Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

Can't Buy Me Love

By Ellen Twadell, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Dated '80s teen comedy has cursing, sex, stereotypes.

Movie PG-13 1987 94 minutes
Can't Buy Me Love Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 13+

Based on 7 parent reviews

Lisa R.
Lisa R. Adult
April 22, 2017
age 17+

Disagree with some of this review

While I think some of the ratings for this review are accurate I disagree that there are no Positive Messages. This movie has a VERY positive message for teens. The whole purpose of this movie is to demonstrate that student cliques are limiting for kids. The movie is about a nerdy boy (Ronald) who pays a pretty girl (Cindy) to help make him popular and discovers popularity comes with a price. At one point in the film Cindy tells Ronald that it is a lot of work to keep up appearances and that she can't even be herself around her friends (She writes poetry, but can't really share it with her friends ). The movie also shows some typical stereotypes of popular "dumb jocks" and cheerleaders who don't care about much, but it does make the point that being popular doesn't offer a lot of depth. Finally, in the process of trying to be popular, Ronald loses all his friends who liked him for who he was and makes a touching speech toward the end of the movie about friendships in elementary school vs. friendships in high school. I think the message about being yourself and not trying to fit into any clique is a very important message for high school kids. I can't believe the reviewers missed this.
2 people found this helpful.
ellisman108
ellisman108 Adult
April 21, 2020
age 11+

AMAZING

very entertaining

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

CAN'T BUY ME LOVE is a teen romantic comedy about Ronald (Patrick Dempsey), a high school senior who has been filling the role of hard-working student all his life. He has a group of close friends and a supportive family, but he longs to be accepted by the popular crowd, headed by his lovely next-door neighbor, Cindy (Amanda Peterson). When Cindy finds herself in dire need of $1000, Ronald offers her a deal: He will pay her the money if she pretends to date him for a month. She agrees and soon Ronald is the toast of the popular set. All the girls want to date him, all the boys want to be like him, and Cindy starts to warm up to him. From the outset, Ronald's popularity presents problems as well as privileges: He leaves his old friends behind, he starts to do badly in his classes, and as his personality changes, Cindy becomes disillusioned, and their budding friendship dissolves. It's only when his ploy is exposed that Ronald can start to think about the cost of playing any role, nerd or cool kid, and being anything other than what he really is.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (7 ):
Kids say (4 ):

High schoolers will have little tolerance for the simplified version of their social lives, and parents might object to younger children watching due to language and issues of sexuality. There are a few charming moments, though, especially as Cindy and Ronald become friends. Overall, though, this film has not aged well. Humor that may have been considered funny decades ago (like fat-shaming) comes across as mean-spirited now. There are no consequences for bullying or underage drinking. Parents who may have fond memories of this movie might be surprised to remember it isn't as good as they remembered.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how people deal with loneliness, popularity, and the demands of both. How do people "sell" themselves? The value of being true to yourself is a main theme of the movie. What does being true to yourself require?

  • While ostensibly about the absurdity of cliques, this movie finds comedy in fat-shaming, in using terms that disparage the mentally challenged, in bullying, in sexist comments. How does this date the movie? How does this undercut the movie's theme?

  • How have teen comedies changed over the years? How have they remained the same?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate