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For the TV show for which this film became, see Weird Science (TV series)

Weird Science
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John Hughes
Produced by	Joel Silver
Written by	John Hughes
Starring	Anthony Michael Hall Kelly LeBrock Ilan Mitchell-Smith Bill Paxton
Music by	Danny Elfman Ira Newborn Jimmy Iovine
Cinematography	Matthew F. Leonetti
Editing by	Chris Lebenzon Mark Warner
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	August 2, 1985
Running time	94 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Weird Science (1985) is a popular 1980s teen film written and directed by John Hughes and starring Kelly LeBrock.

The title song was written and performed by American New Wave stalwarts Oingo Boingo.

Taglines:

• It's all in the name of science. Weird Science.
• It's purely sexual. (UK)
• If you can't get a date, make one!
• They went from zeroes to heroes in one fantastic weekend.

The title "Weird Science" was taken from the famous pre-Comics Code 1950s EC Comics magazine Weird Science.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Trivia 4 Goofs 5 Criticisms and comparisons to other Hughes films 6 TV series 7 External links 8 References

Two teenage nerds, Gary (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith), unpopular and unable to meet girls on their own, use a computer to design the perfect woman. They feed various data (images mostly) into Wyatt's computer. Lacking sufficient processing power, they hack into a US Government mainframe and use its power to create a computer simulation of "the perfect woman" in order to place her in "real life sexual situations" and see how she reacts. A bizarre electrical storm (à la Frankenstein, their inspiration) follows, and they find themselves unable to shut the computer off.

Mysteriously, the result is "Lisa" (Kelly LeBrock), a real-life woman (who emerges from a red fog in the bathroom). She is a sexed-up but deeply caring "80's babe" with Einstein's IQ, David Lee Roth's attitude and inexplicable supernatural powers. Self-aware from the moment of her creation, Lisa sets about revealing their inner coolness, transforming Gary and Wyatt from nerds into men through a series of wacky and bizarre adventures. Using her magic powers, she takes them to a Blues Club, confronts Wyatt's nasty, bullying, domineering older brother Chet (Bill Paxton), and throws a giant party at Wyatt's upscale home. In the end, the boys get no sex from their mentor, but are seemingly on the path to a relationship with two cute girls their own age.

• Anthony Michael Hall as Gary Wallace
• Ilan Mitchell-Smith as Wyatt Donnelly
• Kelly LeBrock as Lisa
• Bill Paxton as Chet Donnelly
• Suzanne Snyder as Deb
• Judie Aronson as Hilly
• Robert Downey, Jr. as Ian
• Robert Rusler as Max
• Vernon Wells as Lord General
• Britt Leach as Al Wallace, Gary's dad
• Barbara Lang as Lucy Wallace, Gary's mom
• Ivor Barry as Henry Donnelly, Wyatt and Chet's grandfather
• Ann Coyle as Carmen Donnelly, Wyatt and Chet's grandmother
• Michael Berryman as Mutant Biker

• John Hughes wrote this film in two days.
• Anthony Michael Hall makes a reference to a girlfriend from Canada. His character "Brian" from The Breakfast Club (1985) also makes a reference to a fictional girlfriend from Canada.
• Kelly LeBrock initially turned down the role of Lisa, as she was vacationing in France at the time and was "having too much fun riding horses on the beach".
• The Time Magazine from which Gary and Wyatt accidentally create a nuclear missile is the January 31, 1983 issue. ^[1]
• Shermer, the fictional town in which many of John Hughes' movies are set, is derived from the name of a village (Shermerville) outside Chicago, Illinois. Northbrook, an affluent suburb, is the community used to represent Shermer in Hughes' films. Shermer Road can be found there.
• During the computer scene, when the two are gaining access to a better computer, a reference to The Twilight Zone is made; The Twilight Zone intro is shown as computer generated images.
• The character Lisa is named after the Apple Lisa.
• The film is parodied in Goldie Lookin' Chain's "Your missus is a nutter" music video.

• Gary's shoes at his headboard change positions between shots.
• When everything is being "sucked" out of the house, the girl playing the piano is obviously being pulled by a cable.
• Right before Ian and Max drop the Icee on Wyatt and Gary, the cup is filled well over the top. Seconds later when they drop it, the level of the liquid in the cup has dropped considerably.
• Lisa gets a beer for Gary and puts it down in front of him at the beginning of the scene when she meets his parents. A minute later, the glass of beer is gone.

Weird Science is generally not viewed as favorably as John Hughes’ other coming of age teen films, such as The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Sixteen Candles. For example, the movie is rated at 53% on the movie review website Rotten Tomatoes, whereas the other aforementioned Hughes films have a combined average rating of almost 91%.

The humor in the film is aimed more at teenage boys, and centers around the fantasy of creating the “perfect woman”. Similarly, the comedy is broader and raunchier than in other Hughes films, and there are no strong teenage female characters. Although rated PG-13, the film could garner a much more restrictive rating by today's standards. The humor and subject matter are typical of that of the mid-eighties that seemingly did not fit into common rating standards.

Despite this, the film shares some themes common to all of Hughes' classic teen films. Examples of these include the virtue of being true to oneself, the value of friendship and the difficulties faced by those who are different.

Main article: Weird Science (TV series)

A television show based on the film debuted in 1994 and ran for 88 episodes. Following the same basic plot as the movie it starred Vanessa Angel as Lisa, Michael Manasseri as Wyatt, John Mallory Asher as Gary, and Lee Tergesen as Chet.

• The Weird Science DVD Official Universal Studios Site
• Weird Science at the 80s Movie Gateway
• Weird Science at the Internet Movie Database

v • d • e American films of the 1980s
1980 •1981 •1982 •1983 •1984 •1985 •1986 •1987 •1988 •1989

v • d • e John Hughes
As Director	Sixteen Candles (1984)  · The Breakfast Club (1985)  · Weird Science (1985)  · Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)  · Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)  · She's Having a Baby (1988)  · Uncle Buck (1989)  · Curly Sue (1991)
As Writer	National Lampoon's Class Reunion (1982)  · Mr. Mom (1983)  · National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)  · Nate and Hayes (1983)  · Sixteen Candles (1984)  · The Breakfast Club (1985)  · Weird Science (1985)  · Pretty in Pink (1986)  · Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)  · Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)  · Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)  · She's Having a Baby (1988)  · The Great Outdoors (1988)  · Uncle Buck (1989)  · Christmas Vacation (1989)  · Home Alone (1990)  · Career Opportunituies (1991)  · Dutch (1991)  · Curly Sue (1991)  · Beethoven (1992)  · Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)  · Dennis the Menace (1993)  · Baby's Day Out (1994)  · Miracle on 34th Street (1994)  · 101 Dalmatians (1996)  · Flubber (1997)  · Home Alone 3 (1997)  · Reach the Rock (1998)  · Just Visiting (2001)  · Maid in Manhattan (2002)