According to the director, the original script was outragously raunchy
One of the few times where I don't mind them watering down a mivie.
shareThat's ultimately what made this film stand out from the usual high school movies.
You know back before the war broke out I was a saucier in San Antone
Stand out? I mean sure, some of the teen movies were raunchy but not all of them. Enough that this one alone didn't stand out as "the" watered down one.
shareThe most successful and overrated teen movies have gratuitous stuff pouring out of them.
This movie's charm is that it had heart but none of the ugly excesses that tend to go along with the genre. It's why it worked so well.
Either put on these glasses or start eatin' that trash can
I'm just wondering which ones you are thinking of? I think the majority of the most popular teen films from the decade aren't that bad. Fast Times at Ridgemont High is probably the most gratuitous out of the most popular that I can think of. Other than that, John Hughes ruled the genre as far as the 80s go, and his stuff was never all that graphic.
"We're not too old for this sh*t!" -Riggs and Murtaugh, 'Lethal Weapon 4' (1998)
I'm thinking 80s and beyond. Stuff like Secret Admirer, Porkies, Mischief, Fast Times, American Pie, Road Trip etc.
Even though Breakfast Club didn't have any obvious stuff, it had quite a few very uncomfortable scenes chronicling abuse, bullying and sex etc that made things uneasy.
This movie was more straight forward. CBML, Teen Wolf, License to Drive and Weird Science are my favorite teen movies because they're more just straight forward, nothing awkward just fun.
Either put on these glasses or start eatin' that trash can
I got you. The raunchy films you mentioned first are definitely so, I never considered them to hit the same popularity as some other teen movies (save for maybe Fast Times and American Pie). Breakfast Club, for example. It has some dialogue in it, but it's not meant to be raunchy. The scenes were uncomfortable because they needed to be. I think it appealed (and still can) to most teenagers who might deal with such things every day. The teen movies you enjoy most are definitely more fun and laidback. I'd say there is a place for those and a place for Breakfast Club, but the raunchy movies are the ones I dislike. I don't care how much crap you put in a movie as long as its good. But American Pie just isn't funny.
"We're not too old for this sh*t!" -Riggs and Murtaugh, 'Lethal Weapon 4' (1998)
The teen movies you enjoy most are definitely more fun and laidback. I'd say there is a place for those and a place for Breakfast Club
Well said, I agree. Fwiw, I still think Breakfast Club is a great movie. Fast Times is fine, too. As long as there is substance and a reason for the stuff happening, it's ok. I can't stand gratuitous stuff for the sake of it. It's a way of compensating for mediocre writing and characters.
Either put on these glasses or start eatin' that trash can share
I can't stand gratuitous stuff for the sake of it. It's a way of compensating for mediocre writing and characters.
This is very true. I think for the most part, Hollywood has grasped this and moved on. But it really took a toll on the quality of movies in the 90s and 2000s, where more and more of those films were getting made. Hopefully we never relapse into that again.
"We're not too old for this sh*t!" -Riggs and Murtaugh, 'Lethal Weapon 4' (1998) share
Agree. For a certain period it seemed like it was a requirement for every teen movie to have raunchy parts. It got old real fast. One of the reasons CBML resonates with me is because it had a certain sweetness about it that other teen films of the era didn't.
shareI think the success of movies like Back to the Future, Pretty in Pink and Ferris Bueller's Day Off changed the landscape.
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