Arquette's hilarious performance leads a cast of unknowns (except Wilson) through 1982, small-town Virginia. The writing is spot on and the characters (many local, untrained actors) are as believable as can be. Nena Daniels, a local, steals every scene she's in. This is not a typical 80s, Hollywood, high school angst movie. There is nothing Hollywood about it and school life is only half the story. The other half is family - your family - no matter how quirky, weird or embarrassing they may be. If you went to middle school or high school during this period - like me - absolutely everything in this film will strike a chord. You will watch it and say, "I knew a kid like that! I had a teacher like that! My parents, my weird neighbor, our kitchen, my school, those eye glasses, those outfits, those horrible hairdos, the local beauty college, the goofy townspeople - I remember that stuff!"
*****10 stars for 90 minutes of quirky fun and memories (and 3 minutes of School House Rocks!)*****
