As Part II of Katr's Birthday Month offerings, I presented her with the following film classics:
The hair - so big! The clothes - so baggy! The angst - so misunderstood! Rob Lowe - so out of hand!
I know that the first two films are considered some of THE films of a generation and that the generation is mine. The funny thing is that, with the exception of Pretty Woman, these aren't films of my youth. I don't know where the hell I was.
I saw Sixteen Candles and Better Off Dead as a young person - I mean, I'm not an ANIMAL. But I missed Pretty in Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful. I HAVE seen the Breakfast Club...but only in French.
I saw St. Elmo's Fire for the first time as an adult a few years ago and the Emilio Estevez stalking Andie MacDowell part freaked me out - and not just because Andie Macdowell was in it.
It's always a little scary to re-watch the movies you loved as a teen. I thought Katr was very brave to pop St. Elmo's Fire into the DVD player. Aside from the Emilio Estevez part, which I guess in the '80's was considered "romantic" and not "obsessive, delusional, in need of anger-management stalking", I thought the film wore surprisingly well. I was relieved for Katr, because I was worried she might have the same experience with St. Elmo's Fire as I did when I re-watched one of my favourite young adult angst films, Pump Up the Volume.
Holy crap, did I love Pump Up the Volume. I must have seen it three times in the theatre. I loved geeky Christian Slater. I loved the angry radio rants that caused Cheryl Pollack to microwave her pearls. Mostly I loved Samantha Mathis taking her top off. Remember when VCRs used to have a "slow motion" button? I do.
But seeing Pump Up the Volume as an adult was more hilarious than deep. That film took itself VERY seriously and I...couldn't. So while I remember it fondly, it's not next on my list of DVD "must-haves".
Et tu, movie lovers? Any films from your teens that now make you cringe? I'm looking forward to tonight's viewing of the Breakfast Club - or, as I know it, Le club petit-dejeuner. It's about pancakes...right?
