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Home » Blogs » Ace's blog » "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" all over again

"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" all over again

by
Ace

This just out: A remake of Girls Just Want to Have Fun is in the works. My wife’s reaction of “Why would they remake perfection?!” aside, I pretty much expect this news to be met with a big resounding thud.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not disrespecting the original 1985 movie.

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I love this movie. In fact, I own this movie. (And in honor of this news, I watched it this weekend!) But to the best of my knowledge, Girls Just Want to Have Fun was never really a cultural phenomenon.

If you’re not familiar with the movie, the fun-seeking girls in question are a post-Square Pegs Sarah Jessica Parker as the shy army brat who loves to dance, a post-Quarterback Princess Helen Hunt as the madcap best friend who convinces her to try out for Dance TV, and a post-Little House on the Prairie but pre-90210 Shannen Doherty as the kid sister of the brooding — yet teddy-bear-cute — rebel assigned to dance with SJP.

The movie is one giant cliché — the final scene is a dance-off between SJP/brooding rebel and the conniving villain. (I won’t tell you who wins.) It’s also a celebration of mid '80s fashion in all it’s glory.

But that’s all it is. It’s fun and light and was a moderate hit at the time. And the title seemed to have little to do with the movie. (Most likely, the movie was originally developed with a different title and then changed to capitalize on the popularity of the song — the original version of which did not appear in the movie, by the way.) It’s cult following aside, not that many people have heard of it. So why remake it now? Well, two reasons suggest themselves.

The first and, and probably more influential, is Miley Cyrus.

She covered the title song, and the movie is, at least theoretically, being developed as a star vehicle for her. I have no issue with Miley Cyrus and as remakes go, this one is probably pretty harmless.

The second reason I find a bit more tiresome, and that is the recent trend of remaking everything from the '80s. A few years ago, the Patrick Demsey classic, Can’t Buy Me Love (remember the anteater dance?) was remade as Love Don’t Cost a Thing. Last year a Breakfast Club remake, titled Bumped, was announced. Although tween heartthrob Zac Efron dropped out, Footloose is moving forward with Chace Crawford. Will Smith is putting together a Karate Kid remake starring his son. And even Red Dawn — the Cold War fantasy that’s creepily become a militia/survivalist favorite — is up for remake treatment. (I do wonder, however, who will be cast in the Jennifer Grey and Lea Thompson roles.)

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I’m a little perplexed by the fixation on the '80s. Perhaps movie executives my age are still trying to resolve their adolescences. Regardless, I find it a wee bit boring. I realize that there may not be new stories to be told, but it’s not clear to me that we need to keep seeing the exact same movies over and over.

What do you think about the trend of remaking '80s movies? Are there any that you’d like/hate to see remade?

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    • Submitted by
    Ace
    on June 1, 2009 - 12:00pm.
    TAGS :: 
    IamNotRachel's picture

    Noooooooooooooooooooooo

    Submitted by
    IamNotRachel (49 posts)
    on June 1, 2009 - 1:01pm.

    This is my favourite film of all time, and simply, should never ever ever be remade.
    Hearing it is a vehicle for Miley Cyrus is blasphemy. How could they!?

    Its not just 80s movies, they remake everything these days mainly due to the studios looking to make a quick buck. There's no originality at the moment, and its such a shame they have to taint the old (and most people will say terrible) movies like this. With this film, its not about it being a great movie, technically its not the best but its so loveable. This films makes me feel great when I watch it. 

    I am extremely happy that a remake of The Last Unicorn is now not happening, and probably never will due to legal issues.

    The only way I can justify a remake is if it makes more people check out the original.

     

     

     

    Eris_of_Myth's picture

    Not cool!

    Submitted by
    Eris_of_Myth (211 posts)
    on June 1, 2009 - 1:00pm.

    Why can't they leave the 80's alone?? I know most of the audience they want to attract to these reboot/remake movies weren't even thought of, let alone born, in the 80's, but hell! I could care less if some kid likes "Girls Wanna Have Fun" (the SJP/HH version), because I love it the way it is. Dance TV is awesome in it's original form, and the music played for the dance off and everything is so cheesy, it's the stuff of DREAMS.

    How many remakes are actually better than the original, or even equal to them? What's next? Trashing up the Golden Era of film? A "Gone With the Wind" remake? If that ever happens, Vivien Leigh will roll in her grave!! Hollywood can piss off!!

     

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    Sorry for the gravity...

    ackat's picture

    Oh what the hell no...

    Submitted by
    ackat (62 posts)
    on June 1, 2009 - 1:57pm.

    Please, please keep Miley Cyrus away from my childhood!

    I really don't see a need to remake this one. Like it said in the post it was only a moderate hit. I think its great the way it is, a cheezy slice of 80's fun. If Ms. Cyrus wants to star in a non-Hannah Montana feature why not create someting original?

     

    Arafel's picture

    Remaking "Breakfast Club?"

    Submitted by
    Arafel (42 posts)
    on June 1, 2009 - 4:03pm.

    Remaking "Breakfast Club?" Why, oh why, oh why, would anyone bother. I remember turning my stepdaughter onto it a few years ago when she turned 14, and she asked for the DVD for Christmas, and made all her friends watch it. The original is perfect; there's no point in re-making it.

    I mean, I can understand some remakes, like comic book movies, but this?

    thingymajig's picture

    No, just...Nuh uh, no!

    Submitted by
    thingymajig (8 posts)
    on June 1, 2009 - 8:33pm.

    How in the name of sweet Jesus fuck can they even think about remaking "The Breakfast Club"?! I mean, it's "THE BREAKFAST CLUB"! Is nothing sacred anymore?!

     

    I'm just grateful that Zac Efron dropped outta "Footloose". To me, he was a terrible idea to start with. Almost as bad is having Miley Cyrus star in a "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" remake. *shudders at the thought of THAT wrongness* 

     

    Now it might just be my paranoid nature talking here, so please feel free to call me crazy,  but does anyone else think that Disney are concocting some sort of world domination scheme? I mean, COME ON, why in the HELL do The Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus and Zac Efron have so much money, power and fame?! I get that at 24 yrs old, I am a little bit oustide of their target demographic but I have a 12yr old niece who doesn't get it either!

     

    "If being sane is thinking there's something wrong with being different...I'd rather be completely fucking mental"

    pickledcass's picture

    New movies, new icons

    Submitted by
    pickledcass (28 posts)
    on June 2, 2009 - 9:42am.

    As much as the thought of Miley Cyrus being encouraged to flood the silver screen fills me with dread (although I do admit that I was in love with quite taken with the Hannah Montana series), I think that this is just another bead on the string (so to speak).

    The 60's and 70's were flooded with Westerns - the Horrors and the advent of the Chick Flick in the 90's - so having such a long film history under the proverbial belt means that there was always going to be an era of revitalisation.

    Let's face it: Gene Wilder is Willy Wonka (I am not making any comments here on Johnny Depp's acting or Tim Burton's creepy as f**k colourful creation, but no-one can be Willy Wonka like Wilder), however there is a new generation emerging and defining itself at the moment for whom the 'golden oldies' are simply NOT accessible! 

    I like the older Star Wars as much as the next sci fi 'appreciater' (term used to delineate myself from an actual FAN, to one more of 'admirer' or 'enjoyer'), but I can't appreciate the 'cutting edge' of effects that the original three presented to their audiences in the 70's and 80's. Episodes I, II and III are just so much cooler (and Hayden Christensen/Natalie Portman/Ewan McGregor didn't make it any harder to watch - new movies, new icons).

    If Miley Cyrus is the face of the new generation (albeit for a mainly female proportion), or if Zac Effron, or Jesse Metcalfe is (if he ever resurfaces on-screen), then I think it can only be because these are examples of the people that the youth these days want to see on-screen; that they want to sing to and read about in their Dolly or Girlfriend or Teen magazines.

    In conclusion (this feels like a bloody essay)-

    What I mean to say is that there is value for new audiences in remakes or 'revitalisations' of older films. Whether the 'revitalisation' is a good one is another matter completely.

     

    Cass

     

    -The responsibility of tolerance lies with those who have the wider vision. G.Eliot 


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