AHAHAHAHA what a dumb show. But it is so ridiculously enjoyably dumb that it is legendary. John Hughes, you were definitely dabbling in the wacky tobaccy when you concocted this one. I mean it is so diametrically different from the likes of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Sixteen Candles or my personal favourite of the Breakfast Club, that presuming he was on possibly psychotropic drugs isn't as far fetched as you may think.
Okay maybe there are some similarities. Anthony Michael Hall (a Hughes regular) for one is back once again being the awkward loser character, joined by Ilan Mitchell-Smith (who?) as two teens who are hell bent on creating the perfect woman with computers. Something that many Warcraft nerds still aspire to today.
Kelly LeBrock (who many wouldn't know anymore, but back in the day she was hot stuff) is the proverbial perfect woman who joins our two misfits for the next 90 some odd minutes, which could easily be argued as Hughes' excuse to parade her in a variety of outfits that were presumably hot back in the mid-80s.
Like most Hughes stories, the overall intent is to share snippets of real teenage angst and frustration. Not daring to delve into Breakfast Club levels of seriousness, we are stuck with what essentially amounts to toilet humour (something that can be the entire focus of comedy movies these days) and one ridiculous scenario after another all thanks to the magic of Kelly LeBrock.
Now I would have been only 4 years old when this movie was released but I still have fond memories of enjoying this flick as a child and appreciating the goofiness long before I could fully understand the crudity transpiring on screen. Truthfully, the film is about two nerds who are basically attempting to create a cyber-woman to lose their virginity to. Oh sure you can argue that it is about gaining self-confidence, and getting people to like you for who you are, but you can't ignore the whole premise stemmed from two geeks that are trying to have sex with cyber woman. But oh ho ho, look how funny they are, they are so socially awkward that even when presented with the "perfect" woman who will do ANYTHING for them if they merely say the word, they can't muster the spunk to do the deed. Hearts of golds ladies, these two dweebs have hearts of gold!
So as ridiculous as the film is, it is a wonderful movie that although has aged terribly with its glorification of the 80s in any and all respect, it is still able to resonate with folks born in the 80s and I imagine most others too as it does touch on some universal themes.
More importantly, this film is as much about the peripheral characters as it is about the wacky geeks we are forced to follow around. Bill Paxton as older brother Chet practically steals the show, and a very young Robert Downey Jr. (lacking the Jr. in credits) makes an appearance as one-half of the antagonistic foils to our hapless heroes.
The good: Toad Chet is and will always be the highlight of the film for me. I could watch an entire film of Toad Chet's adventures. The fashion is so bad it's good. The party scene at Wyatt's house (btw did I mention Wyatt is apparently rich? So rich and a geek. I feel so sorry for him...) and the attempt to create Kelly LeBrock 2.0. Vernon Wells, who some cinephiles will remember from Mad Max or Commando, makes a decent appearance in this film as the baddie to act as a catalyst to turn our zeros to heroes.
The bad: The tedious bar scene was completely unfunny. Was Anthony Michael Hall trying to sound like a black man? Wow. Just wow. And no offence, but I can see why Ilan Mitchell-Smith kind of disappeared out of films after this one. Apparently according to Wikipedia he's an assistant professor somewhere and has a wife and two kids. Good for you Ilan. Wise choice. Oh and I have to be honest, some of the jokes are so dumb that you can't help but roll your eyes. Risk of severe eye strain should be a disclaimer at the start of the show.
Final Thoughts: A cheesy movie, but more importantly for me, an iconic movie. Movies like this inspired the imagination in me as a wee lad, and as such I can't knock it too hard. It has some scenes that I have been able to remember clear as day for most of my life and can always elicit a smile.
Add to the Vault? Yes. Another film I believe should be preserved and cherished from time to time. I hope that if I have any kids of my own, I can dust this film off someday, borrow a bra or two to wear on our heads and dive head first into the ridiculous.
Till next time, here is the Weird Science trailer from 1985.
Man, if you had to do John Hughes, I'm glad you did this one. Agreed all around, this movie was up there with the goonies as far as movies that were important to my childhood.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you have a printer that can print things in real life, and you use it to make a woman? I'd make money, personally.