March 25, 2008

• I also ask because they're thinking of sorta doing a remake. (Claims of TBC being the "Best High School Movie Ever" are somewhat dubious when seen against Dazed and Confused, but I digress.)
• Totally disappointed by it. She needed to stay the freaky chick, and convert all others to the worship of her freakiness. Rather than a remake, I'd like to see them do a sequel, catching up with all the kids this many years on to see how their lives turned out. With the same actors, of course. Anthony Michael Hall's new physique would play well--from dork to dreamboat. (And his psychic powers could be used to comedic effect as well...)
• The Guardian article mentions that Hughes ruled that out (self-imposed retirement notwithstanding). While he's no doubt right that there's no set of circumstances under which they'd ever be in the same room again, shurely it's possible to have a series of one-on-one encounters which would reveal just as much. As for how their lives turned out, I see a fairly quick retreat into the stereotypes they'd shirked, much like Anthony Michael Hall questioned them about, and they all denied. Where it goes from there, well, another set of stereotypes: the Princess becomes the prissy Soccer Mom, the Jock becomes his Old Man, the Rebel either becomes his Old Man or some disquiet Loner, the Nerd becomes a unssatisfied Professional, and the Basket-Case, well, I don't know. That's where it gets interesting... She was the one real individual to start out with, so her future is the most one of self-creation. The make-over suggested something different, though, that there was this yearning to belong, despite the self-assurance.
• The feminist in me would like to believe that there's a scene on the cutting room floor somewhere wherein Judd Nelson takes a bath and combs his hair.
• All I know is that Molly Ringwald was more snooty and uptight in real life.
• That "disappointed by it" link was the most blatant mis-reading of a movie I've ever seen. It took me a few re-viewings and several years of maturing (I was somewhat fresh out of highschool when it came out) to really understand the nuances of that movie...and it is a subtle masterpiece of a film. To me, TBC is about teenagers figuring out the social forces at play in highschools and indeed in all of society. They slowly come to understand and despise the system that labels and pigeon-holes them and keeps them apart from each other. They also resign themselves to the fact that they are powerless to do anything about it. It's much bigger than them. They have this one Saturday to live free from it; but as AMH's character is first to realize, they'll be right back to 'normal' come Monday morning. As for Ally's character: she's by far the most interesting. She's not there for detention. She's there by choice. They're all messed up in their own way but Ally is the most self-aware of her problems and their causes, and IMO she saw detention as an opportunity for peer counselling. Her transformation wasn't merely superficial and definitely wasn't for Emilio's benefit. She found a little attention and acceptance from the other kids and didn't need the 'basket case' act anymore. She didn't become someone else - she became herself.
• I don't know, Cap'n -- I always read her freakiness as defensive posturing, not self-assurance.
• She's not there for detention. She's there by choice. Perhaps, perhaps not. That's what she said, but she's also a self-admitted compulsive liar. It's entirely possible that she's there for some other reason -- she too signed off on the letter which said that 'we know what we did was wrong', which, IMHO, shows something else than simply wanting to be there, wanting to be in the company of others. But I could be wrong. I don't know if I buy that she "became herself", though. Certainly, she gave in to the acceptance she found from the other kids. To say that she became herself, that there was this inner princess waiting to come out -- I don't know. I think it more likely that she found a degree of acceptance, and gave herself over to it. As such, the transformation may be indicative of how such stereotypes are created in the first place.
• I thought part of the point of Ally's transformation was to help Molly Ringwald's character. This is what Molly was good at, so even though it doesn't 100% suit Ally, she goes along with it in the spirit of acceptance and generosity, no?
• I always read her freakiness as defensive posturing, not self-assurance. Perhaps defensive posturing of a self-assured kind -- at some points, she puts herself out there with mockery of Bender, with dumping out of her purse, with her outlandish claims... It may be a defensive mechanism, but a pro-active one, if that makes any sense. She's not shirking away, and isn't afraid to just be herself, no matter the perception (as shown with the dandruff/snow thing). As I see it, anyway. But you could be right -- it's only when she's made over that there's a note of vulnerability.
• t may be a defensive mechanism, but a pro-active one, if that makes any sense. Right, that's exactly what I mean. She erects this wall of weirdness to push people away before they have the chance to decide for themselves not to like her. It's not necessarily who she is, it's just safe. The transformation at the end not about her conforming -- it's her realizing she doesn't have to work so hard to NOT conform to protect herself. I see that as requiring much more self-assurance than wearing funny clothes and a lot of eyeliner.
• IS not about her conforming. Damn preview button.
• Yeah...I didn't see the transformation as becoming her "inner princess" so much as just becoming more 'normal'. The makeover outcome was princess-y because that's all Clair knows...I imagine by Monday she's be somewhere in-between.
• That movie really resonated with all of you, I think. It did with me, too, and my graduating class had it 50th reunion last year. The stereotypes have shifted a bit, though. The Esteves character would more likely to have been the class president, and the Ringwald character less ultimately tender. The Nelson character would have driven the car that went over the cliff in Rebel Without a Cause. The wild card, though, is the Sheedy character. Looking back, I think she would have been invisible, or, maybe a girl with "THAT" reputation. When I was in college, she would have been artistic/bohemian, and I would have thought she was a wonder.
• I kinda think Ally Sheedy's character in CSI's seventh season episode "Leapin' Lizards" is her Breakfast Club character all grown up.
• Disappointed, mostly about how very bad that bow looked. It's not just a makeover. It's a BAD makeover. But yeah, no one else is forced to become something else. To be honest, I'm not that fond of Ally Sheedy's performance. I once saw a stage version of The Breakfast Club (which works remarkably well - unity of time and place), and the actress playing that character was much more compelling - she was weirder, but at the same time less obvious about it.
• Also: Damn, Anthony Michael Hall did grow up nice.
• jb, sure, a bad makeover in this age of reality show duckling-to-swan-trainwrecks-into-beauty-queen-ish, but for those days... very hot. Jelly shoes, leg warmers, hypercolor, swatches WITH swatch guards... horrendous and awesome as it all was... it was transparent at the time. (At least for me. RAWR.) I still wake up in cold sweats at 3 am wondering what that naked blond was doing with that salami.
• I'm with Lara - I never would have suspected that hunkiness lurking inside little Anthony.
• I agree with hbs and r88, and disagree about AMH turning into a hunk - sure he bulked up, but to me he just looks like an asshole (like his character in Edward Scissorhands). I think he looked better before.
• but to me he just looks like an asshole You know, sometimes? You're not very nice.
• That's not a denial of her assertion.
• I'll admit my friends and I would yell "don't do it!" to the TV during the makeover scene. She was prettier beforehand... and more like the weird girls we admired. We were okay with her ending up with Estevez, though, because he was cute. I'm right there with you on AMH's new hunkiness. But then, Mr. meredithea is a big guy, too, so I'm biased.
• You know, sometimes? You're not very nice. I can't tell if that's a call out or a movie quote ...
• Every time I think I have a grasp on what women find attractive in a man, you ladies throw something like this "AMH is a hunk" thing at me, and throw my game plan right off. I was totally thinking that he looked like an asshole, and then I watched the clip of the TBC reunion at the MTV thingies, and AMH dropped that line about Judd and Estevez being "in Africa with Dave Chappelle", and determined that he was, in fact, an asshole. My point is, and I do have one, is that I'm a lonely, lonely man.
• There there, cappy. There there. I'd offer more comfort but I can't because I'm not that nice. /petulant
• KOKO MEAN.
• Handsome men can be assholes. Happens all the time.
• KOKO MEAN That's because mean is fun sometimes (unless someone gets hurt, but celebrities don't count especially if they're jerk celebrities like AMH), and because you smell. That stench is enough to make Mother Teresa lose her temper.
• As I said on the mothership, I was (am/wanted to be/most identified with) the Anthony Michael Hall character. The establishment guy. I went from being a geeky social outsider to a relatively happy guy with a decent career a good solid marriage and a couple of sons. But enough about me. My reaction to the Ally Sheedy character's transformation was... no real reaction at all. Just, meh. I find eccentric people to be interesting to look at, but when they are so eccentric as to constantly challenge my expectations, I kind of give up on them. I mean, if they insist on not being known, why should I put forth the effort? I can see some portion of those who read this will react by saying I am distant or cold for saying this, but I think the opposite is true: the eccentrics among us- they are the ones who hold others at arm's length. If they want that space, I say fine; let 'em have it. It seems to be what they want. So to me, the whole transformation thing during the movie was just plot filler and not really signficant one way or the other. It was just something that happened to someone else.
• Monkeyfilter: just something that happened to someone else.
• Exactly. Oh, and also, although I was already married when John Hughes started cranking out movies, I totally <3-ed Molly Ringwald. Maybe that's another reason Ally had no impact on me; in the context of the movie she was no more than Ringwald's foil.
• I never really cared that much for Molly Ringwald, but I totally had a girl-crush on Mary Stuart Masterson in "Some Kind of Wonderful."
• Let's not say that when Young Jack is in the room, please.
• Feel free to tell us all about it, though. Don't leave out any details.
• Yes, indeed. And your husband needn't know about this thread. We`are discreet.
• Don't mind me, guys. Popcorn?
• Wanna hear about my girl-crush on Bea Arthur?
• I always liked Bea Smith.
• Is she related toi Bea Verr?
• Bea Arthur circa Maude or circa Golden Girls?
• John Hughes's Teens: Where Are They Now?
• Never dawned on me that Long Duk Dong was on ER. Huh. Maybe because they were missing a gong.
• Bea Arthur circa Maude or circa Golden Girls? I can't believe it matters.
• TUM's link purports to cover the current careers of John Hughes' teens, but it is sorely lacking. Sorely! John Hughes wrote the script for Career Opportunities. And while that masterpiece of American cinema can't be said to have launched Jennifer Connelly's career, she still counts as a Hughes teen. Technically speaking. I'm sure Ms. I'm-A-Serious-Oscar-Winning-Actress would like us to forget that she once starred in a movie about Target. HA!!! Anyway, I've always felt that Sheedy's transformation was problematic at best. One of the few "wrong" notes in the movie, if you ask me.
• Your moment of internet awesomeness for the day: an archived video clip of Siskel & Ebert's original review of Career Opportunities. I miss Siskel so very badly. But I think time has proven Ebert right on this one particular review.
• Apparently, Hughes also did the treatment for Drillbit Taylor, which seems completely insufferable, but now I may have to see it regardless.
• I'm waiting for everyone else to see it first. From what I can tell from the commercials, the treatment (i.e. the basic premise) is pretty great. My question is, how's the execution (i.e. actual script and acting)?
• Bea Arthur circa Maude or circa Golden Girls? Oh. THAT Bea Arthur! o_O
• I was expecting Mr. Big to be Bill Macy.
• That guy's been in every sitcom ever made, but only for one or two episodes.