One of the most overrated films of all time

Rating: 2/10 (14 April 2020)

It's actually quite difficult to think of a more overrated film than this abomination from John Hughes. My only explanation for all the high ratings is that people over the age of 40 are badly misremembering a piece of their youth that may have seemed edgy and contemporary at the time. In reality it is slow, tedious, directionless and the main characters are highly narcissistic and totally unrelatable.
Hughes' films give the impression of a man who was an outcast at school and uses his 'art' as a way of creating some kind of cool childhood he never had. The actors look 25 (except Judd Nelson who could pass for 33) and you never once feel like you're watching actual high school kids. The dialogue is incredibly unrealistic and not one single moment in this film feels authentic. The overacting is relentless with Estevez the worst offender and only Ally Sheedy coming away with any credit.
The idea that Hughes gives voice to the oppressed youth of the times is also laughable. This is a bunch of highly privileged middle-class kids getting a first-rate education and doing nothing but complain about it. The fact that a teacher working overtime is the villain of the piece tells you everything you need to know about the deluded infantile fantasy that is John Hughes' view of the world. And it's not just the teacher who is made out to be the bad guy. All their parents are alluded to as oppressive bullies who stifle their children's creativity and personal development, yet all these kids are healthy, well-dressed, educated and living in safe suburbia. This petty rebelliousness is a common theme in Hughes' work, particularly in Ferris Bueller's Day Off- one of the few films I despise more than this.
There are also some alarming messages regarding the place of young women in society. Allison is cast as a socially awkward virgin until she is given a makeover by one of the school's pretty girls. Within minutes she has surrendered her entire identity, is dating a jock and set to live happily ever after. Claire ends the day making out with a guy who has verbally abused her all day and done God-knows-what under the table. And let's just ignore the fact that she ends the day kissing a guy she saw literally spit into his own mouth a few hours earlier.
And finally, the award for the 'worst attempt at acting stoned of all-time' goes to Emilio Estevez for his rhythmic gymnastics display after a couple of non-inhaled puffs of weed. I dread to think how this guy would respond to cocaine or ecstasy.
If this was an obscure indie film that flopped badly I would probably feel bad for the producers and never think of it again. But the amount of acclaim and adoration that people have for this monstrosity is baffling and infuriating in equal measure.