Parents' Guide to

Weird Science

By Charles Cassady Jr., Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Guilty-pleasure '80s horny-geek sci-fi sex comedy.

Movie PG-13 1985 104 minutes
Weird Science Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 14+

Based on 7 parent reviews

jm73
jm73 Adult
August 21, 2021
age 16+

Pile of poo

Highly overrated 80s movie Includes scenes that I call Hollywood perverted grooming. Lisa kisses Wyatt. The shower scene. Hard pass
1 person found this helpful.
Pizza G.
Pizza G. Adult
May 27, 2017
age 13+

Sex-driven absurdist comedy lives up to the first half of its name

Weird Science is, hence its title, incredibly strange. While often funny, it exemplifies questionable morals and objectifies women. Euphemisms for sex and masturbation ("whacking off," "butter your muffin") are common, and there's plenty of suggestive dialogue. Scenes depict partial nudity. Sexual desire is the basis for most of the movie's plot; some content may be uncomfortable for younger viewers. On top of that there's swearing--"s--t," "d--k," "bimbo," "wanker," and homophobic slurs ("f----t"). Despite its iffy content, it should be alright for mature tweens and teens.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
1 person found this helpful.
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Gary (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) are sex-starved 15-year-old schoolmates, disliked, dateless, and continually bullied. With Wyatt's parents away for the weekend, Gary sleeps over at Wyatt's suburban-Illinois mansion, where the movie Frankenstein gives them an idea. Using Wyatt's new computer the lonely guys input data and pinup clips that materialize a gorgeous, eroticized woman (Kelly Le Brock) out of thin air. The creation, named Lisa, shows magical powers and attributes rather like a mythical genie, but she also has her own strong will, as she takes the two reluctant nerds on a fun-filled weekend that leaves them stronger, more assertive, and with a genuine couple of human girlfriends.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (7):
Kids say (16):

The pacing here is quick, with most jokes well executed despite the pandering wish-fulfillment, and the good cast takes it over the top agreeably. Teens, the target market, will respond more than mature adults, but when juvenile white geek Anthony Michael Hall drinks in a largely black bar and talks street-jive like an old Chicago bluesman, it's politically incorrect, sure -- but hilarious, even for grownups.

Adolescents flocked to WEIRD SCIENCE, while critics hated this movie from writer-director John Hughes, whose 16 Candles, Pretty in Pink, and The Breakfast Club seemed a relief from many Porky's-imitations that were all teen sex and revenge. What critics forgot: their messiah had contributed to the lowbrow National Lampoon, and Weird Science springs from that -- outlandish, borderline-tasteless gags aimed at teens and tweaking The Establishment (the nasties in a Hughes movie are commonly adults with classical music playing around them).

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the tone of the comedy. How does this relate to John Hughes' more sensitive dramas of teen angst and empowerment, such as The Breakfast Club and 16 Candles?

  • Compare-contrast Weird Science with the underrated S1m0ne, a later and realistic comedy about a man facing unexpected travails when he evokes a "perfect" woman via software. How do kids feel about making idealized "avatars" on social-networking sites and interactive online games?

  • How does this movie compare to modern-day teen sex comedies? Are the jokes here still funny? If the movie was remade, how would it be different now?

Movie Details

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