Weird Science is probably my favourite John Hughes film and it baffles me as to why you rearly hear it mentioned in the same breath as other Hughes greats such as Home Alone and The Breakfast Club. To me Weird Science is a far better film than those and I hope this review will go a little way in earning the film the respect it deserves.
The basic premise of Weird Science is a very standard 80’s teen movie plot base where we have our two high school geeks, Gary Wallace (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt Donnelly (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) who are struggling with the usual toils of teenage life, sex, girls, party’s and of course the high school bullies (we will get to those in a bit)
Gary and Wyatt have had enough of being on the bottom rung of their school social ladder and decide after watching a Frankenstein movie that they should attempt to create their perfect woman with the help of Wyatt’s computer. So they proceed to input all their desired credentials into the PC and hook up a toy doll with electrodes and hey presto after a freak lightning storm their dreams become reality and out walks Lisa (Kelly LeBrock)
The film continues with Lisa introducing the boys to things such drinking in a bar (look out for Steve James as an extra in the bar scene), driving sports cars and of course parties!
The premise of this film may be very basic but it is the performance of the cast that makes it stand out. Another stand out point is the aforementioned high school bullies played by Robert Rusler (Vamp, A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 2) and a very young-looking Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes), when you think of high school bullies it brings up images of jocks with big muscles but these two look more like Boy George wannabes and are just as camp to go with it!
There is one performance in this film that I feel stands out above all others and that is the role of Wyatt’s older brother Chet played brilliantly by Bill Paxton (Aliens, Twister). It is never really explained what Chet does but you are left to assume he is fresh out of an army boot camp with white wife beater vest and square military haircut to boot. Chet is a typical bullying older brother who has been tasked with watching the house and Wyatt while their parents are away. Chet has some of the best lines in this film and delivers them in a sort of haze of arrogant confusion.
This films also boasts a very strong supporting cast, with the likes of Vernon Wells (playing pretty much his character from Mad Max 2) and Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes, Deadly Blessing)
I highly recommend this film to fans of John Hughes other great teen films of the 80’s and also to fans of comedy films in general and if for no other reason but to check out Kelly LeBrock, there was a reason she was chosen as the perfect woman to represent every thing that a teenage boy would fantasize about!
I give this film a very strong ****
You may also be interested to know that Weird Science was may made into a television show in the 90’s starring the gorgeous Vanessa Angel as Lisa. I remember it being very enjoyable as a kid so if you enjoy this film I would recommend checking out the series as well
Marzles Metropol 