Playboy in prova

The geek Ronald Miller (Patrick Dempsey) lives with his parents and his younger brother in the suburb and works hard during his vacation mowing lawn for neighbors to save one-thousand dollars to buy a telescope. Ronald is part of an outcast group of nerds with his friend Kenneth Wurman (Courtney Gains) and has a crush on his neighbor, the popular cheerleader Cindy Mancini (Amanda Peterson). When the expensive coat of Cindy is damaged in a party, she goes to the store to propose a deal to the owner to buy another one. Ronald sees and offer one-thousand dollars to buy the coat for her provided she pretends to be his girlfriend for a month. Cindy accepts the deal and Ronald becomes a popular teenager at school. He changes his personality, leaves his nerd friends but four months later he leans the price he has to pay for his achievement.

"Can't Buy Me Love" is a sweet movie from the 80´s with funny moments and a good moral lesson. Ronald Miller learning how to dance in an African show and then repeating the movements in a party at school is maybe the funniest scene. The criticism to people that change the behavior to be popular is also great as well as those that follows these false leaders no matter how ridiculous they are. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Namorada de Aluguel" ("Girlfriend for Rent")

I love those cheesy 80's teenage love stories. They are fun and entertaining. "Can't Buy Me Love" is one of the better ones for sure. It is one of those movies that you can watch over and over and still love it. The story is interesting and the performances are great. Amanda Peterson is fantastic as the high-priced yet emotionally repressed love interest of lawnboy Patrick Dempsey. The story is funny and moving and can even make you cry. Watch it with friends, watch it alone, watch it with someone you love and remember the pressures of high school and the friends that got you through it.

Most 80's teen flicks leave a rather sick feeling in my stomach, but this one has always been a favorite despite the stereotypical shallow, big-haired girls and the Animal House wanna-be jocks. The difference is that the stars, Patrick Dempsey and Amanda Peterson, are not so stereotypical in their roles as lonely nerd and ultra-popular head cheerleader.

Patrick Dempsey has always been underrated as an actor with style, and it is unfortunate that his character, Ronald, is so unlikable after the film's premise kicks in. Ronald goes "from geek to chic" and back again. But Dempsey himself seems too inherently confident to really pull off the geek aspect believably, and he's too cruel to the girl whose heart he won for Ronald to be a truly sympathetic character. The hip version of Ronald, however, is a hoot to watch, even if it is somewhat overdone in the context of an already unlikely plot.

The standout in this film is Amanda Peterson, whose character Cindy has to be one of the most genuinely likeable "stuck up" high school girls on film. Watching her character grow and open her heart to Ronald is the main reason I've given this film repeated viewings. Although the genres are quite different, I'd compare Peterson's character to Renee Zellweger's character in Jerry MaGuire in terms of sheer likability. Making characters likeable is much more difficult than making them sympathetic, and I'm frankly shocked that Peterson's career did not skyrocket after this performance.

Whether you're looking for creative ways to invest $1000 or dancing lessons, Can't Buy Me Love is one 80's teen flick that has a lot to offer.

Can't Buy Me Love is directed by Steve Rash and written by Michael Swerdlick. It stars Patrick Dempsey and Amanda Peterson. Music is by Robert Folk and cinematography by Peter Lyons Collister.

Plot has Dempsey as nerdy outcast Ronald Miller, who fed up of not being popular pays Cindy Mancini (Peterson), the most popular girl in school, one thousand dollars to be his girlfriend.

The 1980s was awash with films of this ilk, the teen dramedy topped up by a big hearted message and a finale of punch the air worth. What it all comes down to is if the film can hold its head above water, not become too twee, and crucially have you smiling come the finale. As evidenced by its popularity among 80s cineastes of a certain age, Can't Buy Me Love delivers all that you expect from such fare.

The core theme is of course self acceptance, the attainment of such in amongst the scary world of teenage school years. This shines bright in spite of some rather unconvincing dialogue and contrived corny moments. Director Rash just about holds it together, ensuring that the charm of the lead actors holds weight for character engagement, even though for thematic depth the screenplay only skims over the surface.

The teenage dramedy would evolve considerably once the 80s was left behind, becoming more biting, daring and observational. Yet for those who lived and loved this type of film in the 80s, there's a lovely nostalgic glow to be gleaned from revisits to the likes of Can't Buy Me Love. Nothing wrong with that. 6.5/10

Sometimes the most important thing eludes us and we don't recognize it. Not everyone has the opportunity to recognize, especially when one lives it, what is really important, what is in fact real; the truth of who we are and who others are. And to recognize that before the others and ourselves. Not everyone has that opportunity. Almost all of us fall in the lies and fictions of who we are, who the others are and the place of all of us in our world, but only few of us - lucky few - manage, in the end, but maybe still in time, to see the truth, the reality. And these ones, may consider themselves very happy.

All it takes is to understand that, and we can be who we want to: our own selves.

If you like '80s teen comedies, this one is not to be missed. I liked this movie and i just wanted to share these thoughts i had after seeing it. Patrick Dempsey is good in it, and Amanda Peterson is absolutely great, loved her. Wish i had met a girl like her when i was in high school. But then again, maybe i did...

7/10 overall, a good movie.