I'm betraying my 14 year old self saying this because I cried like a baby when I watched it back then, even though you can barely hear it (even now the sound mixing is atrocious and you can't hear some of the lines clearly at all. Like how was this not considered proto-Mumblecore?) The soundtrack is fun but you don't know any of the bands outside of Simple Minds. It's an original movie that's been over-parodied. But it's stupid and makes no real sense.
Characterwise it works, sort of. You like the characters, you root for Bender. The confession scene is still raw and delivered with genuine emotion. But it's pretty contrived. Vernon's a control freak on a dumb power trip, Bender doesn't have to rise to his bullshit and it gets violent; Vernon should be sacked for locking a kid in a storage room. Or drinking beer on school premises with the janitor, even if he is coerced. You don't get why they all have to go with Bender to get the weed. But that's the real punchline, none of these characters are good. They're all flawed. (You never get the punchline to the naked lady joke). Oh, and how does Vernon not hear them playing records, unless you're led to believe at this point he simply doesn't care. This movie makes no sense.
There's a lot of subtler emotional moments interspersed between the drama, mainly Bender's reaction to Vernon goading him into striking him. It's part screwball comedy, part character drama. You can't really have a narrative, just incidents that draws everyone together to a point of mutual understanding. It's compelling for having nothing but a thin premise to hang itself on. Rich Evans saying all John Hughes movies are about rich kids complaining about how rich they are isn't entirely true. You assume Ferris Bueller is loaded but because the man's getting him down he's worthy of sympathy. But in this case, Claire's the only rich one and you still feel bad for her.
I had a whole theory mapped out in high school that the letter is true, every character has a moment they reflect another character, just by them getting wasted or Allison stealing shit, or Andrew assaulting another kid (criminals), Bender playing with Claire's make up (princesses) them all sprinting around the halls and Bender "trying out for a basketball scholarship" (athletes - yeah I'm stretching here), Claire proving she knows Molière despite shunning the nerds (brains) and they're all fucked up on some level from their parents and their bullshit (basket cases: "We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better hiding it, that's all."). It's a very longwinded way of saying everyone's alike in some ways.
This was a movie I taped onto a cassette by holding up my radio mic to the TV speaker. I know it pretty much back to front, save for the scenes with Vernon and Carl in the basement, for some reason I didn't tape those because I was obsessed with the main characters, I guess. (Yes, I even know Brian's social security number). But getting to physically watch this on TV was harder. I had to rent it repeatedly or have my brother let me sit on the floor of his room and watch it when it was broadcast. Hardly ever getting to watch your favourite movies made them somehow precious. Netflix and DVDs kinda take that away; when you can have what you want when you want, the sheen comes off it.
Even if it's still a stupid movie that makes no sense. But you could pinpoint a moment that foretold the millenials vs boomers war:
Vernon: Now this is the thought that wakes me up in the middle of the night... That when I get older, these kids are gonna take care of me...
Carl: I wouldn't count on it.
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