Weird Science (1985)

Nerds creating a woman by cutting magazines up, inserting them into a computer, and obeying her command to tell her to operate on their every whim, show-and-tell. This was the recipe for one of the greatest comedies I've ever seen; a perfect summary of every hormone-crazed teen in the mid-80's. It still baffles me that this film goes underrated by some of the biggest film freaks around.

The film revolves around the story of Gary and Wyatt, who are two sociopathic nerds who long to be in the party life. They desire to be immersed in the lifestyle of the prototypical popular high school students, looking for every chance to live with sex, drugs, and rock & roll.  Throughout much of the film, one can easily notice the surprise on the boys' faces as they cannot believe the lifestyles that they so longed for.

Character development is strong throughout much of the film, with the audience being able to understand the "horny" psyche of both characters. It doesn't nearly end at this point though, and the viewer can see a mature growth within both boys' mind, an understanding and, eventually, opposition of the trendy, social lifestyle that much of their fellow peers share. Kelly Le Brock's character, "Lisa", is also developed through the film. Whilst starting out oblivious to how high school students function socially amongst each other and among those older, she ends up feeling for the boys cause and how they think and act. Her personal development isn't meager to say the least, but it is varied well enough as to not play a major role and stay the same.

On the comedy aspect, the film focuses on much of the social awkwardness of the boys and their uneasiness to adapt to those around them. Bill Paxton plays the role of Chet, Gary's brother, who often humiliates the two in front of others; wedgies, putting them to labor, spitting in their drinks, dumping food, and so on, the typical tough love big brother. Slight nudity, language, and small violence bear in the PG-13 rating, but if one can be mature about it, I see little to no reason the film couldn't be a family flick. With all the laughs it can bring out, it should be seen by all. :D

Overall, Weird Science sets itself apart from other comedies in the sense that it doesn't rely too heavily on cheap gags, toilet humor, (too) adult-oriented jokes, and other cliché-d forms of entertainment that the comedy industry has seen 100 times over. Where the film succeeds in differentiation, it has failings in "slow" parts, and a few stupid jokes here and there. Despite being no supporting pillar of the whole comedy genre, it definitely stands out amongst some of its repetitive predecessors.  It doesn't steer too far out to be a comedy film as it does have some dramatic tidbits, but it still is able to retain to that comedic aspect that can make it so lovable and popular to so many different types of film students and fans alike.

Innovation: 8.5
Entertainment: 9.0
Audio: 7.0
Effects: 9.0
Overall: 8.8

Personal Rating*: 9.5

*The personal rating differs from the others as in I don't take factors of how the film would be in the industry and audiences in the normal ratings. The PR is based solely on my overall liking of the film.