IMDb RATING
6.2/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
A reminiscence of youth in the 1950's.A reminiscence of youth in the 1950's.A reminiscence of youth in the 1950's.
- Awards
- 1 nomination total
Featured reviews
The movie has a simple goal, and that's to make you like the under-appreciated, overlooked geek known as Jack Twiller--to sympathize with his coming of age: the awkwardness, embarrassing moments, bullies, and, yes, even pimple cream.
There is no great intellectual message, no uplifting moral to the movie. Quite honestly, it doesn't take itself that seriously, which is the entire point. This isn't an art house film, folks. It's a "kick back in your flannel jammies with some ice cream after a rotten day" kind of movie. It's a fun movie made simply to make us laugh. Stop analyzing and digging for profundity. Just laugh.
There is no great intellectual message, no uplifting moral to the movie. Quite honestly, it doesn't take itself that seriously, which is the entire point. This isn't an art house film, folks. It's a "kick back in your flannel jammies with some ice cream after a rotten day" kind of movie. It's a fun movie made simply to make us laugh. Stop analyzing and digging for profundity. Just laugh.
I remember the first time I saw this movie. I was about 12 or 13, starting high school soon. I was absolutely amazed with it; the story, the actors and of course,the set. As an avid fan of the 50's and the 60's in America, immediately i fell in love with the film. The cars, the music the way of life... unfortunately the only way i could experience something like that was through films(since born in late 80s,far away from the US),and this film did an awesome job in doing that. I was so thrilled with "The book of love" that I wanted to see it again the very next day,but the problem was i didn't catch the first few minutes of the film, and someone threw the papers with the TV guide from that day, so i didn't know the title...Internet wasn't that big at the time,and it's not a well known movie so hope was lost. For months later, i'd check the TV guides to see if there was any sign of it,but since i didn't know the title,I'd read the plots of any movie I'd think it could be the one, I didn't have any luck,obviously. And then, few years ago, I remembered the film...without recollecting any of the actors names, I started to google. I googled and googled and I remembered the actor who plays an adult John Twiller,Michael Mckean, and i started googling him. Finally I found it... "The book of love". Honestly, I didn't want to watch it again,although i was eager after all these years, after more then a decade. Why? As the title says, different perspectives. I knew i would see it with different eyes now. Something i once considered a masterpiece (12 year old kid,LOL) could turn up to be a complete rubbish. A film I was looking for so long, a film which once made me even more jealous about the teens from the 50's and 60's, a film which made me daydream even more about those beautiful times. What if it disappoints me now? Almost twice the age? Well, a year later I finally saw it again...Is it a masterpiece? No,far from it, but will you enjoy it? Absolutely yes if you are nostalgic for those beautiful times, I know i did. Maybe not as much as the first time,but I am sure this wasn't the last time I opened "The book of love"...
The Book of Love is yet another addition to the cinematic tradition of the desperate teen virgin, a genre prevalent throughout most 80s teen comedies. However, this was only a mildly funny film that exaggerates the desperate attempt of four 1950s suburban teen friends to lose their virginity, complete with the typical wild imagination of the boys who still have to fill in the gaps of the largely unexplored territory of females, complete with parallels to comic book superheroes and buff movie stars, but it serves better as a nostalgia trip for those obscure films with your favorite 80s teen stars (most notably Chris Young, Keith Coogan, and Danny Nucci). It promises a few laughs but, unless you are one of the few that have immortalized it as a cult classic, you'll probably only wind up watching it once.
"Book of Love" is a great movie to sit down with on a Saturday afternoon or on a rainy day. It's one of those movies that's considered "cute." The movie is told from teenager Jack's point of view. It's about his life. It's really fun to look back at the 50's and see how different things are now...even if you're not from that generation. The hairdos, the clothes, the cars? All authentic...or at least very realistic. This movie is a definite must-see if you're in the mood to see a good movie and you're just not sure what you want to see.
This movie is very entertaining and should be mentioned in the same context as movies such as Porky's, Fast times at Ridgemont High, and American Pie. While it lacks the perversion of those films, it makes up with a dynamite cast and a very good storyline. Its got its memorable and embarrassing moments. The party scene and the birthday candle for Shank are my favorites. If you enjoy good old fashioned high school flicks check it out.
Did you know
- TriviaIn the book "Jack In The Box", Jack Twiller's experiences are followed from elementary to high school, while in his screenplay, William Kotzwinkle creates a younger brother, dividing these experiences between two separate characters.
- GoofsThe poster for À l'est d'Eden (1955) shows a picture of James Dean in his famous red jacket with the white t-shirt and jeans from _Rebel without a Cause (1955)_, a movie which came out on a later date.
- Quotes
Peanut: She wears a training bra.
Jack Twiller: Why? So she can learn to do tricks with her tits?
- ConnectionsFeatured in Meet Bob Shaye (2004)
- How long is Book of Love?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Book of Love
- Filming locations
- Glendale, California, USA(neighborhood scenes)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $1,382,259
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $596,131
- Feb 3, 1991
- Gross worldwide
- $1,382,259
- Runtime1 hour 22 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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