The Best Legs in Eighth Grade

More of a true teleplay than a movie.

Annette O'Toole steals the show as Matheson's disaffected girlfriend. The rest of the cast is OK. But the handwringing over life choices gets to be too much, and the result is much too obvious. I've never seen this title on VHS or anywhere other than TV, which is just as well.

I notice that both of the previous comments on this title were less than complimentary; please allow me a completely different take on this lovely little piece of fluff.

No, there's nothing here that's earth-shattering in its implications; there's no Oscar-quality acting; there's no major CG effects or Dolby surround sound. What there is, is four very good performers who feel extremely comfortable with their characters and their lines and work together to make their performances congeal this sweet little script into a beautifully molded whole.

I don't see how anyone can watch this (apparently) made-for-HBO vignette and come away from it with anything less than respect for the four leads. It's goofy, it's poignant, and it's the first video I "force" my up-and-coming girlfriends to watch before they make the plunge into really getting involved with me. Why is that? Simply because I am the Everyman of Tim Matheson's character (and I suspect many others are, too): always thinking there's something better coming over that next hill, even if it's that dream we left behind us a dozen years ago. In a very special way, this is a "coming of age" movie for those almost to middle age.

It's also a movie of its time. Appearing in the days before Rock Hudson died or Ronald Reagan used the word "AIDS," the almost childlike (and yet cynical) references to Herpes and diaphragms resonate with the sound of the end of the "free love" era, when the call was being sounded for young adults to indeed "come of age" in their sexual responsibilities--and it's sad to think that twenty-something years later, that call has still not been answered to any great degree. How times (don't) change.

The movie is full of life, of choices, of responsibilities, of temptations, of new chances, and now brings a little bit of nostalgia along with everything else. Annette O'Toole is absolutely flawless in her performance, and the beautiful Kathryn Harrold was never lovelier than here. Tim Matheson makes you love him, flawed as his character is, and Jim Belushi plays St. Valentine with a sentimental twist. But the movie is not sentimental, although it is filled with honest sentiment. It's a real look (St. Valentine in the flesh notwithstanding) at relationships as they were in the early '80s . . . and as they still are, to a great extent, today. (Watch also for Vincent Bufano in what was apparently his last role, reading the Latin Mass with a New York Italian accent.)

And, yes, the movie IS out on VHS, though not (as of this writing) on DVD. I have owned two copies of it myself; the first bought new in the '90s for 80 bucks, and the second purchased off eBay about 3 years ago for about 3 bucks. Funny how times do change in some respects.

I was in a hurry in the movie rental store, when I saw a movie starring Belushi. "The Best Legs in the Eighth Grade", at first, seemed to have a good storyline. Jim Belushi playing Saint Valentine sounded like it might be funny. Of course, I shouldn't have expected much from a movie that is only 48 minutes long.

As it turned out, I found it to be the longest 48 minute movie I've ever seen. I have never walked out on a film before, but this one really didn't do it for me. This movie ranks lower than all the other movies I've seen before it. It seemed to me that it would be one of those movies a teacher might make you watch, or one that might show up on a public access television channel. The thing is, it just needed more.

The entire movie never moved. It was like standing in line for 48 minutes, only to have the ticket vendor swing a sign around that said "Sold Out". So, there was nothing more to see. If you want to watch this movie, by all means, rent it or wait to see it on television. But don't waste your money on it until you've previewed it. Better yet, get it as a gift, for you annoying little siblings.

:) That's my two cents. Have a nice day.

Zadkiel