I couldn't watch more than a half-hour of this movie! In the modern era of female equality, just about every scene raises the hackles! And to think these female victims (or dupes as portrayed!) are now the ones charging men with inappropriate sexual behaviour is beyond belief.

*** Contains Spoilers*** I first saw this film in ninth grade 23 years ago, and fell in love with it as a teenage girl. I saw it again the other day, and loved it just as much. It's flat out a great movie, and the chemistry between Vincent Spano and Rosanna Arquette is palpable. These two fantastic actors bring a warmth and sensitivity to their characters who would be otherwise unlikeable if played by any other actors. Arquette's innocent beauty and Spano's edgy good looks are perfect for these roles.When they meet in high school, Jill (Arquette) is a sheltered, pampered princess whose grand passion is acting in the school play. Sheik (Spano) is the new boy at school who sticks out like a sore thumb compared to all the schoolboys that Jill is surrounded by. His grand passion is Jill, and she's attracted to this dark and dangerous charmer. The fact that he's obsessive and volatile only make her more titilated, and when he kidnaps her and holds her and her friend at gunpoint (albeit it's an unloaded gun), she doesn't hesitate to date him again. Only later on in college does the experience come back to haunt her.While in her freshman year, Jill finds herself in Sheik's shoes in the sense that she's an outsider in the crowd she's surrounded with up at school. In high school, she was a big fish in a small pond. At college, she's a little fish in a large pond. When she seeks him out in Miami Beach where he's attempting to break into show business in a seedy little club, she ends up sleeping with him all the while knowing that they have no future because he's not the kind of man she can see settling down with. He's too volatile and obsessive for her somewhat still innocent liking, and their personalities just don't mesh together for any real future together. He's old-school macho and she's a liberated pseudohippy.The music is terrific-60's classics mixed with two of Jersey's finest, Springsteen and Sinatra that carry the storyline and add to the emotion of the film.Breakout performances by both stars, with strong support from Tracy Pollan, Matthew Modine and Liane Curtis (in a one-eighty from her role as Molly Ringwald's best friend in Sixteen Candles). This film is a coming of age love story for the ages, and it absolutely stands the test of time. A 10 of 10!

This wonderful movie, saddled by an awful title and a really bad first two minutes, played only one screen in Washington DC --- but my attention was called to it by critic Arch Campbell. Thank you, Arch.Within five minutes the audience will be taken in to a love story, intensely heartfelt, between a Jewish A+ student and a smooth Italian greaser. This is the kind of love story which has slim chance of a happy outcome but slimmer chance that anything can dowse either the flame or the memory. Although technically a comedy, the serious under-theme is worthy of the great classics of European cinema; enhanced by true skill in framing the right scenes.Many films are aimed at persons who view LOVE as pretty similar to attraction to a rented car; i.e. love what you've got, forget about what you ain't. This film isn't for them. If you've felt love's pain, see this one.

Quite a few careers got started in this 1982 Paramount release. Rosanna Arquette and Vincent Spano made their starring debuts, John Sayles landed his first major directing job and the film also features small parts by future stars Robert Downey Jr., Tracy Pollan and Matthew Modine. Set in 1965, a fine period soundtrack helps to propel this story of two mismatched teenagers (Arquette, Spano) whose love affair stems a lot of controversy within their community. The film is OK but time has not served it entirely well as sometimes it seems dated and it still suffers from being as obscure as it was when it was originally released.