Weird Science (film)

Article on other languages:

del.icio.us del.icio.us
Digg Digg
Furl Furl
Reddit Reddit
Rojo Rojo
Add to OnlyWire
Weird Science(science fiction)

Theatrical release poster
Directed by John Hughes
Produced by Joel Silver
Written by John Hughes
Starring Anthony Michael Hall
Kelly LeBrock
Ilan Mitchell-Smith
Bill Paxton
Music by Ira Newborn
Jimmy Iovine
Cinematography Matthew F. Leonetti
Editing by Chris Lebenzon
Mark Warner
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date(s) August 2, 1985
Running time 94 min.
Country  United States
Language English

Weird Science (1985) is a 1980s teen film written and directed by John Hughes and starring Anthony Michael Hall, Kelly LeBrock and Ilan Mitchell-Smith. The film's producer Joel Silver acquired film rights to the pre-Comics Code Authority 1950s EC Comics magazine Weird Science, from which the plot is developed as an expansion and modernization of the basic premise in Al Feldstein's story "Made of the Future" in the fifth issue. The title song was written and performed by the American New Wave band Oingo Boingo.

Contents

Plot

Two teenage nerds, Gary Wallace (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt Donnelly (Ilan Mitchell-Smith), unpopular and unable to meet girls on their own, use Wyatt's computer to design the perfect woman. They feed various data (images mostly) into the computer. Lacking sufficient processing power, they hack into a US Government mainframe and use its power to create a computer simulation of "the perfect woman" in order to place her in "real life sexual situations" and see how she reacts. A bizarre electrical storm (à la Frankenstein, their inspiration) follows, and they find themselves unable to shut the computer off.

Mysteriously, the result is "Lisa" (Kelly LeBrock), a real-life woman (who emerges from a red fog in the bathroom). She is a sexed-up but kind-hearted "80's babe" with Einstein's IQ, David Lee Roth's attitude and inexplicable supernatural powers. Self-aware from the moment of her creation, Lisa sets about revealing their inner coolness, transforming Gary and Wyatt from nerds into men through a series of wacky and bizarre adventures. Using her magic powers, she takes them to a Blues Club, confronts Wyatt's domineering older brother Chet (Bill Paxton), and throws a giant party at Wyatt's upscale home. In the end, the boys get no sex from their mentor, but are seemingly on the path to a relationship with two cute girls their own age.

The movie ends with a group of high school boys in gym class, talking and joking around as two somewhat nerdy boys, similar to how Gary and Wyatt were at the beginning are given the spotlight. Their gym instructor appears and turns out to be none other than Lisa herself. As the boys look on in stunned silence, the two aforementioned ones in particular, Lisa orders them to "drop and give me twenty". The boys all slap themselves on the head and collapse unconscious to the floor. Lisa smiles at the camera and winks.

Cast

Trivia

  • Anthony Michael Hall makes a reference to a girlfriend from Canada. His character "Brian" from The Breakfast Club (1985) also makes a reference to a fictional girlfriend from Canada.
  • The Time Magazine from which Gary and Wyatt accidentally create a nuclear missile is the January 31, 1983 issue.[1]
  • Shermer, the fictional town in which many of John Hughes' movies are set, is derived from the name of a village (Shermerville) outside Chicago, Illinois. Northbrook, an affluent suburb, is the community used to represent Shermer in Hughes' films. Shermer Road can be found there.
  • During the computer scene, when the two are gaining access to a better computer, a reference to The Twilight Zone is made; the show's intro is shown as computer generated images.
  • Chet references The Terminator with the line "I'll be back." while searching for Wyatt. Bill Paxton appeared in the Terminator as well as starring in Aliens with Michael Biehn who starred in The Terminator.
  • John Hughes wrote the screenplay in two days.

Reception

The movie is rated at 53% on the movie review website Rotten Tomatoes. Despite mixed reviews, the film has become a cult classic and is one of the most well-known films of the John Hughes high school in the 80s genre.

TV series

A television show based on the film debuted in 1994 and ran for 88 episodes. Following the same basic plot as the movie it starred Vanessa Angel as Lisa, Michael Manasseri as Wyatt, John Mallory Asher as Gary, and Lee Tergesen as Chet.

Soundtrack

1 "WEIRD SCIENCE" Performed by Oingo Boingo Produced by Danny Elfman and Steve Bartek

2 "TURN IT ON" Performed by Kim Wilde Produced by Jimmy Iovine

3 "DEEP IN THE JUNGLE" Performed by Wall of Voodoo Produced by Richard Mazda Courtesy of I.R.S. Records

4 "TUBULAR BELLS" Performed by Mike Oldfield Courtesy of Virgin Records, Ltd.

5 "TESLA GIRLS" Performed by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (as OMD) Courtesy of Virgin Records, Ltd. / A&M Records

6 "PRIVATE JOY" Performed by Cheyne Produced by Greg Phillinganes and Jimmy Iovine Vocals produced by Louil Silas Jr.

7 "WANTED MAN" Performed by Ratt Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp. By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

8 "DON'T WORRY BABY" Performed by Los Lobos Courtesy of Slash Records / Warner Bros. Records Inc. By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

9 "FOREVER" Performed by Taxi Courtesy of MCA Records, Inc.

10 "METHOD TO MY MADNESS" Performed by The Lords of the New Church (as Lords of the New Church) Courtesy of I.R.S. Records

11 "EIGHTIES" Performed by Killing Joke Courtesy of E.G. Records Ltd.

12 "WHY DON'T PRETTY GIRLS LOOK AT ME" Performed by Wild Man From Wonga Courtesy of MCA Records, Inc.

13 "NERVOUS AND SHAKEY" Performed by The Del Fuegos Courtesy of Slash Records

14 "THE CIRCLE" Performed by Max Carl Produced by Peter Hauke Courtesy of MCA Records, Inc.

15 "TENDERNESS" By Roger Charlery, David Wakeling & Michael Billingham Performed by General Public Courtesy of I.R.S. Records / Virgin Records, Ltd.

16 "DO NOT DISTURB (KNOCK KNOCK)" Performed by The Broken Homes Produced by Michael Frondelli with The Broken Homes

17 "OH, PRETTY WOMAN" Written by Roy Orbison, Bill Dees Performed by Van Halen (Original Theatrical & Restored DVD Versions)

Gallery

References

External links

This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.


Giant Panda

Mercedes Car
James Bond Guide
This site monitored by SitePinger.net