounds off a rescue siren is faded into the guitar and the music is faded out. Solid editing there.There are moments in this motion picture that brings back a lot of nostalgic emotions. The formulaic way of being overexplicit with a "dangerous and mysterious" synthesizer "carpet" rolls out in an environment that could be plain and simple in harmony and good in all ways; a man sitting by his desk by the end of the day with the computer and compares something from a paper sheet. And so the production team is clear that the audience register and apprehend that this is a "dangerous thriller", they roll out the music. Today, often, it is in the opposite way. The music enhances the conception of the audience; that is true art and a work of masterminds to in advance think and work out how the viewers probably will feel, and then letting the music and sounds sort of amplify that impression.Little fun fact: about 58 minutes and 20 seconds into the movie, the title "Moving target" is mentioned in a line. How many movies has the title mentioned fully and exactly?Detail I like: Dobbins has got the cold (or something). Is it any reason for writing into the script that the agent Fred Dobbins should have a cold? No. That is what I like. Realistic touch.Oh, oooh... a noticed mistake in script: Toby Kellogg (Jason Bateman) should be out to Interluchen Music Summer Camp for 8 weeks. He calls back home after four weeks (a month as they say in the movie). Then he calls again some time afterwards and say that he having a hard time lasting for another five weeks. As far as I know, five plus four equals nine........... Movie mistake nr. 2: As the friend is leaving the party, Tim Sutcliffs (Jack Wagner) Jeep is standing in front of the red sports car. Even so, when the shot is taken with the two in the sports car, Jeff (Bernie Coulson) drives straight forward. If he had done that, he would have driven straight into the Jeep.... big goof.Full formulaic TV-movie from the 80's here. Fades out when gone to commercial, with a intense film soundtrack grabbing hold of the viewer just in time to cut to commercial. Great to see! Brings back memories! The sound of a printer in the background working to destroy all evidence... the telephones answering machines... what nostalgic moments!As a little apostrophe to Miami Vice, this movie is a fully testimonial of the entire decade of the 1980's movie and TV production. If you wondered what music they were listening to, how they dressed and so on... watch "Moving Target" from 1988. Wonderful!One liner that made me laugh hard: Toby: They took the trip... split... moved...took a powder. David (Claude Brooks): Maybe they just went on vacation Toby: With the furniture?Over to the movie as a product: - The production : Typical 1980s production. Well made with an outstanding way to display and showcase contemporary modern society from clothing, accessories, interior design, music and language.way of displaying the - The actors : Tried to push hard and squeeze the best out of the actors with a budget of a TV- movie. Chris Thomson made a splendid performance here. John Glover is putting out the impression that he is feeling comfortable as Dobbins; feels genuine. - The story : In fact, a simple and innovative story. Young man escapes from summer camp just to come home to an empty home... and all the fears around that. This could make a Academy Award nominee if updated and more worked through in a renewed version. Maybe with Jason Bateman himself as the father...? Andy Tennant and Ed Hunsaker came up with a little pearl to be polished. - Entertainment : Enthralling and stirring. Very much the deed of Mr. Bateman, as he conveys the feelings and emotions to the viewer. How would you feel if you came home to a totally empty home and everybody seems to have vanished? - Age : 156,9 out of 10. (The final rate is based most on my own entertainment of the movie. Short elucidation of the rating: 7 Well made movie. Proper entertainment. 6 Nice production. Good movie.)

I liked the 80s vibe here, because I like 80s movies.Don't expect much, but I was impressed with Jason Bateman and he went on to do a lot of stuff.It's your typical teen comes home to find family gone movie, if there is such a genre. Some OK action.Plot is about what you expect from an 80s action movie, turn your brain off or go MST3K on it. But it serves the purpose.Dialog is the weakness here I think, there's no imagination here, no flair.Music is pretty standard 80s synth pop, but hey they actually show the girl playing a Yamaha DX7 synth, one of the most important 80s synthesizers. I would bet that the music in the movie used this same synth as the E Piano sound in one of the songs sounds like the DX& e piano.

This movie has it all - fast cars, foot chases, girls in bikinis- total guy movie. I give it two thumbs up. I had as much fun watching this movie as working on it! In the "pool party" scene, those are my legs you see walking up the little brick steps. Have been wondering for years if the movie was in circulation, and how I could see it again or buy it.