Can't Buy Me Love (1987)

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Directed by Steve Rash.

Starring Patrick Dempsey, Courtney Gains, Seth Green, Amanda Peterson, Tina Caspary.

Borrowing a chapter from the John Hughes school of teen comedy, this likeable caper was a box office success. Patrick Dempsey stars as Ronald Miller, a high school nerd about to enter his senior year, who longs for acceptance as one of the "cool kids." His next-door neighbor Cindy Mancini (Amanda Peterson) is a cheerleader and one of the most popular girls in school, but she doesn't even know that Ronald exists. When she ruins an expensive outfit of her mother's, Ronald offers the $1,000 needed to replace it, if she will pretend to date him for one month. Although skeptical about Ronald's plan, Cindy agrees, and her "new boyfriend" turns out to be right about what he thinks dating Cindy will do for him -- he becomes accepted by the school's snobs because of his association with one of their own. At least, for a while. Originally titled "Boy Rents Girl," Can't Buy Me Love (1987) was the first production launched by former studio executive Thom Mount after leaving his high-profile post. His company went on to produce weightier material such as Bull Durham (1988), The Indian Runner (1991), and Natural Born Killers (1994). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Re: Coming of age in the 80s
by lukasblu in Grew up in the 80's

hasn't rated it.

"is there any of your fave stars from back then(80s) that are not sooo cute today but still a talented actor til today.Or better yet.a more gifted actor,because witth age,it gives u more wisdom,more experience to be a better actor;Or shall i say thespian;Maybe with age ,u become a more well rounded actor and have more experience with playing a more varied type of roles.I mean no more teenage roles for them but still talented neverthlessJohn cusack,alec baldwin,james spader,rob lowe,and mathew broderick are some that are doing great til todayWhat about actors that u never heard from again after the 80s or just did roles that are not quite up to their caliber compared to back then??how about actors that were cool dorks back then but today still cool but no longer a dork?Patrick demsey comes to mind from can't buy me love and now greys anatomy(tv show). " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

lost interest.

The struggle to graduate from geek to god has rarely been as painfully misguided as in Can't Buy Me Love, in which a well-meaning romantic (Patrick Dempsey) uses the money he'd set aside for a telescope to rent a popular beauty's affections for a month's time. Of course, in this process he also must step on the toes of his former clan of nerdish friends, and Dempsey's Ronald Miller does so with an iron boot, straying further from the straight and narrow than a frivolous comedy like this would usually require. The rocky road to popularity, as well as the revelation that the journey is pretty hollow, is handled at about the average level for this genre. Dempsey's intensity as an actor gives Ronald Miller a third dimension that the script doesn't provide. Amanda Peterson made quite an impression as Dempsey's love interest, bringing a lot more to the production than just a pretty face, but never again materialized in such a prominent role. Seth Green also makes an early career appearance as Ronald's pesky younger brother. Beneath its simplistic narrative sheen, Can't Buy Me Love has enough warmth and true sentiments that it deserves its status as a fond favorite of those who were teenagers in the late '80s. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide

Tags: nerd , popularity , 80s-classic , love , money
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