Movie Review: Weird Science
After the disappointing Career Opportunities I decided to head back to the John Hughes well for another hit of wholesome 80’s teen comedy. Weird Science I remembered more from the late 90’s TV series I watched back in middle school (who could forget Vanessa Angel in that). The original 1985 film I saw many years ago but could not remember the details. It turns out, the details really don’t matter. Weird Science is the sort of movie that gives itself away completely with the box art. Based on the title and image above, you could use your imagination (or do the modern thing and ask ChatGPT) and likely come up with the entire plot with about 90% accuracy.
Suffice to say it is a dumb movie. That isn’t typical for Hughes. The man knows how to create timeless, wholesome stories with multidimensional characters. Hughes wrote and directed Weird Science and while the final product may make it seem like he didn’t knock himself out, the reality is the opposite; Hughes had an insane work schedule writing and directing four movies from 1985 to 1986, those being in order, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Pretty in Pink. Three out of those four prove my point about Hughes’ writing ability. Weird Science is the black sheep clearly being the film that got the minimum of Hughes’ time and energy during this marathon work period. The gist of the movie is, two nerdy kids use computers and “science” to create their dream girl Lisa and become popular in high school. Actually that’s not really a gist, that’s literally it.
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But that’s not to say the movie is bad. Taken for what it is it’s a pretty good time. Anthony Michael Hall shows off his comedic chops far more than in The Breakfast Club or Sixteen Candles. I legit laughed out loud during the scene at the blues bar where he gets drunk and starts talking like a black dude. Kelly LeBrock as Lisa is more than just eye candy. She is surprisingly witty and her nonchalant attitude makes it easy to suspend disbelief regarding her nonsensical Genie powers. Bill Paxton also was funny in a few scenes as the cruel older brother Chet.
Weird Science doesn’t really justify itself purely as a comedy or character study. It isn’t an especially funny film. Gary and Wyatt, the two protagonists, are both too shallow to get all that invested in, and their character arcs don’t feel natural. The theme is fine — encouraging young men to be confident and embrace challenges is an okay message. The film strongly ties this notion of being a good/strong man with obtaining female approval, which isn’t necessarily bad. Naturally the film ends with the two boys getting girlfriends, somewhat similar to the ending of 2007’s Superbad. My main quibble is that their character journey is shallow and all directed by random weirdness from Lisa the sorceress. The film needed to either lean further into its silliness and be a pure comedy, or pump the breaks on all the magical nonsense and make the heroes’ journey more grounded.
Weird Science is still a neat cultural artifact. Gen Z might be surprised to see a film where an adult showers with underage teenagers and makes out with one of them and it isn’t considered a crime. The raunchiness has not aged as poorly as in some other films. Weird Science is rated PG-13 so you can expect some boobs and naughty language. Honestly the casual smoking might be the most offensive thing to today’s young people. The clothes and music are a lot of fun though as well as the cool hairstyles.
Weird Science is a big thick block of pure 80’s cheese. It’s endearing, occasionally funny, and worth your time if you are a John Hughes fan. The film serves as an amusing callback to an era that now feels like a foreign culture — a time where high school life was defined by the war between jocks and nerds, where everyone lived for the next big house party, where kids dreamed of being rockstars instead of youtubers. Feel free to skip this one if you’re not in need of a nostalgia fix.
Grade: B-
