Can't Buy Me Love (1987)

A nerdy outcast secretly pays the most popular girl in school one thousand dollars to be his girlfriend.

Director:

Steve Rash

Writer:

Michael Swerdlick

Stars:

Patrick Dempsey, Amanda Peterson, Courtney Gains

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patrick Dempsey	...	Ronald Miller
Amanda Peterson	...	Cindy Mancini
Courtney Gains	...	Kenneth Wurman
Tina Caspary	...	Barbara
Seth Green	...	Chuckie Miller
Sharon Farrell	...	Mrs. Mancini
Darcy DeMoss	...	Patty
Dennis Dugan	...	David Miller
Cloyce Morrow	...	Judy Miller
Devin DeVasquez	...	Iris
Cort McCown	...	Quint
Eric Bruskotter	...	Big John
Gerardo Mejía	...	Ricky
Ami Dolenz	...	Fran
Max Perlich	...	Lester

Storyline

Ronald Miller is tired of being a nerd, and makes a deal with one of the most popular girls in school to help him break into the "cool" clic. He offers her a thousand dollars to pretend to be his girlfriend for a month. It succeeds, but he soon learns that the price of popularity may be higher than he expected.

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Plot Keywords:

popularity | money | poker game | cheerleader | nerd | 

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Taglines:

Ronald is making an investment in his senior year. He's hiring the prettiest cheerleader in school to be his girlfriend.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 August 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Boy Rents Girl

Filming Locations:

3050 N Hill Farm Drive, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$31,623,833 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Apollo Pictures, Silver Screen Partners III, The Mount Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Airplane Graveyard/Boneyard is located just outside of Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson.

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Goofs

Actor's mark visible on the floor near Big John during the dance scene.

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Quotes

[Patty seducing Ronald in the car]
Patty: Are you into long distance relationships?
Ronald Miller: No.
Patty: Now, then why don't you reach out and touch someone?
[puts his hands on her breasts]

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Connections

References The Buddy Holly Story (1978)

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Soundtracks

"Don't Wanna Be Your Fool"
Written and Performed by Britton (as Brittan)

User Reviews

Underrated and charming 80's teen flick

Most 80's teen flicks leave a rather sick feeling in my stomach, but this one has always been a favorite despite the stereotypical shallow, big-haired girls and the Animal House wanna-be jocks. The difference is that the stars, Patrick Dempsey and Amanda Peterson, are not so stereotypical in their roles as lonely nerd and ultra-popular head cheerleader.

Patrick Dempsey has always been underrated as an actor with style, and it is unfortunate that his character, Ronald, is so unlikable after the film's premise kicks in. Ronald goes "from geek to chic" and back again. But Dempsey himself seems too inherently confident to really pull off the geek aspect believably, and he's too cruel to the girl whose heart he won for Ronald to be a truly sympathetic character. The hip version of Ronald, however, is a hoot to watch, even if it is somewhat overdone in the context of an already unlikely plot.

The standout in this film is Amanda Peterson, whose character Cindy has to be one of the most genuinely likeable "stuck up" high school girls on film. Watching her character grow and open her heart to Ronald is the main reason I've given this film repeated viewings. Although the genres are quite different, I'd compare Peterson's character to Renee Zellweger's character in Jerry MaGuire in terms of sheer likability. Making characters likeable is much more difficult than making them sympathetic, and I'm frankly shocked that Peterson's career did not skyrocket after this performance.

Whether you're looking for creative ways to invest $1000 or dancing lessons, Can't Buy Me Love is one 80's teen flick that has a lot to offer.