| Starring: | Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Jacquilene Bisset, Cliff Robertson, Stuart Margolin |
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This is the beginning of the Brat Pack, both because of the future star power represented here and the seriousness of the subject matter, as well as the depth of the teen angst. No more greasy kid stuff!
Andrew is from a working class background and just barely makes it into a tony prep school for his senior year before a planned Ivy League college career (he`s much More Than Zero here!). Rob, from an old money background, takes it upon himself to initiate the new boy, his roommate, in the ways of upperclass showmanship through a series of humiliating practical jokes (funny how he forgot all of this when he went to grad school at Oxford a couple of years later). Andrew surprises and impresses everyone by taking his licks in stride and skillfully retaliating.
On a vacation weekend our poor guy is looking to gain more "experience" to make up for a perceived lack he feels compared to his worldly school chums. He is humiliated in a Chicago singles` bar near school, but is rescued by a an elegant and kind older woman, who literally takes him in.
Andrew returns to school a conquering hero, and is now fully accepted by all of his fellows. In fact, Rob invites him home for Christmas Break. When Andrew meets the rich `rents he is shocked to find that his lover is Rob`s own mother! They barely avoid detection, but are discovered together months later when Rob leads a raiding party on Andrew`s love pad to try to discover the identity of his "mystery woman".
The roommates observe a correct, silent coexistence and life goes on until a state investigator arrives to look into a stolen SAT test, which Rob alone knows helped Andrew get into the prep school and which made possible his early admission to Harvard. Will our insulted hero gain revenge on his enemy by snitching?
No-he has too much class to do such a thing. Andrew confronts his former friend both to thank him and to explain, and the resulting violent fistfight washes away all the remaining hostility between the two of them. They will always be best friends after this.
Trivia: we have here the screen debuts of John Cusak and Alan Ruck, both of whom would later make their marks on FFTTM culture. Cameo by Joan Cusak. Also, there is a hockey scene involving Rob, so we now know that he could actually skate before Youngblood.
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