Lucas (1986)

Directed by David Seltzer. Starring Corey Haim, Kerri Green, Charlie Sheen, Winona Ryder, Ciro Poppiti, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Guy Boyd, Tom Hodges, Garrett M. Brown, Jeremy Piven. [PG-13]

Sensitive, affecting teen drama of small, bespectacled nerd Lucas (Haim) who crushes hard on a new-to-town girl (Green) while befriending her over the summer, but when school resumes in the fall, his heart breaks as she drifts toward the “superficial” jocks-and-cheerleaders crowd (specifically, hunky football player Sheen). Cautiously-crafted sentimentalism that avoids almost all of the clichés of its type; it’s a bittersweet and painful journey—especially for anyone who ever felt like an outcast or had their romantic idealism crushed in their youth (so…everyone, right?)—front-loaded with sweetness and hope and shy embarrassment. The main characters are so likable (even Sheen, who could have easily been written as a shallow jerk, but is instead a pretty good guy) that the contrivances of the big football game scene can be overlooked. The ending, however (“slow clap” and all), is misjudged by a wide margin, as if imported from a different, lesser high school picture. Film debuts for Ryder and Piven (whose hairline was already receding, poor guy).

78/100