Movie Info
Movie Name: Weird Science
Studio: Silver Pictures
Genre(s): Comedy/Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Release Date(s): August 2, 1985
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Hey Anthony Michael Hall…I will buy and sell you. Signed–Robert Downey, Jr.
Gary Wallace (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt Donnelly (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) are losers and tormented by bullies Ian (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Max (Robert Rusler). Unable to win a girl, Gary and Wyatt decide to make one…and it works! Lisa (Kelly Le Brock) is everything that a guy could want in a girl…she’s literally magic! Lisa is out to make Gary and Wyatt into the men they’ve always wanted to be and throwing a party to do it.
Written and directed by John Hughes, Weird Science is a fantasy comedy. The film’s title comes from the EC Comics Weird Science and loosely bases the story on “Made of the Future” from Weird Science #5 (January 1951). Released to tepid reviews, the movie was a massive hit and has become a cult classic over the years.
I’d watch a buddy picture with Chet & Lisa…
John Hughes ruled the ’80s. His movies both defined a period and shaped a generation’s comedies. However, Weird Science is one of John Hughes’ lesser films.
The problem with Weird Science is the story (or lack thereof). The movie’s basic plot is Gary and Wyatt coming of age, but it really just feels like a bunch of jokes strung together (Hughes says he wrote it in two days). The relationship between the boys and Lisa is the endearing aspect of the movie and what still works today.
The cast is actually quite good. Kelly Le Brock steals the show as the “Frankenstein Monster” Lisa. She’s got energy and spirit…plus, the exotic look needed for the role. Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith have the clean cut charm without being nerds or jerks. The movie also features Robert Downey, Jr. as one of the bullies but Bill Paxton’s Chet also is a scene stealer.
Let’s do the Time Warp again!!!
The movie has the classic ’80s look. From the styles to the music (including the catchy Oingo Boingo title song), the movie just reeks of nostalgia. The movie even features some special effects with the Chet monster and some of the creation scenes.
Weird Science is fun but not a great film. It isn’t The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, or Sixteen Candles, but it does have its own feel and still holds it own. It is always fun and the movie is worth getting weird. Weird Science (like everything in Hollywood) has been tapped for a remake.
