Can’t Buy Me Love (PG-13)

Eighteen years before he was Dr. McDreamy on “Grey’s Anatomy,” Patrick Dempsey made his leading role debut in one of the all time classic high school movies, “Can’t Buy Me Love.”  The 1987 film, directed by Steve Rash, features all the ingredients for a perfect high school movie; a giant school, vapid cheerleaders, over the-top nerds and jocks, and of course, the perfect love story.

Ronald Miller (Dempsey) is an astronomy-loving nerd who is about to enter his senior year of high school. He has spent the entire summer mowing lawns in attempt to save up the $1,000 needed to purchase a new telescope. One of the yards he mows is the house of his long time crush; the popular head cheerleader Cindy Mancini (Amanda Peterson), who of course doesn’t know he’s alive (referring to him as ‘Donald’). Whilst watching the cheerleaders and football team practice, Ronald has a heart-to-heart discussion with fellow nerd and best friend Kenneth (Courtney Gains) about how great it would be if they too could be popular for their senior year. Ronald prophesies his desires to go to parties, joyride, and of course, sit with the cool kids at lunch.

En route to her friend’s end of summer party, Cindy takes her mother’s white suede outfit to wear without permission. Meanwhile,Ronald, Kenneth, and two other nerd friends gather for their weekly Saturday night poker game (a scene that foreshadows the popular sitcom “The Big Bang Theory”). At the party, someone spills red wine (of course) all over Cindy’s outfit. The next day at the mall, Ronald is about to buy his telescope when he discovers Cindy in distress at the clothing store with the ruined garment. Her only option is to buy a replacement outfit for her mother and low and behold, the same dress is featured right behind the counter with a price tag of $1,000. Not $999.99…$1,000, which is perfect since this is the exact amount Ronald has for his telescope. The deal is struck; Ronald will give Cindy the money and in exchange, she will pretend to date him for one month. “You want to rent me?”  Cindy yells in disgust?  “Just going out with me is not going to make you popular.”  To which Ronald quickly responds, “I have $1,000 dollars that says it will.”

Ronald and Cindy meet outside the school on the first day back and she quickly fixes his style, or lack thereof, by removing his glasses, tearing the sleeves off his shirt, and putting mousse in his hair. Ronald is nearly orgasmic as he prepares to walk the “cool hall” for the first time ever. As they enter the school, the other popular kids gawk like Cindy is riding on an elephant. Skeptical at first, her friends quickly embrace him as one of their own, and Ronald is awarded the dream of a lifetime. As one of the other popular girls states, “He went from totally geek to totally sheik.”

The pair date for the first month of the school year, and start to have genuine feelings for each other. Sneaking along on some of the dates in order to spy is Ronald’s twerpy little brother Chuckie (Seth Green in a very early role). Cindy opens up to Ronald, confiding in him that she likes to write poetry, something no one else knows about her. Ronald has been love struck since the beginning and still believes the dates are just part of the act.

After a month, Ronald and Cindy end things as promised, and Ronald is left with the coveted reputation of being a heartbreaker.  All the girls that never knew he existed want to go out with him and the popular jocks revere him, even asking him for advice on women. As Ronald begins to change, he alienates his longtime friend Kenneth, and even Cindy.

“Can’t Buy Me Love” wins in its presentation of a scenario many of us have dreamed of – being accepted by the popular kids (hell,I’m thirty-five and I still pine to be one of the cool guys). In looking through the cast, Patrick Dempsey and Seth Green are the only ones that have had a continued career in Hollywood which is surprising since the acting from every character in the film is excellent, saving it from the cliché predictability that the plot of the movie employs. One scene near the end features Ronald walking home alone, laying on the floor and crying and Patrick Dempsey does such a great job you actually feel sympathetic for his character.