Thanks for checking out our Forgotten Fridays feature. This is a feature to review some older films that maybe you have forgotten about or maybe never got around to seeing that we just want to share. They may not be old, maybe not forgotten, but they are not new. Just fun to share.
Today’s review is Girls Just Want to Have Fun
THE GENERAL IDEA
Janey is new in town, and soon meets Lynne, who shares her passion for dancing in general, and “Dance TV” in particular. When a competition is announced to find a new Dance TV regular couple, Janey and Lynne are determined to audition. The only problem is that Janey’s father doesn’t approve of that kind of thing. After Janey makes it to the finals she is paired up with a rebelious boy and finds a romance and a chance to be a TV Star.
THE GOOD
This movie captured the excitement and “dream come true” buzz that goes with all those Dance and Singing reality shows and predates that whole era. But of course this predates this more recent phenomenon.
How can you not like a film that has dialog like “Velcro! Next to the Walkman and Tab, its the coolest invention of the 20th century!” and they brag about things like a 25 inch TV!! The film is just littered with pop culture references of the 80s IN the 80s with all the REALLY bad acting to boot.
The movie gives us an early peek at a teenaged Helen Hunt and Sarah Jessica Parker (A short year after dancing on Footloose). It even has a 14 year old Shannen Doherty.
And I am almost certain that Mr Sands was the Glad Garbage Bag man from commercials of the same era. And this film introduced us to “Tune in Tokyo” – a guaranteed party trick that never wins.
THE BAD
You have to have an appreciation for cheese. This movie is a stinking pile of it, but its fun and filled with some eyecandy, but if you over analyze films, you are just going to cringe all the way through this. But its crammed with nostalgia for me, so I am offering it up.
OVERALL
Sometimes you just need a “brain off” film with a little flash and fun of the 80s. Not everything needs to be over analyzed to death. This film has all the steyrotypes and really bad acting. Did I mention the bad acting?
So while I know you won’t “like” the film for its technical merits, I am hoping you can appreciate a fine aged cheese.
Most of you are going to unanimously dislike this but that’s half the fun of the subjectivity of film.
I am going to introduce a new rating system for my Forgotten Fridays picks.
Since all of these Forgotten Friday reviews are going to be what I would already give a high rating to, I had a Tv, Rent or Buy scale going on, but it would seem that an overwhelming majority of my picks get a BUY rating.
So with every Forgotten Friday you see from now on, you get to rate your anticipation for yourself!
TV – If you are at least a little curious, catch it if it comes on TV.
Rent – If it is something you have heard of and forgotten, or just remember enjoying this as much as I did once upon a time, go rent it.
Buy – But if you are like me, and you agree with my review you should go buy it. If its featured here, I already have.
