Weird Science

Rating:
Summary: Being compared with other Hughes films...
Review: ...It's totally underrated. Right behind "Sixteen Candles" in the order of my favorites(with "The Breakfast Club" in third, "Ferris" in fourth...and so on), "Wierd Science" proves to be the best of them all in rewatchability. That statement might be a bit brash, but I think it's true.
The premise is simple enough. Two dorks make thier "ideal" woman only to find out she's more than a handful(Literally).
Anthony Micheal Hall as Gary carries this movie, his comic timing at it's peak. The scene in the bar demonstrates this. Ilan Mitchell-Smith is very sweet as Gary's best friend. You wonder where he went after this film, because he really shined.(Apparently, now he's a history professor at a Texas university).
Kelly LeBrock is suprisingly funny as the "perfect" woman Lisa. Much better of an actress than one would think at first glance.
And Bill Paxton as Chet. Priceless.
Gosh, this movie is simply hilarious. Case in point, don't go out and buy "Pretty in Pink", buy "Weird Science".

Rating:
Summary: The Funniest Comedy Ever
Review: The premise of this film is simple. Two unpopular high school geeks (Gary & Wyatt) decided to make their ultimate women using their computer. However the resulting woman (Kelly Le Brock) turns out to be more than a handful.

This film is definitely my favorite comedy of all time. It was Directed by John Hughes who also made such 80's classics as 'The Breakfast Club' and 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off '.

Anthony Michael Hall really makes this film in his role as Gary but there are notable early appearances by Robert Downey Jr and Bill Paxton who is brilliant as Gary's older brother Chet who constantly bullies him.

The film has too many brilliant scenes to go through but, the blues bar scene where the music stops and everybody stares at them when they walk in and the scene where the killer mutants from Mad Max turn up and trash the house party are just exceptional.

I cannot think of any film that has more one-liners in it and anyone who knows me know that I regularly quote lines from the film

"Gary do you feel like a chicken", "Well, if I could shoot an egg out of my ass right now I would"

Rating:
Summary: More 80's dribble that we can't get enough of
Review: This is another movie from the best decade in recorded history. Sure it's far out, unbelievable, and silly, but that's why we love it. I remember when this movie first came out Kelly LeBrock (The creation) was supposed to be 'the next big thing'. But hey, who wouldn't their woman going into a lingerie store and asking "Do you have this in black leather or barbed wire?"

Anthony Michael Hall is 'Dr. Frankenstein' and along with his dweeb partner, create the perfect woman with a Barbi Doll and a computer that could barely play Pong without crashing. My God do you remember those 5.25 inch floppy diskettes??

Well what else do we have, grandparents get frozen in a closet, the bully big brother turns into a green mucus pile with eyes, a clean Robert Downey Jr., a British Mad Max motorcycle gang in the living room, and oh yes, a nuclear missle growing out of the basement and through the roof.

Some things are dated, but boys wearing bras on their heads will never go out of style.

Rating:
Summary: How about a greasy pork sandwich served in a dirty ashtray?
Review: I've seen all of the John Hughes- directed
80's-teens-living-in-a-quaint-Chicago-suburb movies, and I'd have to
say that "Weird Science" is my top favorite out of all of
them, even though it's yet another entry into the 'losers who show
everybody up in the end' genre. I find it to be more hilarious than
"Ferris Bueller's Day Off", and much more fun to watch than
"The Breakfast Club". WS is also a neat showcase of 80's
styles & fashion.

The two teen losers Gary (Anthony Michael
Hall) & Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) have some great lines. Bill
Paxton's portrayal of nasty big-brother Chet was definitely a
springboard for his career of playing whiny scumbag-type characters
(remember Hudson from "Aliens"? Or the scummy car salesman
from "True Lies"?).

Robert Downey Jr. even makes a strong
appearance, looking very much the epitome of 80's suburban new-wave
fashion as one of our heroes' many tormentors. ....

And then there's
Kelly LeBrock as Lisa, a new take on
'Frankenstein'... oh-oho-oh. Whoa, I need to hose myself down... okay,
hormonal balance re-established. Whew.

My favorite part is where
Lisa takes the pair to a bar with a predominantly black clientele. As
Gary gets drunker, he becomes "pimp-daddy", doing the
shuckin'-and-jivin' routine to perfection. Amos 'n' Andy move over!
Another great scene is Lisa letting Gary's parents know just what kind
of party Gary's going to. Their overwrought reaction to their brutal
honesty ("You know- your basic High School orgy type of
thing") is priceless. Take a look!

'Late


Rating:
Summary: Gary, by the way, why are we wearing bras on our heads?
Review: Gary (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) are two nerdy high school guys with fantasies of popularity and dreams of acceptance. While the reality factor goes right out the window as the movie progresses, I think the core theme of the movie is something a lot of people could relate to, the feelings of alienation at that awkward age, where even minor differences seem so large and significant, and the wanting to fit in, to be accepted.

In a twist on the classic Frankenstein story, Gary and Wyatt start out by trying to create a virtual woman on Wyatt's super computer, but then they push the envelope and venture into the great unknown when they end up creating a flesh and blood woman. Their hair-brained scheme succeeds beyond their wildest dreams whne the beautiful Lisa (Kelly LeBrock) appears. Only problem is Lisa becomes more than they bargained for, giving them what they wanted, and then some.

There are so many great lines in this movie, and the casting of all the characters is right on the nose. Could you imagine anyone else playing Chet, Wyatt's overbearing, controlling, mean spirited brother than Bill Paxton after watching this movie?

The once fantasy, now reality, begins to develop complications, as boys must contend with not only their fledgling popularity, but also how to explain the existence of Lisa. Matters aren't helped any as Lisa decides to throw a gigantic party for the boys (Wyatt's parents are out of town). Between their fear of Chet, a surprise visit from Wyatt's grandparents, and the arrival of a gang of mutant party crashers, the boys certainly have their hands full. Will Gary and Wyatt get what they want? Do they even know what they want?

While more based in fantasy than Sixteen Candles or The Breakfast Club, the John Hughes' touch is evident in his choice of non-mainstream music, direction, dialogue, and the underlying themes of teenage angst and rebellion. There have been some reviewers commenting on how the movie may have been cropped, but I honestly didn't notice. A big deal was made about how the original theatrical soundtrack was put back into the movie, but I had only really seen this in the theaters, so I am unaware of how previous releases were presented. What was noticeable was the lack of any real extras, like commentaries, production notes, interviews, or other related materials. While it's understandable that some movies get a barebones DVD release, I would have thought this movie would have warranted more than it got.

Rating:
Summary: Weird Science
Review: This movie is the best "retro" comedy movie in cinema history!!! It keeps you laughing through the whole movie! Not just giggling, but the kind of pee-your-pants laughing.I think the best scene is when the blonde kid gets drunk at the club...the way he slurrs is HILARIOUS!!!

Rating:
Summary: What's up chet?
Review: It's 1985 and I'm back in high school again. This movie is certainly a teenage boys movie. I liked Chet, looks like a guy i work with (when he's turned into a turd).This fast times at Ridgemont high and better off dead are my fav. H.S movies from the 80's.

Rating:
Summary: very funny
Review: I remember seeing this as a kid every weekend. It's always funny to me! A Definate Classic.

Rating:
Summary: eh, not as great as you think it is.
Review: first let me start by saying, i own this movie. i hadn't seen it in years. YEARS. but i remembered it being so funny when i was younger. so i went and bought it. i must be getting older, though, because this movie is just not as great as i remembered. although, one of my favorite lines of all time is, "i don't know what the hell you're talking about and i wish you'd shut up." now that is classic.

Rating:
Summary: So, what would you little maniacs like to do first?
Review: Well, if I were that little maniac, what I'd like to do would be unprintable here. But seriously, what if you could program a computer to come up with the ideal woman? Sizzling good looks, turbo-bodied, intelligent as Einstein, kissable lips, long legged, self-assured, and with a cool, smooth, velvety English accent? Well, that's what Gary and Wyatt do and lo and behold, when the steam clears, out pops out that woman, whose first words to them are "So what would you little maniacs like to do first?" And what would be the effect on a couple of unpopular, unhip, nerdy guys like our two heroes, who have a nasty trick played on them while fantasizing about the girls' gymnastic team in the opening scene? Rather like me drinking a double mocha after spending a lifetime eating sand. I should know, I was one of the unpopular, unhip nerds at high school.

Well, they name the girl Lisa, after a girl who kicked Gary in the happy sacks after he asked her name. And they find out she is magical, like something out of a dream. Well face it, this is a comedy-fantasy after all. But she has a snazzy pink convertible, the ability to give them fake IDs, and is more a morale coach for them, and an unconventional one at that, as some of her schemes involve some tweaking of the rules, such as going to a blues bar, a funny scene if you can handle Gary's high-pitched drunken jive black ramble, and of course, the party! she tries to boost their egos into giving them self-respect and self-confidence, and most of all, trying to get accepted for the way they are, rather than what they can do, because yes, having the trappings of popularity is all very well, but if people use them only for that, what's the point?

Both Gary and Wyatt are uptight due to the strict morality imposed by their parents. In fact Gary tells Wyatt that his middle name is Tense. There is a funny scene involving Gary's parents and Lisa, hair all teased out like an 80's video vixen. However, Wyatt has a brute of an older brother Chet, a Marines-type with crewcut who takes sadistic pleasure in not only verbal and physically abuse, but extorting money, as he does when he sees Wyatt wearing Lisa's undies. In this movie, I don't think Chet's comeuppance was good enough--I'd have done a lot more.

LeBrock clearly sizzles in this movie, more so than she did in The Woman In Red, and like Jayne Mansfield in The Girl Can't Help It, she's got it. While the interraction between Anthony Michael Hall (Gary) and Ilan Mitchell Smith (Wyatt) provide for good laughs, she's definitely the catalyst behind the two's transformation. Despite their creating her, the fact remains that without her, they might as well be stuck in Nerd Quicksand. In fact LeBrock's presence masks some of the weaker and contrived plot elements and resolutions.

And it's interesting to see a very young Robert Downey Jr. as Ian, one of Gary and Wyatt's tormentors. He would later be reunited with Anthony Michael Hall in Johnny Be Good. Also, Michael Berryman, the tall bald guy in The Hills Are Alive and the school principle in Motley Crue's "Smoking In The Boys' Room", makes a small but unconventional appearance.

The variation of the Frankenstein monster was never this silly or sexy, although the jejune comedy does appeal to those who were teens during the 80's. Who knows what kind of woman I'd create if I had a computer with that kind of power, but if I did, the world had better watch out--there'll be a brand new me emerging.