Thursday, October 16, 2008

Recipe for a good 1980s teen movie

1. Popular girl who has snotty friends but is actually a nice person, underneath it all.

2. Nerdy, artistic guy in love with popular girl with niceness potential. He is quite cute, yet everyone just thinks he's a loser.

3. New Wave best friend who is an outsider and is secretly in love with Nerdy Guy but Nerdy Guy can't see the forest for the trees. New Waver is jealous of Popular Girl. Antics ensue.

4. Super annoying sibling.

5. Angry, jealous jock who was formerly dating Popular Girl and can't believe she's giving the time of day to Nerdy Guy, though it's only to make Jealous Jock mad.

6. Popular Girl's best friend, who is rich, beautiful and oh-so-trendy. She is a raving bitch who will never, ever accept Nerdy Guy, even though Popular Girl is starting to like him.

7. Lots of cliche phrases.

8. "Teen" actors who look old enough to have teens of their own.

9. Social public humiliation, such as Nerdy Guy being invited to a party, only to be beat up on by Jealous Jock. Usually Nerdy Guy's friends eventually gang up and outsmart the popular jerks.

10. Realization on part of Nerdy Guy that he is being used by Popular Girl. He lets her have a piece of his mind, and leaves. Then she realizes what she's missing and must win him back. But will he realize that New Waver is the girl for him?

11. Sidekick (i.e. New Waver) with a ridiculous name.

12. Lots of out-of-control eyebrows. Won't even get into the hair or clothes.

13. Clueless parents

Gender is, of course, interchangeable. Plot is the same. Always.

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