Has Your Tween Seen "Lucas"?

Source: Gary Dennis

(16 ratings)

Note from Tween Parent: we're pleased to continue a regular entertainment feature highlighting classic movies to share with your tween. We're grateful to Gary Dennis, classic film authority and founder of Gary Dennis' Movie Place of New York City. Stay tuned and enjoy!

Lucas (1986)

This picture was one of those 80's teen comedies/dramas that were churned out with such rapidity that a good number of them got lost in the cyclone of movie land competition. Some deserved to be lost; however, there were a good number of pictures that did not deserve that fate and Lucas is one of those that should be remembered.

Set in a small town in Midwest America (Glen Ellyn, Illinois is where the picture was shot), the story concerns small-framed, socially awkward, fourteen year old Lucas. As an accelerated student, his primary passion is science. During the summer, Lucas and Maggie (Kerri Green), a new girl in town, form a friendship that Lucas imagines as something more. When school begins, Maggie becomes interested in cheerleading and the captain of the high school football team (Charlie Sheen), an older brother figure to Lucas. As a result, Maggie and Lucas' time together dwindles. And, when romance blooms between his two best friends, heartbreak ensues. As Lucas begins to feel more and more alone, he desperately tries anything that will bring him closer to Maggie, including trying out for the football team. No matter how clever Lucas is at covering the pain of being rejected, he is still the outsider who desperately wants to fit in.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Rating: MPAA PG-13

Parental Guidance: may be best suited for older tweens, due to questionable behavior, including mockery, lying and teen drinking. In addition, parents are often absent on film.

Length: 100 minutes

Director: David Seltzer

Writer: David Seltzer

Starring: Corey Haim, Kerri Green, Charlie Sheen, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Winona Ryder

Highlights

The picture has the prerequisite stereotypes that all 80's teen comedies/dramas had to have. One of the main characters has to be rich but unspoiled; one character has to be from (sometimes literally) the other side of the tracks; and, of course, there has to be a bully of some kind. What separates this movie from the pack is that this is the nicest, most supportive high school on film since Andy Hardy's day. The whole town is nice - I wanted to live there! Even the bully is nice. Playing against the stereotypical cold-hearted jock, Sheen's character looks out for Lucas, even while he is falling for the girl Lucas loves. Overall Lucas is a sweet story with a handkerchief-worthy ending and a decent message: "be who you are."

Insider Scoop/Trivia (for Parents!)

Filmed in 1984 but not released until 1986, the picture features good performances by Charlie Sheen as the football hero/captain, Courtney Thorne Smith as his ex-girlfriend, Corey Haim as Lucas, Kerri Green as the new girl in town and, in her film debut, Winona Ryder as the girl who is stuck on Lucas. Look for Jeremy Piven in a supporting role.

Recognition

Nominated for three "Young Artist Awards", including: Exceptional Feature Film, Family Entertainment; Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor in a Feature Film, Comedy or Drama (Corey Haim and Kerri Green).

* In the United States, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), through the Classification and Rating Administration (CARA) issues ratings for movies. The system was instituted in November 1968 and is voluntary; however, most movie theater chains will not show unrated domestic films and most major studios have agreed to submit all titles for rating prior to theatrical release.

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The venerable Gary Dennis launched the website, nycmovieplace.com, after closing his retail location, Movie Place, in New York City. Upon the store's closing, he auctioned off what was considered one of the greatest private collections of DVDs and videos ever assembled! Visit Gary's website at  nycmovieplace.com for his truly unique brand of movie suggestions and commentary.