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We’ve got a totally rad throwback for this week because Can’t Buy Me Love is taking us back to the 80’s! This movie is one of my mom’s favorites, and she introduced it to me years ago. It’s another classic teen movie (just a couple decades older), and I believe this hidden gem starring a young, nerdy Patrick Dempsey was overshadowed by the Molly Ringwald era of Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles.

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Here’s a recap for those who have not seen the movie: Ronald Miller (Patrick Dempsey) is a high schooler stuck in the geeky crowd, and Cindy Mancini (Amanda Peterson) is the captain of the cheerleading squad (also known as the most popular girl in school). He’s been mowing lawns – Cindy’s being one of them – to earn enough money and buy a $1,000 telescope. Cindy finds herself in a bind after ruining her mother’s outfit that is coincidentally worth $1,000. Ronald proposes a deal: He will sacrifice his hard-earned money to pay for the outfit, but Cindy must integrate him into the popular crowd by pretending to date him for a month. She agrees, and they both learn a few things along the way.

Similar to my previous post on My Big Fat Greek Wedding, I am going to highlight some of my favorite things about the movie.

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The African Anteater Ritual: Ronald is going to the dance with one of Cindy’s friends, and he is worried about making a good impression. He is expected to be a good dancer, so he asks his brother, Chuckie, to turn the TV to American Bandstand. Ronald was hoping to learn some moves from the music and dance show, and once he is done, Chuckie comes back to the TV and realizes that Ronald was learning his newest dance from the African Anteater Ritual on “African Cultural Hour”. Ronald then goes to the dance and debuts his interesting moves. His old friend group recognizes the dance immediately and makes fun of him as they sit along the wall, but everyone else goes along with it and embraces this new dance. This clip sums it up pretty well.

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Chuckie Miller (Seth Green): Chuckie is the younger brother of Ronald, and he is the epitome of a younger sibling. I may be an only child, but if I had a sibling, this is what I would expect it to be like. Chuckie is constantly picking on Ronald, poking around in his business, and trying to get him in trouble. Throughout the movie, he can be found hiding in a bush, a car, etc., to see what Ronald is up to. Chuckie never fails to make me laugh and is definitely my favorite character in Can’t Buy Me Love.

 

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The 80’s vibes: The retro aesthetic is truly something special. The big hair, the bright colors, the shoulder pads. Even if you don’t like the storyline of the movie, you can at least appreciate it for the 80’s time capsule it is. There is so much to take in with the picture alone.

To conclude my thoughts on Can’t Buy Me Love, I will (as always) be discussing the soundtrack. As I just mentioned, the movie is 80’s to the max, and the soundtrack is no exception. However, I will be focusing on the 1964 Beatles song, “Can’t Buy Me Love”, due to its obvious relevance to the movie. Ronald essentially buys Cindy’s love, but they both realize it was a mistake. The song talks about buying things for their significant other if that’s what they really want, but they know that there are things – love – that “money just can’t buy”. Oddly enough, Cindy and Ronald do end up together, but it was on their own terms rather than an arrangement.

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Today’s culture puts a lot of value in wealth and status. A lot of people, especially women, are labeled as gold diggers for entering relationships with wealthy men. They claim they are in love, but are they really? Do you think money can buy love? Or does it just provide temporary happiness or peace?

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Watch the Trailer

Once upon a time, a modern spinoff of the classic Cinderella tale was made, and it was named A Cinderella Story. If you are not familiar with the movie, there is a good chance you have seen or heard of at least one of the many remakes that have been created in the past two decades. A Cinderella Story will always be superior in my heart. Like most romcoms, it is cheesy and predictable, but I just appreciate it for what it is: a heartwarming, teen movie.

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It begins with Sam (Hilary Duff), a young girl whose dad dies in an earthquake and is forced to live with her stepmother (Jennifer Coolidge) and stepsisters. *I would like to point out that Jennifer Coolidge is truly iconic and absolutely does not fall short in this movie.* Sam grows up with the dream of going to Princeton, just like her dad wished. In order to make her dream a reality, she must work at her dad’s diner that was passed down to her stepmother (as well as the rest of his belongings). She is mistreated by her “family”, but her true family consists of her best friend, Carter, and the diner staff that she’s grown up with.

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Sam often chats anonymously online with “Nomad”, but little does she know, “Nomad” is Austin Ames (Chad Michael Murray), her high school’s star quarterback. They continue to discover how much they have in common, and Austin suggests they meet in person at the school dance. Of course, Sam is forced to work that night, but she finds a way to sneak out and go to the dance. Sam and Austin share a dance; however, everyone is dressed up in costumes, and Sam is wearing a masquerade mask that makes it impossible for Austin to identify her.

 

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Before her identity is revealed, she must return to the diner, and her cell phone drops in the process. Rather than a slipper, Austin uses her phone to hunt her down. Sam’s stepsisters find out what is going on and expose her in front of the entire school. Austin fails to stand up for Sam, and she is heartbroken. She reaches her breaking point with her stepfamily, quits her job at the diner, and moves in with Rhonda (Regina King), one of the waitresses who acts as her “fairy godmother”.

Meanwhile, Austin wants to reconcile with Sam, so during the homecoming football game, he runs into the bleachers, apologizes to Sam, and they kiss and make up. Not to mention, the drought that has plagued the area ends, and it starts pouring mid-kiss… impeccable timing, am I right? The happily-ever-after continues as both Sam and Austin get accepted to Princeton – yeah, ok – and Sam finds her dad’s will that designates Sam as the recipient of all of his possessions. This means the diner, the house, the money, and the cars are rightfully hers, and her stepmother is arrested for her wrongdoings.

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I often have to preface that some of these romcoms I share are not necessarily high-quality, Oscar-worthy films because I couldn’t care less about that stuff. A Cinderella Story is one of those movies that I can go back to time and time again, and it just hits the spot every time. It is the quintessential early 2000’s teen movie with a relevant twist to a story we all know. If you can’t help but make fun of the movie (I completely understand), here’s a comical Buzzfeed article on the movie.

As for the soundtrack, A Cinderella Story has one of my favorite soundtracks that I’ve covered so far. I think the 2000’s vibe is what does it for me, and the Jesse McCartney songs are the icing on the cake. The two songs that I cannot let go unnoticed are “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” by Natalie Cole (which isn’t on the soundtrack for some reason) and “To Make You Feel My Love” by Josh Kelley. These two songs are top-tier when it comes to love songs. “This Will Be” is such a happy song, and it fits so well at the end of the movie because it instantly lifts the spirits of listeners, just like the happy ending. I have grown up listening to Adele, so I am partial to her lovely version of “Make You Feel My Love”; however, it’s the lyrics of the song that make it so special. If I’m being honest, I don’t think Sam and Austin are truly worthy of this song quite yet due to the deep love described in the song compared to their very young love. Regardless, I appreciate the song in the movie.

I hope you enjoyed this little trip to the early 2000’s! I will see you later with another gem from my collection of romantic comedies.

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