I've seen so many teen comedies that I was able to predict what would happen in seconds. I mean, can you be any more obvious? In the opening scene, we see C. Thomas Howell walking along with his beautiful best friend (Lori Loughlin) and the blonde bombshell (Kelly Preston) who he wants to snag. And to be even more cliched, the blonde bombshell is going out with a dumb jock. This is pretty much the plot of 5,000-or-so teen movies out there. First of all, why do the guys in these movies always have best friends who are stunningly beautiful? I never had any best friends who looked like Lori Loughlin, surely not longtime best friends. And as I mentioned in past reviews, this always begs the question: Why didn't he ask her out years ago? And anybody who knows anything about teen movies knows that the blondie is simply thrown in as a red herring.
But once the "secret admirer" plot is thrown in, the film gets a lot more interesting. It creates a delightfully funny comedy of errors, which involves the parents as well as the kids. However, after a while the premise wears thin and the film buoys itself on the charisma of the actors, which is considerable. C. Thomas Howell was a charming actor, back when he actually existed. So is Lori Loughlin, who possesses a radiant smile. Kelly Preston looks even prettier than she does now. Boy, John Travolta's a lucky man! Fred Ward, Dee Wallace Stone and the other two actors who played the parents are also very amusing.
The third act is sentimental mush, piling up on the cliches like crazy. Yes, we have another climactic scene where the guy runs after his lover, as she's leaving on a boat. Usually, it's a plane, train or bus, but I'm not gonna give the director credit for changing the mode of transportation. I swear to God, if I see another schmaltzy climax like that, I'm gonna shoot that director in the head. Or better yet, shoot the screenwriters. Go right to the source.
Despite the slow beginning and dreaded final act, I enjoyed the film and consider it to be above-average entertainment with a good deal of laughs. This didn't bother me, but I found the film to be amazingly profane for an 80's teen movie. I know if it were released now, the producers would make sure 50 percent of the cuss words are taken out, as well as the nudity, to reduce it to a PG-13. But I must say, Kelly Preston has a great rack!
My score: 6 (out of 10)
But once the "secret admirer" plot is thrown in, the film gets a lot more interesting. It creates a delightfully funny comedy of errors, which involves the parents as well as the kids. However, after a while the premise wears thin and the film buoys itself on the charisma of the actors, which is considerable. C. Thomas Howell was a charming actor, back when he actually existed. So is Lori Loughlin, who possesses a radiant smile. Kelly Preston looks even prettier than she does now. Boy, John Travolta's a lucky man! Fred Ward, Dee Wallace Stone and the other two actors who played the parents are also very amusing.
The third act is sentimental mush, piling up on the cliches like crazy. Yes, we have another climactic scene where the guy runs after his lover, as she's leaving on a boat. Usually, it's a plane, train or bus, but I'm not gonna give the director credit for changing the mode of transportation. I swear to God, if I see another schmaltzy climax like that, I'm gonna shoot that director in the head. Or better yet, shoot the screenwriters. Go right to the source.
Despite the slow beginning and dreaded final act, I enjoyed the film and consider it to be above-average entertainment with a good deal of laughs. This didn't bother me, but I found the film to be amazingly profane for an 80's teen movie. I know if it were released now, the producers would make sure 50 percent of the cuss words are taken out, as well as the nudity, to reduce it to a PG-13. But I must say, Kelly Preston has a great rack!
My score: 6 (out of 10)