I Will Always Love the Duck Man

Last night I had the best flash back. Nothing dramatic like in those movies when you realize you got drunk and may have committed an unspeakable act. It was a high school flashback. My hair was teased to the heavens. I was wearing head-to-toe hot pink and turquoise. You remember two T-shirts, leggings and two pairs of socks. My flashback was caused by the film Pretty in Pink. I adored all of the John Hughes movies. I have Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink on DVD.

It’s amazing how watching a movie can lift your spirits and in this case take you back to a simpler time. I was young, wild and free. I wanted to be a black Molly Ringwald. She had that unique quality where she was hip in her thrift store clothes, pretty enough to get the cutest boy but not pretty enough to alienate herself from the other girls. Girls wanted to BE Molly.

Seeing the film again made me laugh at how mature James Spader and Andrew McCarthy seemed. They looked and acted like they were 30-year-old members of a country club. They represented the unattainable hot rich popular boys. Who else wears white linen pants and a blazer to school? John Cryer was the quintessential outsider. He was sweet and adorable but always the friend.

The 80s were a great time for music (Culture Club, Wham, U2 and Madonna), fashion (you can’t beat baggy sweaters, leggings and ankle boots) and movies. The 80s were the heyday for the teen genre of movies. They were about coming of age and having a good time. They didn’t have to contend with heavy issues like drugs or sex.

Here are few of my favorite teen movies from the 80s:

The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)

I don’t know why I like this movie so much or remember it. It has a nice message of faith, acceptance and love. He was bizarre but cute in that Forrest Gump kind of way. It’s worth a look, if not for the movie, for Mindy Cohn. Natalie Rules!!

Sixteen Candles (1984)

This movie has the dreamiest hunk ever in Michael Schoeffling aka Jake Ryan. The character’s name reeks of popularity – Jake Ryan. Heaven. All of the supporting characters are memorable especially Farmer Ted and Long Duk Dong. What’s a happenin’ hot stuff?

Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1984)

Come on. The new girl, a cute guy and a dance contest. Are you kidding me? This has all the makings of cinema magic. Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt have come a long way.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

This is one of my all-time favorite teen movies. Watching this is like opening a time capsule. It’s of that time. I was young when it came out but this is the way I remember my older sister, her friends and growing up in a town where the mall is the social center.

Valley Girl (1983)

This is an 80s cheesetacular gem. It barely works on a basic level but is memorable. Nicholas Cage shows great promise as the smitten outsider. This takes me back to elementary school when I saw a kid’s newspaper that talked about Valley Girls and their phrases. I drove my parents Totally nuts. Oh My God. GAG ME WITH A SPOON.

What is your favorite 80s teen movie?