I was watching Pitch Perfect the other night and Skylar Astin’s character, Jesse, was bragging to Anna Kendrick’s character, Beca, about movies with great soundtracks and he mentioned The Breakfast Club. The song, “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds, is awesome, and I love the part in that movie when Judd Nelson triumphantly thrusts his fist up into the air as the credits began to roll. This same song was “mashed up” with another song in Pitch Perfect and was performed by Beca (Anna Kendrick) and the Barden Bellas. I won’t reveal any more details in case you haven’t seen the movie, but want to or plan to see it.
I’m not reviewing Pitch Perfect, but that song by Simple Minds reminded me of some of the classic 80’s movies I loved, and still love to this day. The Breakfast Club. Pretty in Pink. Sixteen Candles. Back to the Future. Goonies. Revenge of the Nerds. When Harry Met Sally. Mystic Pizza. Can’t Buy Me Love. Say Anything. Better Off Dead. Some Kind of Wonderful. Risky Business. St. Elmo’s Fire. All the Right Moves. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Stand by Me. There are more, but I think you get the idea.
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Now imagine this… what if Hollywood would remake some of these classic movies? Who would be the sad and lonely 16-year-old in Sixteen Candles? What group of teens would you put together in The Breakfast Club? Who would you like to see replace Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal for a remake of When Harry Met Sally? Who would replace Tom Cruise in Risky Business? Who would play Ferris Bueller as well as Matthew Broderick? Who would play John Cusack’s character in Say Anything? And which up-and-coming youngsters would play the kids from either Goonies or Stand by Me?
I know that some of the remakes (i.e. Total Recall) may cost millions of dollars, and they rake in millions of dollars too, but I think this generation coming up in middle school, junior high, and high school need to watch less violent movies and watch more family-friendly and age-appropriate movies. I think parents should take more responsibility for their children and what they allow their children to watch or play (on video games)… but I digress…
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REMAKES!!!! That’s what I want to talk about!!! I am a child of the 80s, when song lyrics were not as vulgar and when movies were funny, romantic, action-packed, and dramatic at all the right moments. I also loved it when the perfect song was used in a movie, such as “Don’t You Forget About Me” in The Breakfast Club. This song was also used in Easy A, with Emma Stone and Penn Badgley, and in Pitch Perfect.
In Easy A, Emma Stone’s character, Olive, said it best: “Whatever happened to chivalry? Does it only exist in 80s movies? I want John Cusack holding a boombox outside my window. I wanna ride off on a lawnmower with Patrick Dempsey. I want Jake from Sixteen Candles waiting outside the church for me. I want Judd Nelson thrusting his fist into the air because he knows he got me. Just once I want my life to be like an 80s movie, preferably one with a really awesome musical number for no apparent reason. But no, no. John Hughes did not direct my life.”
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If you have not seen any of the classic 80s movies I mentioned earlier, you NEED to watch them. You need to flashback to the 80s and enjoy a good clean movie with little to no cursing, with little to no sex or at least where sex was implied rather than shown outright, and little to no violence.
I know what Hollywood is thinking… “sex sells, violence sells, cursing is the norm” and “if we make it, they will watch it.” Well, I, for one, am sometimes shocked at what is produced as “teen appropriate” movies and television. So why can’t we, as adults, be better influencers and role models for future generations? Why can’t someone in Hollywood see that classic remakes of such awesome 80s movies would be a welcomed change to the violence, sex, and horror seen in a lot of movies currently being produced?
I love movies!!! I like it when some books get made into movies or when some old classic TV shows get made into movies (i.e. Charlie’s Angels). I also like movies that came from an original thought and an original screenplay, which I call a pure form of artistic talent.
So who’s with me? Would you like to see some older movies remade? What is your favorite classic 80s movie that you’d love to see remade? And who would play the main characters in those movies? I would love to hear from you.
Yours Truly,
Vanessa