What’s Aged the Worst?
Swimming in jeans; Haley’s lost casting impact; scooter; cycling; Italian deception; serenading; cigarettes; TV adaptation; broadcast window; concealed age; idle time
In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 00:53:50Read transcript
- Mike swimming in jeans is emphatically disliked.
- Haley’s casting has lost the contemporary impact of bringing Kelly Leak into another film; he was then the biggest star of the cast.
- Katherine’s oversized scooter looks bizarre.
- Recreational campus cycling is questioned in the scooter era, prompting strong complaints about Los Angeles cyclists and narrow roads.
- Dave’s Italian persona might prompt parental concern today, but it is defended as a young man’s attempt to reinvent himself without leaving home.
- Serenading outside a dorm and falsely posing as Italian across multiple dates seem much less acceptable today.
- Mike continually displaying cigarettes without smoking them is frustrating despite the character explanation.
- The 1980–81 TV adaptation is criticized, with Shaun Cassidy leading and Barrie, Haley and Ashton returning; Barrie’s move directly from an Oscar nomination is unusual.
- NBC reportedly paid $5 million for a May 1980 broadcast, outbidding HBO; the once-short theatrical-to-TV window contrasts with modern release patterns.
- Christopher allegedly claimed a 1955 birth year rather than 1950, illustrating the pre-IMDb ability to conceal age.
- The friends’ abundant idle time feels remote today, when they might spend their days playing video games.