Can't Buy Me Love (1987)
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A high school nerd pays a popular cheerleader to pose as his girlfriend to gain social status.
The story
Ronald Miller is a typical high school nerd living in suburban Tucson, Arizona. He has spent all summer mowing lawns to save up for a telescope. At an opportune moment, he makes a deal with next-door neighbor and popular cheerleader Cindy Mancini. She had borrowed her mother's expensive suede outfit without permission to wear to a Labor Day party, only to have wine accidentally spilled on it. Cindy reluctantly agrees to help Ronald look "cool" by posing as his girlfriend for a month for $1,000 (which was used to replace the ruined outfit), although she already has a boyfriend, Bobby Hilton, who is attending the University of Iowa.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Ronald Miller, a high school nerd in Tucson, Arizona, strikes a deal with popular cheerleader Cindy Mancini to pose as his girlfriend for a month in exchange for $1,000 to replace a ruined suede outfit. Under Cindy's direction, Ronald undergoes a makeover and trades his loyal friends for popular students. As they spend time together, a genuine bond develops; Cindy shares a secret poem with him, and Ronald shares his passion for astronomy. However, tensions arise when Ronald behaves arrogantly at school and Cindy's boyfriend, Bobby, discovers the arrangement, leading to a public breakup and Ronald being ostracized. After being rejected by both the jocks and the nerds, Ronald finds an opportunity to redeem himself by stopping a jock from bullying his best friend, Kenneth. He eventually reconciles with everyone by standing up against school tribalism. Finally, Ronald apologizes to Cindy, confessing that he only wanted to be close to her rather than seeking popularity. They share their first kiss and ride off together on his riding lawnmower.
- Original title
- Boy Rents Girl
- First release year
- 1987
- Runtime (minutes)
- 94
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Steve Rash
- Writers
- Michael Swerdlick · writer
- Cast and characters
- Patrick Dempsey · Ronald Miller; Amanda Peterson · Cindy Mancini; Dennis Dugan; Steve Franken; Seth Green
- Genres
- romantic comedy; teen comedy; coming-of-age
- Themes
- popularity; identity; social status; sincerity
- Tone and mood
- romantic; comedic; sentimental
- Premise and plot tags
- high school; romance; makeover; fake dating
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Beatles song 'Can't Buy Me Love'
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, with some noting it traded originality for popularity. It was ranked number 41 on Entertainment Weekly's 2006 list of the 50 Best High School Movies.
- Reported review scores
- Roger Ebert · score: half star · scale: 4
- Awards and nominations
- Young Artist Award · Best Young Actor in a Motion Picture—Comedy · Won; Young Artist Award · Best Young Actress in a Motion Picture—Comedy · Nominated; Young Artist Award · Best Young Actress in a Motion Picture—Comedy · Nominated; Young Artist Award · Best Family Motion Picture—Comedy · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled Boy Rents Girl.; The choreography was by Paula Abdul, who made an uncredited appearance as a dancer.; A scene features the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group Aircraft Bone Yard on Davis–Monthan Air Force Base.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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