Review of For Keeps (1988) by Timothy S — 12 Feb 2012

There comes a time when every young actor must grow up on film if they plan on staying in the business, and for teen star Molly Ringwald, that transitional film was "For Keeps". There's a lot I admired about the picture, but not enough for me to recommend it. The whole thing kind of goes awry somewhere in the second half.

I had to applaud the film for taking itself seriously, for the most part, and not making this a cute and happy film. It's pretty realistic, and it certainly doesn't glamorize teen pregnancy. It shows all of the problems that come from all aspects, and I kind of admired that. Unfortunately, it all falls apart during the second half, and it ends in typically upbeat Hollywood fashion. The couple survives everything that life throws at them in the end, and while much of the film feels authentic, that does not. It cripples the movie, not to mention that the whole thing is just so bland and unmemorable.

Ringwald herself is just fine in her role, but co-star Randall Batinkoff is a shining example of the film's rampant mediocrity. He's simply unimpressive, and for that reason, his career never really took off after this high-profile picture. The script, oddly enough co-written by "Police Academy" star Tim Kazurinsky, tackles a lot of serious issues and the word "abortion" is thrown around quite liberally, which is shocking for a movie of this nature. I think I really wanted to like this a lot more than I actually did, but "For Keeps" falters too many times along the way. It's a slight film that slips into "Afterschool Special" territory too often to be entirely successful. Still, it has to be admired for its realism.