1986 was a big year for me -- at the tender age of 9, I came to the realization that many of the movies I was drawn to weren't the ones that most others were drawn to. It was the start of my '80s and '90s B-movie love, which later morphed into a love of auteurs like David Lynch and Guy Maddin. But back then, while most people were gushing over all things Molly Ringwald, and professing their love of Pretty in Pink, I was dreaming of a good boy in a bad situation, one who would fall for a cute photographer. In other words, Duncan Gibbins' Fire with Fire.
Virginia Madsen's Lisa Taylor was my teen movie heroine -- a girl soft and creative, but smart and strong, and one lucky enough to win the heart of Craig Sheffer's Joe Fisk. I was glued to the television every time the movie aired. Sure, I loved flicks like Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Breakfast Club, but my true '80s teen film love was reserved for Joe and Lisa. It was different than the usual John Hughes fare, and I loved that. Since no one else ever cared to watch it, it was my little cinematic secret, one made all the sweeter when I found at least one other person who had seen it (cheers, Clint!), and then watched Madsen finally grab the film career she deserved.
But it's not the only forgotten teen film of that time, and MSNBC has listed a collection of 5 forgotten teen films from the '80s -- The Last American Virgin, Heaven Help Us, Seven Minutes in Heaven, Vision Quest, and Morgan Stewart's Coming Home -- as well as a vote box that lists a whole bunch more. Fire with Fire was too forgotten to make the cut, but there are lots of others in the voting mix, from Tex to Lucas. (Lucas forgotten? Say it ain't so!)
Have you seen any of these? Love them? Hate them? Or, is there something else you think is missing? Like, say, Three for the Road?
What's your favorite, forgotten teen '80s movie?
1. Lucas if far from forgotten. My brother even just bought the soundtrack the other day (I know, I wasn't aware it had a soundtrack, either). I had forgotten about Morgan Stewart, and am glad it's on the list. Same goes for Three O'Clock High, which I might have watched as many times as I watched Lucas as a youth. Just don't tell Buddy Revell about MSNBC's list. He doesn't like people knowing about him.
Posted at 4:07PM on Jun 24th 2008 by Christopher Campbell