All the other John Hughes films I have seen are really touching coming-of-age tales that humanise characters who might initially seem like stereotypical caricatures. This is the reason why 'Weird Science' feels like such an aberration. This film has the 80s written all over it, but unlike other Hughes' films, in a bad way. If one tries to count the number of times there is a scene or a line of dialogue that looks/sounds offensive, he/she will lose count by the 30 minute mark. It's one thing for a movie to be about a character who is offensive, but its quite another when the movie itself starts reveling in the offensive content. One of many examples of the film reveling in its vulgar content is the scene where a random pianist girl gets unnecessarily stripped naked by the blowing wind and the scene gets played out for comedic effect and it reeks of puerile crassness. The interesting thing is that offensive jokes can still be funny, but unfortunately other than a few scenes featuring Bill Paxton, the film completely failed at making me laugh.
I think the ultimate message that this film gives and the realisation that the two protagonists arrive at is not that bad. But the route it takes to drive home that message is highly offensive, misogynistic and questionable. Bill Paxton's performance as Chet is the one saving grace that the film offers. He makes every second of his guest appearance worth it. But unfortunately apart from him, there isn't much here to look forward to.
I think the ultimate message that this film gives and the realisation that the two protagonists arrive at is not that bad. But the route it takes to drive home that message is highly offensive, misogynistic and questionable. Bill Paxton's performance as Chet is the one saving grace that the film offers. He makes every second of his guest appearance worth it. But unfortunately apart from him, there isn't much here to look forward to.