| | | If You Can't Get a Date, Make One!
Features: DVD, English, Spanish, French, Dolby, Dolby Digital (5.1)
The Frankenstein legend takes an uproarious twist in this outrageous special effects-laden comedy from the writer-director of Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club. Critically acclaimed filmmaker John Hughes is at it again, giving nerdy computer whiz Ilan Mitchell-Smith and his best friend, Anthony Michael Hall, power to create the "perfect woman" (Kelly LeBrock). Like a computer-generated fairy godmother, the duo's out-of-this-world creation guides the pair through the pleasures and pitfalls of adolescence. With a rock beat supplied by many music superstars including Oingo Boingo, this far-out sci-fi fable brings everyone's favorite teen fantasies to life through the miracle of Weird Science.
"Explores some playful male adolescent fantasies." Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
"Classic 80s flick! Ridiculous fun!" John Venable, Supercala.com
"...an odd mix of risque shenanigans, puerile pranks and dubious gender politics. It also happens to be very funny." Richard Luck, Channel 4 Film
"Le Brock plays her character with a sense of style and wit..." TV Guide's Movie Guide
"Guilty pleasure classic. Anthony Michael Hall's character's drunken rambles hold a shining place in the pop culture hall of fame." Widgett Walls, NeedCoffee.com
Editor's Note
Teenage geeks Gary (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) are sick of being ignored by girls, abused by cool guys, and forced to spend their weekend nights watching nerdy old sci-fi movies. Left alone for the weekend, they use Wyatt's computer to create Lisa (Kelly LeBrock), a stunningly beautiful woman with a body that stops traffic, a heart of gold, and a genius IQ. The boys embark on an adventure with their creation, going to bars, driving Ferraris, throwing a killer party, and keeping Wyatt's psychotic older brother, Chet (Bill Paxton), in check. But in the end, they learn that wearing cool clothes, hanging out with cool kids, and being popular might not solve all their problems. Written and directed by the king of teen flicks, John Hughes, this film was released after SIXTEEN CANDLES and in the same year as THE BREAKFAST CLUB. Like many of his films, Hughes's WEIRD SCIENCE is set in fictional Shermer, Illinois. A young Robert Downey (sans the "Jr.") appears as Ian, a cool kid who takes pleasure in tormenting Gary and Wyatt.
Plot Summary
When two horny high school computer nerds start practicing pseudo-science in cyberspace, they succeed in creating a beautiful young woman. She's the answer to all their wet dreams. But now that they've got her, they barely know what to do with her.
| Features | Audio: English DTS 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Audio: French, Spanish Dolby Digital Mono | | Dubbed: French, Spanish | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Universal |
| Release Date: 9/16/2008 |
| Running Time: 94 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1985 | | Catalog ID: 61103167 | | UPC: 00025195025331 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English, French Dubbed, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Variety
"...Hughes has become more sophisticated visually....[The] special effects are plentiful....Hughes' true gift is at capturing the naturalistic rhythms and interaction between the boys with a great ear for dialog..." 08/07/1985Los Angeles Times
"...The film's greatest asset is Kelly LeBrock, who is triumphant....[She acts] with great warmth and a sharp sense of herself..." 08/02/1985 p.C FilmCritic.com 6 of 10
Like something dug out of the back of John Hughes's closet, among all the back issues of Amazing Tales, Playboy, and Mad -- adolescent fantasy writ large and kind of creepy. It shouldn't be forgotten, I suppose, that back before his career as a screenwriter, Hughes was a writer for National Lampoon. Weird doesn't even really begin to describe this spotty misfire...Since it was the 1980s, and this was a teen movie, no matter how preposterous the setup (fortunately, the movie never tries to explain how exactly a PC created a human being, though we do know you had to have a Barbie doll), there had to be a moral to the story, and LeBrock arrives as the gorgeous enactor of that moral. LeBrock lets the stunned Garry and Wyatt know that she's there to do whatever they want, but it's obvious pretty early on that she's also there to give them a healthy dose of confidence...The movie is actually a pretty decent comedy for about its first two-thirds, and that's mostly thanks to LeBrock. Nobody's idea of a great actress, LeBrock was just a model with a fetching British accent and giant, Jennifer Beals hairdo, but there's a steely bravado to the way in which she trash-talks anybody who bad-mouths her boys. That and her wicked grin (think Elizabeth Hurley in Bedazzled) makes her adorable and one of the only reasons to watch Weird Science. - Chris Barsanti
Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
"Weird Science" combines two great traditions in popular entertainment: Inflamed male teenage fantasies and Frankenstein's monster...In the movie's opening scenes, a couple of bright guys write a program with their specifications for a perfect woman. They feed in centerfolds and magazine covers, measurements and parameters. Then, for additional brainpower, they tap into a giant government computer. And at exactly that instant, lightning strikes (just as it did in ``The Bride of Frankenstein''), and out of the mix of bytes and kilowatts steps . . . a perfect woman...Hughes' earlier teenage films depended mostly on character and dialogue (which was fine). This one has a lot of special effects, including some reverse photography that plays tricks with time. But the center of the film is the simple, almost elementary insight that fantasies can be hazardous: You've got to be careful what you ask for, because you might get it...Kelly LeBrock is wonderful as the fantasy woman, because she plays the character not for sex, but for warmth and an almost motherly affection for these two boys. ``All you have to do is command me,'' she says at one point. ``You created me. You are my master.'' It could be soft porn, but the way she says it, her voice has a wink. - Roger Ebert
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