Review of Weird Science (1985) by Lorne F — 23 Jan 2010

I recently watched a documentary about John Hughes and it showed clips about how his contemporaries gave horrible reviews about his movies. I didn't believe this was possible, everyone 40 and under holds these films so dear to their hearts - how could they be so underrated. Sure enough they have low tomato-meters. I was shocked, so I had to write at least one review to possible raise the ratings a little bit.

I choose WEIRD SCIENCE because it is one of my personal favorites, and it isn't one of 'usual suspects' when one thinks of a HUGHS film. For a simple light comedy it has some really smart dialogue, Watch it and I dare you to not quote a few lines on twitter the next day. One of the coolest things about the movie is that the teens actually look like teens. Surprisingly allot of the movie is timeless (having a house party is still cool, older brothers still tend to be giant turds, and the mall is still the place to hang out, etc). If you are like me and hate the current crap pushed on teens, having a movie night with this classic is a great way to relate to your brooding teenager(s). I am playing this(and FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF)for my nieces and nephews this summer so I can solidify my role as the 'cool' uncle. Also it is a great way to explain weird 80's fashion to the younger generation. Kelly Le Brock makes spandex, big hair, and shoulder pads look awesome, not to mention how cool did Robert Downey jr look in his shorts/jacket combos????

In a nutshell it is an eighties spoof on 50's teen movies that is still funny. Revisit it yourself for some warm fuzzies, and introduce it to your kids to prove to them how lame Hanna Montana really is (luckily they are figuring that out by themselves).