The retrospective list is framed around the speaker’s own high-school years and five favorite high-school movie characters.
The five named favorites are Kelly Preston in Secret Admirer and Mischief, Helen Slater in Billie Jean, Joyce [transcribed Heiser] in Just One of the Guys, an garbled Karate Kid actress, and Mia Sarah in Ferris Bueller.
Jennifer Gray in Ferris Bueller is added.
Rebecca D. Moray in Risky Business is excluded because her character is not in high school; Molly Ringwald was not a favorite, and Sean Young in Stripes is excluded as an adult.
Winona Rader in Lucas and Amanda Peterson in Can't Buy Me Love are additional examples.
The screenplay reportedly draws on Douglas Day Stewart's officer-candidate experience, including a real Paula he dated but did not marry; this is credited for the setting's specificity.
Foley’s decorations are listed as the Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Gallantry Cross unit citation, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation, and a final item transcribed as “Combat Actionary” (unresolved). Their extensive detail is appreciated without requiring the film to explain each one.
Hackford reportedly housed Gossett twenty miles away to keep him apart from the other actors.
Lisa Eilbacher reportedly found it frustrating to pretend to struggle on the obstacle course because she was in excellent physical condition.
Gere reportedly mastered the karate while Gossett struggled, accidentally kicked him in the groin, and a trained stand-in was used during Gossett's two-day absence.
Foley putting Mayo's dollar in the right rather than prescribed left pocket is interpreted as a small deliberate rebuke.
The Tides Inn is identified as the motel location.
The hangar is reportedly now the 1,200-seat McCurdy Pavilion.
Mayo’s motorcycle is identified as a Triumph Bonneville.
Gere reportedly disliked the ending until factory workers became emotional during rehearsal.
Stewart’s listed credits include The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, The Blue Lagoon, this film, Thief of Hearts, and Listen to Me. Thief of Hearts is praised for a burglar using a stolen diary to become a woman’s dream man; Listen to Me is recalled as a debate movie with Kirk Cameron, Jami Gertz, Roy Scheider, and Amanda Peterson.
Keith reportedly swallowed a ring attached to string so it could be retrieved.
Winger reportedly negotiated without an agent and omitted a nudity clause, leaving her surprised by a more explicit rewritten sex scene.
Tucson is proposed without a resolved comparison; Spielberg’s hometown is uncertain.
The Volkswagen Cabriolet receives an emphatic yes.
Arizona films receive an agreed yes after Raising Arizona is mentioned.
Borderline transactional-romance comedies receive a yes, distinguishing the film from overt prostitution stories and the payment structure of 10 Things I Hate About You.
