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Weird Science poster

Weird Science

94 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Anthony Michael Hall Gary Wallace
Ilan Mitchell-Smith Wyatt Donnelly
Bill Paxton Chet Donnelly
Vernon Wells Lord General (a character reflecting his Mad Max 2 role)
Britt Leach Al Wallace
Barbara Lang Lucy Wallace
Michael Berryman mutant biker

Weird Science | The Rewatchables

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Most Rewatchable Scene

Chet trying to make drunk Gary vomit at the top of the stairs is the final favorite; Gary’s father is a separate personal choice after many nominated set pieces.

In the discussion (18)
Approx. transcript time · 00:31:00Read transcript
  • The opening gym credits, pantsing, cheer, and theme song are nominated.
  • The gym sequence prompts memories of changing and showering during the school day.
  • Gary and Wyatt using the computer to create Lisa is nominated, with the special effects praised as the point when the movie escalates.
  • The computer sequence prompts memories of sleepover rewatches and the scarcity of adult imagery before the internet.
  • The bar scene and Gary’s Richard Pryor-style performance are nominated, while the hosts acknowledge that such an impersonation would be rejected today.
  • Chet trying to make drunk Gary vomit at the top of the stairs is nominated for both Paxton and Hall.
  • The hosts imagine Chet joining The Real World and The Challenge, complete with rivalries and a later media career.
  • The mall drink spill followed by Lisa confronting the bullies is nominated.
  • A participant recalls repeatedly declining The Challenge because its environment no longer appealed to him.
  • Lisa meeting Gary’s parents, announcing the party, embarrassing Gary, and erasing his father’s memory is nominated.
  • A joking Hall of Fame compares sexually preoccupied movie characters and debates excluding incarcerated characters.
  • The failed second attempt to create a woman is nominated.
  • Chet confronting the party in the blue kitchen is nominated.
  • The grandparents in the closet are nominated as a joke that remains funny.
  • The goodbye to the girls and Chet becoming a toad are nominated as satisfying ending beats.
  • The party at maximum chaos is an alternate final choice.
  • Chet confronting drunk Gary at the top of the stairs is the explicit most-rewatchable selection.
  • One participant says his personal choice is still Gary’s dad.

What’s Aged the Best?

The practical effects, parents-away trope, and the lesson about being liked for oneself are praised.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:49:54Read transcript
  • The practical effects, including the chimney and moving house, are praised as effective for 1985.
  • The parents-away-for-the-week teen-movie premise is praised.
  • The film’s lesson that people should like the boys for themselves rather than their possessions is praised.

What’s Aged the Worst?

The uncomfortable kisses and other dated elements receive separate objections.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:03:17Read transcript
  • The film’s uncomfortable kisses are discussed as dated.

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

The theme song is proposed as the best 1980s movie theme, while a separate take argues that Lisa is a poor mentor.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:10:46Read transcript
  • The Weird Science theme is proposed as the best 1980s movie theme song.
  • Lisa is criticized as a condescending and inconsistent mentor despite having been created by the boys.

Recasting Couch

The director/cast recasting block discusses comic-performance alternatives.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:19:44Read transcript
  • The director-and-cast recasting block considers performers who could handle the movie’s broad comedy.

Cruise or Hanks?

An early-career Cruise version of Wyatt is considered.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:25:06Read transcript
  • An early-1980s Cruise is considered for Wyatt.

Picking Nits

The shared bathroom, twin beds, mansion geography, and Illinois real estate are separate objections.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:29:10Read transcript
  • One friend taking a shit while the other remains in the bathroom is called implausible and unpleasant.
  • The two twin beds in Wyatt’s room are questioned.
  • The extraordinary size and quality of the North Shore suburban houses are questioned as a recurring 1980s-movie fantasy.

Just One Oscar

Oingo Boingo or Danny Elfman receives the tentative single Oscar.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:34:10Read transcript
  • Oingo Boingo or Danny Elfman receives the tentative single Oscar.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

The group asks whether either boy had sex with Lisa, what her new life entails, and why the late chase exists.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:34:26Read transcript
  • Whether Gary or Wyatt had sex with Lisa is asked; the evidence is judged to indicate neither did.
  • Lisa’s housing, credentials, first gym class, dating life, and basic bodily needs after becoming a teacher are questioned.
  • The late police-and-train chase is questioned as padding added to reach feature length.

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

LeBrock’s jacket, the Playboy trunk, and the defaced family portrait are distinct choices.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:38:06Read transcript
  • Kelly LeBrock’s sleeveless jacket is considered, with its reported pawn-shop sale noted.
  • Wyatt’s trunk filled with magazines is selected.
  • The family portrait defaced with Hitler mustaches is selected.

More from the conversation

The opening review context praises Kelly LeBrock while limiting the movie’s appeal to teenage boys.
Approx. transcript time · 00:01:49Read transcript
The film is placed among unusually deranged 1985 teen movies and compared closely with Superbad.
Approx. transcript time · 00:04:05Read transcript
The computer premise is discussed as an early hacker and AI fantasy, including comparisons with WarGames, Siri, Alexa, and Her.
Approx. transcript time · 00:09:55Read transcript
John Hughes’s extraordinary 1983–1990 run and his definition of geeks versus nerds frame the film’s authorship.
Approx. transcript time · 00:15:28Read transcript
The closing reaction treats the film as an unusually dense, wholesome, and bizarre 1980s artifact.
Approx. transcript time · 01:41:26Read transcript