angiesix's review against another edition
3.0
I need someone who grew up in the 90s or even, heaven forbid, the early 2000s to read Hadley Freeman’s ode to the great movies of the 80s and tell me if they loved it as much as I did. Am I a biased fan of the era that brought us John Hughes, Baby, and Steel Magnolias? Or were the movies really that good? Freeman takes the reader through several of the 80s top movies and shares her reasons for why they stand the test of time and the lessons we learned from them. The movies discussed include Dirty Dancing, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Back to the Future and Batman, along with many more. In between chapters she entertains with super-important (not really) lists of 80s pop culture, such as Top Five Rick Moranis Moments and Top Ten Best Love Songs on an Eighties Movie Soundtrack. If you have fond memories of Molly Ringwald and Steve Guttenberg, this book is for you. And if you say it was all crap, I have one word for you: inconceivable!
3wilcotroad's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
offbalance80's review against another edition
4.0
I might never have picked up this book, were it not for an enthusiastic recommendation from a friend, I decided to give it a whirl. Similar to long conversations with friends arguing over the finer points of beloved films, I'm not sure what the lessons were that we actually were supposed to take away from the 80s films under discussion, other to remember the joy we all felt while experiencing them. This book is a book of a mid-evening bar conversation, but that's a plus, not a minus.
fiddleysticks's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
3.5
I had mixed feelings about this book.
I really enjoyed the more factual and statistical elements, and did have valuable comments to make on the place of "women's" films in the past and more recently.
But I struggled with the more personal opinion parts and felt the author could more easily gloss over some of the problematic aspects of these films than I would have liked. Although what is and is not acceptable to society has changed since the 80s, I felt that nostalgia won the day for the author.
I really enjoyed the more factual and statistical elements, and did have valuable comments to make on the place of "women's" films in the past and more recently.
But I struggled with the more personal opinion parts and felt the author could more easily gloss over some of the problematic aspects of these films than I would have liked. Although what is and is not acceptable to society has changed since the 80s, I felt that nostalgia won the day for the author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Sexism and Racism
tashmoustache_'s review against another edition
4.0
Real rating: 4.5
Despite the fact that I didn't agree with all of Hadley's points about these movies (mainly Batman and Steel Magnolias), the enthusiasm and passion she pours into every argument is clear to see and more than anything it's just so wonderful to be able to read a book that talks as lovingly about Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, and The Princess Bride as much as I myself love them. Seriously, if you love 80s movies then this book is a MUST read for it's hilarious "Top Tens" and in-depth interviews with the likes of Tim Burton, Molly Ringwald, and Michael J Fox to name but a few!
P.S- In my opinion this book is enjoyed best if you watch/(in most cases) re-watch the movies discussed in each chapter before you read said chapter as then it feels more like a much more wholly and rounded experience, (with Hadley serving as your 80s-obsessed older sibling), and not "just a book".
Despite the fact that I didn't agree with all of Hadley's points about these movies (mainly Batman and Steel Magnolias), the enthusiasm and passion she pours into every argument is clear to see and more than anything it's just so wonderful to be able to read a book that talks as lovingly about Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, and The Princess Bride as much as I myself love them. Seriously, if you love 80s movies then this book is a MUST read for it's hilarious "Top Tens" and in-depth interviews with the likes of Tim Burton, Molly Ringwald, and Michael J Fox to name but a few!
P.S- In my opinion this book is enjoyed best if you watch/(in most cases) re-watch the movies discussed in each chapter before you read said chapter as then it feels more like a much more wholly and rounded experience, (with Hadley serving as your 80s-obsessed older sibling), and not "just a book".
jeffreyreads's review against another edition
3.0
I was really into the author’s thesis and analysis of eighties movies at first, but she slowly started to lose me.
My biggest issue is that she’s unnecessarily bitter about movies that aren’t from the eighties. Some of it is all in good fun, but then there are other times where she feels the need to insert random opinions about other movies that don’t relate or compare at all to the eighties movie she’s talking about. I would say this might have bothered me because a lot of the modern movies she talks shit about are some of my favorites, but then again, her own bias against movies that aren’t from the eighties is astounding, so I’m gonna let myself have this one.
What got me even more than that was how she can write entire chapters about Pretty in Pink, When Harry Met Sally, and Steel Magnolias—mentioning in each that there aren’t enough quality movies written and made for women—WHILE ALSO writing chapters about how Ghostbusters and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off are both masterpieces and some of the best movies ever made. Nothing personal against Ghostbusters or Ferris Bueller, but both are fairly patriarchal, sexist, and enjoyed most by straight white men. You can’t complain that romcoms made after 1990 are garbage and/or there aren’t enough movies made for women and also praise male-dominated eighties classics. Pick a lane.
My biggest issue is that she’s unnecessarily bitter about movies that aren’t from the eighties. Some of it is all in good fun, but then there are other times where she feels the need to insert random opinions about other movies that don’t relate or compare at all to the eighties movie she’s talking about. I would say this might have bothered me because a lot of the modern movies she talks shit about are some of my favorites, but then again, her own bias against movies that aren’t from the eighties is astounding, so I’m gonna let myself have this one.
What got me even more than that was how she can write entire chapters about Pretty in Pink, When Harry Met Sally, and Steel Magnolias—mentioning in each that there aren’t enough quality movies written and made for women—WHILE ALSO writing chapters about how Ghostbusters and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off are both masterpieces and some of the best movies ever made. Nothing personal against Ghostbusters or Ferris Bueller, but both are fairly patriarchal, sexist, and enjoyed most by straight white men. You can’t complain that romcoms made after 1990 are garbage and/or there aren’t enough movies made for women and also praise male-dominated eighties classics. Pick a lane.
mschlat's review against another edition
4.0
I was three parts thrilled and one part exasperated by this book. To start with the exasperation, the title should be Why Hadley Freeman Thinks Eighties Movies Are Objectively Better (and Why You Should Too). There's really not a lot about "lessons", at least in the moral or self-improvement sense. Instead, Freeman is focused (most of the time) on what eighties movies provided better than movies today, with a large focus on more positive feminist messages, a greater diversity of settings and characters, and more quotable quotes. She also repeatedly talks about the downfall of movies today (e.g., the reliance on tentpole franchises) with support from John Landis, Nancy Meyers, and Steven Soderburgh... and I just found this tiresome after awhile. (I don't disagree with her, but I didn't find these portions compelling reading.) And, to boot, Freeman is quite prone to digressions and autobiographical bits, which sometimes fit and sometimes don't.
And yet... every day I was reading this book, I was talking about it. I found Freeman's insights on sex positivity, the arc of Eddie Murphy's career, the strange conservative "maverick" male roles, the importance of Coming to America, the role of parents in Back to the Future (to name a few topics) fascinating. There's just a very appealing mix of social criticism and film history (especially about John Hughes) that I ate up with enthusiasm. And that enthusiasm is probably why the exasperation drove me crazy --- it's a wonderful but frustratingly uneven work.
One note: because of Freeman's interests, there are a lot of feminist takes and female-centered movies. (I learned quite a bit about Dirty Dancing thanks to some excellent explication and wasn't expecting to read about Beaches.) I liked this, but if your eighties movie memories are more focused on male-centered films, you may feel a lack. I would love for someone to apply this level of criticism to Weird Science and Real Genius.
And yet... every day I was reading this book, I was talking about it. I found Freeman's insights on sex positivity, the arc of Eddie Murphy's career, the strange conservative "maverick" male roles, the importance of Coming to America, the role of parents in Back to the Future (to name a few topics) fascinating. There's just a very appealing mix of social criticism and film history (especially about John Hughes) that I ate up with enthusiasm. And that enthusiasm is probably why the exasperation drove me crazy --- it's a wonderful but frustratingly uneven work.
One note: because of Freeman's interests, there are a lot of feminist takes and female-centered movies. (I learned quite a bit about Dirty Dancing thanks to some excellent explication and wasn't expecting to read about Beaches.) I liked this, but if your eighties movie memories are more focused on male-centered films, you may feel a lack. I would love for someone to apply this level of criticism to Weird Science and Real Genius.
nikamajig's review against another edition
1.0
I’m convinced the synopsis and the book itself were two totally different things. Not what I was expecting at all and am disappointed by the direction this book went in.
laurenash's review against another edition
2.0
But in defense of [the dress Andie made in Pretty in Pink], it does encapsulate one of the truly great things about girls in eighties teen movies: they dressed like shit."
I really wanted to love this book because it's a very "me" topic. Yet, I kept noticing errors or one-sided arguments, or frankly just a lack of understanding/knowledge of movies today. First of all, yes, (500) Days of Summer and The Perks of Being a Wallflower both "feature" the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope...but it's to go against it. Elizabethtown would have been a better example because--oh yeah!--that's the movie that prompted Nathan Rabin to coin the term in the first place. But, Hadley Freeman probably already knew that (or not). Anyway, there were more than a couple OBVIOUS errors... Like how she was talking about Grease and used "Sandie" but in later paragraphs it's "Sandy" (the Y here is correct). Did anyone actually proofread the book before sending it off to be printed?
Secondly, Hadley needs to calm down with her claims such as "When Harry Met Sally... is easily the most quotable film of the 1980s, the most quotable of all the decades." Umm. No, it's not. Although I love it, When Harry Met Sally... is not very quotable. Anyone who is interested in this book or the topic should be prepared for a heavy author bias/opinion. It's possible to say your opinion without insinuating your thoughts are The Way. And what's weird about reading this book is that I don't agree with most of her claims, see above for example.
Me reading this book, but way less chill:
I'm a child of the 90's but that doesn't make me inferior. I watched many o' John Hughes's movies before I was in high school. That doesn't make me any better or worse than anyone else. But you wouldn't know that from the pretentiousness and superiority that Hadley writes with. Ugh.
I really wanted to love this book because it's a very "me" topic. Yet, I kept noticing errors or one-sided arguments, or frankly just a lack of understanding/knowledge of movies today. First of all, yes, (500) Days of Summer and The Perks of Being a Wallflower both "feature" the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope...but it's to go against it. Elizabethtown would have been a better example because--oh yeah!--that's the movie that prompted Nathan Rabin to coin the term in the first place. But, Hadley Freeman probably already knew that (or not). Anyway, there were more than a couple OBVIOUS errors... Like how she was talking about Grease and used "Sandie" but in later paragraphs it's "Sandy" (the Y here is correct). Did anyone actually proofread the book before sending it off to be printed?
Secondly, Hadley needs to calm down with her claims such as "When Harry Met Sally... is easily the most quotable film of the 1980s, the most quotable of all the decades." Umm. No, it's not. Although I love it, When Harry Met Sally... is not very quotable. Anyone who is interested in this book or the topic should be prepared for a heavy author bias/opinion. It's possible to say your opinion without insinuating your thoughts are The Way. And what's weird about reading this book is that I don't agree with most of her claims, see above for example.
Me reading this book, but way less chill:
I'm a child of the 90's but that doesn't make me inferior. I watched many o' John Hughes's movies before I was in high school. That doesn't make me any better or worse than anyone else. But you wouldn't know that from the pretentiousness and superiority that Hadley writes with. Ugh.
samrh's review against another edition
5.0
If you love 80s movies (like I do) you’ll love this book!!