Hall was offered the starring role in the 1987 film "Full Metal Jacket" in a conversation with Stanley Kubrick, but after an eight-month negotiation, a financial agreement could not be reached. "It was a difficult decision, because in that eight-month period, I read everything I could about the guy, and I was really fascinated by him," Hall said when asked about the film. "I wanted to be a part of that film, but it didn't work out. But all sorts of stories circulated, like I got on set and I was fired, or I was pissed at him for shooting too long. It's all not true." He was replaced with Matthew Modine. His next film was 1988's "Johnny Be Good", in which he worked with Uma Thurman and fellow "Saturday Night Live" cast member Robert Downey, Jr. The film was a critical failure, and some reviewers panned Hall's performance as a high school football star, stating that he, the movies' reigning geek, was miscast in the role. A review for "The Washington Post" claimed that the film was "crass, vulgar, and relentlessly brain-dead."