Unhappy with their sad social lives Gary (Anthony Michael Hall classic 80’s nerd) and Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) decide to create the “perfect” woman using their computer. Their inspiration for this is comes from watching Frankenstein. Using magazine cut outs, a scanner, Bra head pieces, a computer, most of the power in the region and a Barbie doll hooked up to some wires they succeed in creating Lisa (Kelly LeBrock – who you can now see on Celebrity Fit Club!)
Not only was Lisa magically created but also she seems to have super powers that allow her to create what ever she needs. Quickly the boys are popular, have girl friends, throw amazing parties, and drive a Ferrari. There is no real explanation of where all this comes from but it is implied that Lisa’s presence simply gives the boys the confidence they’ve always needed.
Some of the characters that don’t benefit from Lisa’s presence are Wyatt’s older Militant brother Chet (Bill Paxton at his finest) and the two school bullies Ian and Max (Robert Downey Jr.) Eventually Lisa has to go back to where she came from conveniently around the same time that Wyatt’s parents are coming home from their trip. And everything goes back to the way it was, except the boys have a new sense of confidence.
This is a typical Hughes film, set in fictional Shermer Illinois (Wyatt and Gary would have attended the same high school as the kids in the Breakfast Club.) The idea of nerds or geeks vs. the popular kids was also a favorite of Hughes, in most of his films the nerds succeed in humiliating the jocks; maybe this is a recurring fantasy of his.
I wouldn’t recommend this film its extremely predictable and I remember enjoying the TV series much more than the film. (The ’94 TV series starred John Asher, Michael Manasseri and Vanessa Angel – there were 88 episodes.)
The best scene in the movie however is when Bill Paxton is turned into a Jabba the Hut type character. There is also a great theme song.
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