Sci-Fi Raunchy Comedy On Hulu Helped Define The ’80s
No one captured the vibe of 1980s suburban teens quite like the late John Hughes. With films like The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the writer/director gave audiences the witty dialogue and semi-nihilistic attitudes that helped to frame the zeitgeist of Gen X’s coming of age era. Hughes’ one foray into sci-fi comedy, the 1985 film Weird Science, helped to pad his reputation as a filmmaker that had his finger on the pulse of the teens of the time.
Weird Science Is Not Your Average Teen Movie
Weird Science follows high school nerds Gary (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) on their quest for popularity that they believe will lead to their respective crushes reciprocating their feelings. When Wyatt’s parents are away for the weekend, the boys decide to try to create a virtual woman by writing a computer program. They theorize that her attraction to them will jump-start visibility at Shermer High and get cheerleaders Hilly (Judie Aronson) and Deb (Suzanne Snyder) to finally give them their due.
Creating The Perfect Woman
Feeding images of magazine pinup girls, specific measurements, and other desired physical attributes into Wyatt’s computer, the boys tap into a government supercomputer for a power boost that will help bring their creation to life. When a lightning strike and a massive surge in electricity hits the electrodes they’ve hooked up to a doll, the bedroom is engulfed in a sudden plume of smoke. From the clouds emerges Lisa (Kelly LeBrock), the “perfect woman” in Weird Science.
Things Get Quickly Out Of Hand
Lisa is more than her good looks. Gary and Wyatt’s new lady friend is able to conjure up fast cars, cash, and new clothes for them. Seeing that they are too uptight for their own good, Lisa takes their lives in Weird Science to a new level of craziness when she throws a giant party in Wyatt’s house.
Things get way out of control when Gary and Wyatt are forced to face their high school tormentors, a gang of mutant bikers, and the wrath of Wyatt’s older brother Chet (Bill Paxton) before the party’s eventual end.
As Strange As It Is Hilarious
Weird Science is the perfect combination of adolescent male energy and the 1931 horror classic Frankenstein. As ridiculous as it is amusing, the film encapsulates the fantasies of many teenage boys as it follows the typical coming-of-age film tropes. Wrapped around Hughes’ creation is a soundtrack of quintessential 1980s music from Kim Wilde, Wall of Voodoo, Killing Joke, and Oingo Boingo, who perform the film’s theme song.
A Cult-Classic With Staying Power
Weird Science didn’t have the box office success of other Hughes endeavors, but it managed to rake in nearly $40 million on a production budget of only $7.5 million. Wyatt and Gary might not have been as memorable as a Ferris Bueller or a Claire Standish, but the movie’s cult following eventually led to a semi-successful television series in the mid 1990s. Weird Science aired on the USA network for 88 episodes over five seasons from 1994-1997, and brought Oingo Boingo’s iconic theme song to a new generation of fans.
Stream Weird Science On Hulu
GFR SCORE
Weird Science gives audiences a solid performance from LeBrock, a supermodel whose only prior film experience was from the prior year’s The Woman in Red. The dialogue is the typical witty banter akin to other Hughes films and gives audiences hilarious one-liners and scores of quotable material.
You can stream Weird Science on Hulu.
