1/5 too bad you can't give a zero
  by Patricia R. Andersen (Baltimore, MD USA)
I don't know who wrote the blurb for this movies - John Candy does not "head up the cast" of this movie unless you consider under a minute of screen time "heading up" the cast. It's not about a jealous husband trying to get his wife back. It's about a gold-digging wife (Stephanie Powers) who sleeps with her exhusband (Anthony Newley) on a regular basis while draining her present husband dry. And setting up a deal to curry political favor by sleeping with the man running for mayor of wherever this city is supposed to be. They can't even get the name right - Anthony Newley's character is "Sweeney" not "Skeet". The photo of John Candy on the box is from a later time, also. It's a young John Candy in the film and he has about 1 minute of screen time.
The drawing power for me was Isaac Hayes and John Candy. Isaac Hayes plays Anthony Newley's buddy/sidekick and he is in the movie for much too short a time. a young John Candy plays a cop in a "blink and you'll miss him" role. So if you thought that pairing would be cool to see, you're probably right, it would be. It didn't happen in this movie.
If you like a long pointless movie about characters you don't care about doing stuff that doesn't make any sense to anyone, this is the movie for you. Especially if you're not a John Candy fan, you probably won't notice he's in the movie. If you want to see something funny with Isaac Hayes or John Candy, keep looking. Almost anything is better than this drivel.

1/5 Absolutely awful.
  by Kimba W. Lion (the East Coast)
Since this movie is available from many different video companies (it's obviously in the public domain because no one wants anything to do with it), I will let you know that I am writing in response to the Trinity company release, which should be cited for false advertising with its cover picture of John Candy.

John Candy has only a very, very minor role in the movie. It's an Anthony Newley/Stephanie Powers vehicle with a prominent role for Isaac Hayes, although he gets remarkably little to do.

But don't let any of the star names entice you, this movie is an embarrassment for all involved with it and a total waste of time for anyone watching it.

The writing is amateurish, the editing is even worse, and the music is a total insult to the audience. There's no point in talking about the plot, because there isn't one worth mentioning. There is nothing funny about anything at all in the entire film.

The only reason this movie is still around to sully our lives is that it's free--the video companies don't have to pay anything for it, and it's no wonder why.

3/5 I'm Sure It Did
  by Robert Buchanan (Wisconsin)
While it's burdened by sloppy direction, conspicuously bad editing and quite a lot of terrible music, this slapstick farce is frequently very funny as a result of a clever script and the comedic talent of its impressive cast. The best parts of the film are laugh-out-loud funny, but the viewer does have to tolerate more than a few pointless scenes and an irritating pair of animated credit sequences along the way. With a slightly higher budget, a crew as competent as its cast and ten of its most leaden minutes shaved from the running time, this could have been a very good comedy.

1/5 Watching This Movie Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time
  by Silky Greensleeves (Northeast,Ohio USA)
While John Candy was an amazing comedic talent,this movie wastes his abilities,and the viewer's time.The movie is moronic,the plot is stupid,and overall it's boring.Want to see some classic John Candy ;I recommend(Summer Rental,Stripes,The Great Outdoors,Spaceballs,Uncle Buck,Whos Harry Crumb,or Planes,Trains,and Automobiles).Also, John Candy isn't the star of this film,he appears halfway through as A cop.

5/5 Better than Troll 2
  by Noah Chenhalls (Colorado Springs, CO United States)
It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time is the greatest horrible movie ever made. It "stars" John Candy and Isaac Hayes, but in actuality stars two completely unknown actors, with Isaac Hayes serving as the male lead's sidekick, while John Candy delivers about 45 seconds of total airtime. The film opens with a dated but catchy theme, drops the viewer randomly into the movie, shows absolutely no comprehendible plot except for random zaniness, and ends just as mysteriously as it began. In the end the film works on a comedic level not originally intended. The film is so bad and campy that in a round about way, it achieves its goal: pure comedic gold. It is the stuff of cult movie classics, and for anyone that enjoyed Troll 2, this movie is highly recommended.