Weird Science (1985)

Directed by John Hughes

Released August 2, 1985

Written by John Hughes

Movie Synopsis Courtesy of IMDB

"Two high school nerds attempt to create the perfect woman, but she turns out to be more than that."

Welcome to another edition of John Hughes owned the movie industry in the 80s. It seems like I can't go more than a few weeks without bringing up his name. 

In this classic, we see a lot of the staples of the 80s that I have discussed before. With that being said, a lot of what I am going to talk about is more about the story lines/situations in the movie.

Before we get into those story lines, can we just acknowledge for a moment those horrible gym clothes. I have known for a long time that back in the 70s and 80s short-shorts on guys was a norm, but it is still an unusual sight to see. Could they have made those any tighter or shorter? Present day, you put girls in those kinds of outfits, let alone guys, you would be in some serious trouble with the administration and with parents. Especially, since they had tank tops on that showed their shoulders. If anyone went to a school like mine, you understand how that itself would be a big issue. All shirts have to have straps with at least two fingers width wide. No joke!

Also, does anyone else find it strange to see baby Robert Downey Jr.? Maybe it is because I am used to seeing him as Iron Man, but to me he is one of those actors who was never young. Kinda like Morgan Freeman, but in a different way. Robert seems like he has always been in his mid-40s, so to see him as a young kid seems strange. 

This movie takes place in the 80s, well duh! But the computer that they had, and the things they were doing with said computer seems above the abilities that they should have had. I mean just look at the graphics? They shouldn't have been able to do half the things that they did. Let alone the fact that they are only 15-years-old. How do they even come up with a plausible plan to execute being able to make a women? I know, I know...it's a movie, but my point still stands. They couldn't have had that kind of technology access back then. We can't even do those kinds of things now, except in the virtual world. We can't make whole humans and this is 2018. (I guess this kinda goes back to my theory from before, that the 80s loved to look into the future, to image what kind of capabilities we will have in the future).

Speaking of, let's talk about this "dream girl" for a second. This is not the kind of girl I would except from a couple of high school boys. As a "dream girl" the stereotype is normally blonde hair, blue eyes, big chested, thin, and normally of high sex drive. But this women is not blonde, doesn't have blue eyes, is not huge in terms of chest or butt, and doesn't really try to pull anything on the boys besides kissing. It seems strange that this is the women that they created. On top of that, she is 23! They are only 15. I know guys like older women, but that isn't older, that is illegal. It is creepy and it is weird. But I guess that is why everyone has their own type in terms of women. It is actually refreshing to see the "dream girl" as being portrayed as something different than the stereotype. The blonde headed bimbo is such a tired stereotype that changing it up brings a new sense to the word "dream girl." It also shows that women can be authoritative, demanding, and independent, but can still be desirable. Lisa isn't going to sit around and wait for something to happen, she will take matters into her own hands and make sure she is having fun, along with everyone else around her. 

One thing that did seem really strange about Lisa is the fact that she didn't question her existence. She knew right away that she was made from a computer and that she was suppose to do what Gary and Wyatt wanted her to do. But doesn't that seem a bit odd? In most other situations like this, you normally have to explain how the person/thing came to be once they are alive. They normally don't have that knowledge because they came from nothing and were not alive before to have this knowledge. I don't know, maybe it is just me that finds it strange, but hey they did give her Einstein's intelligence, so she could have just known since she is so smart.

One of my favorite scenes in this movie is when Lisa takes Wyatt and Gary to a bar. Once Gary gets drunk and starts talking in that ridiculous voice, I couldn't hold my composure. 

I think the reason I loved this scene so much was because it reminded me of another scene in another movie with Anthony Michael Hall. I think some of you will remember this movie, it is kind of a big deal. Skip to 1:20 in this video and you will see what I mean.

"Chicks, cannot hold their smoke...that's what it is." It is pretty much the same persona that he is portraying in both of these scenes.

One thing I will say about this movie that bothered me, the grandparents were unnecessary. Not only do we not see them until the middle/end of the film, but they do not add anything. Sure it adds the element of Chet finding them in the closet, but the film didn't need it. The crazy party, the party crashers, and the trashed house was enough to get the point across. Plus we get a taste of Lisa's "powers" (I guess that is what we will call them) later on when she turns Chet into an alien, monster thing. The grandparents were just a waste.

Which speaking of, where the heck was the brother during the party? He is suppose to be in charge and watching his brother for the weekend. Yet, he is MIA on Saturday, literally for the whole day after they wake up. I think that is a plot hole I see.

Finally, let's talk about two of the big social differences in this movie. House parties and the mall. Well for starters, hanging out at the mall used to be the thing to do, especially for high schoolers in the 80s and 90s. Yeah, growing up without a car, what else is their to do? I know for me, I used to hang out at the mall with friends, but that was only in middle school. Once you hit high school, no one went to the mall just to hang. Especially once driver's licenses started flying out to everyone, no one wanted to go hang out at the mall. That was the first big social aspect of the movie I noticed. 

The second one being the house parties. Now I will admit, I wasn't the coolest person in high school, but I am pretty sure even the people who did party never went that hard. Kids drinking, smoking, having sex, and throwing parties in the 80s, I think was a lot less dangerous back then compared to now. Now, we have so many more laws, rules, and ways for kids to get in trouble that all the parting has to be a lot more secretive. Smaller, calmer, and less house trashing than what they were able to get away with in the 80s. 

Lisa: "You know, there's going to be sex, drugs, rock-n-roll...chips, dips, chains, whips...You know, your basic high school orgy type thing. I mean, uh, I'm not talking candlewax on the nipples, or witchcraft of anything like that, no, no, no. Just a couple of hundred kids running around in their underwear, acting like complete animals."