Tout feu, tout femme

I picked this movie up looking for some old titles with Michelle Meyrink who some might remember from such films as 'Real Genius' and 'Valley Girl.'

In Nice Girls Don't Explode, Meyrink plays April Flowers, a teenage girl who is convinced that she has pyrotechnic hormones, in that whenever she is around guys, some kind of fire breaks out, leaving her utterly embarrased and afraid to show any sort of affection towards courting boys, especially Andy (William O'Leary) (who is sometimes annoying at parts), who is sure that she is mistaken about her firestarting capabilities. He is sure that April's mother (Barbara Harris) is responsible for her daughter's mishaps, setting fires so guys won't want to go near April. But how does he expose April's mother's overboard techniques in overprotective parenting?

Meanwhile, a real pyromaniac named Ellen (Wallace Shawn), floats around in the story as a frustrated and lonely fellow looking for some human interaction. He often walks around igniting fires when his attempts to converse like a normal human being fail.

I don't think this movie is as bad as the previous reviews have stated. First of all, it is a very cheap movie. Though the fact that a mother still treats her 18 year old daughter like she's two years old (take a look at her room) is pretty disturbing, it is supposed to be an exaggerated story about a girl who's mother just can't seem to let her grow up, especially when it comes to dating. The story has to do a lot to carry interest, too, being that there are times when you wonder that in the 18 or so years of her life, April never ever seemed to suspect anything of her mother? But once again, the story is supposed to be excessively exaggerated, pushing itself along on devices of stupid comedy. That's all. It's a no brainer movie that's sure to get a few laughs out of you, no matter how stupid, particularly with Wallace Shawn's character, Ellen. I definitely recommend the movie if you want to see something with Michelle Meyrink, as she is the typical Meyrink shy, but funny girl.

April Flowers (Michelle Meyrink) is an awkward teen living under her protective mom (Barbara Harris). Fires seem to erupt spontaneously whenever she's around boys. It turns out that her mom is working with pyromaniac Ellen (Wallace Shawn). Of course, no boy lasts more than one date. Neighbor Andy (William O'Leary) has been in love with April since childhood.

This is real indie filmmaking. It's amateurish but it has a great idea and a solid cast. These actors make the material work. It's a little funny. It's very quirky. It's endearing in its low budget feel. It never really catches fire but there is a warmth to this.

It saddens me this film wasn't better received, because it's quite a sharp satire with a really unique perspective that doesn't feel like anything else I've seen and is really well put together!

Mainstream people with won't like this. But if you have off-kilter sensibilities and like to watch with your brain, there's a lot in here to latch onto. It's very good at giving you room to think, and planting seeds, and building suspense, and having unexpected payoffs. All with a surreal dreamlike tone and managing to stay humorous during remarkably disturbing content.

I'm impressed and I recommend this a lot!

I thought this movie was silly....not to mention the acting was awful. I think with professional people working on it , it might have had a chance....its like some movie that was made by a bunch of film school rookies.....2 thumbs down on this one....I will give kudos to Wallace Shawn however...he is always good, and i think very brave to appear in this one....I've seen worse films, lots of them out there....so if its a slow Saturday night, i suppose this movie might help in passing the time...hahahaaaa, or if your a insomniac, you might be able to fall asleep for once.....

This movie is, quite frankly, one of the most mediocre movies I have ever seen. The plot is silly and very 80s b-movie-ish and the performances (except for Wallace Shawn, who is quite charming) are lifeless. I would only recommend this one if you are a die-hard Wallace Shawn fan.