274. Can't Buy Me Love with special guest Ben Cheaves

"First, he's a geek, and then you start going out with him. Then he's a geek again. Honey, I don't know what a geek is." We watched the geek-to-chic classic "Can't Buy Me Love" with our friend Ben Cheeves, and there's a $1,000 telescope at the mall with all of our names on it. This modern-day Pygmalion in high school may be well-worn territory today, but way back in 1987, this concept was fresh as a daisy. Nerdy Ronald Miller (Patrick Dempsey) uses his saved-up lawn-mowing cash to bail head cheerleader Cindy Mancini (Amanda Peterson) out of some fiduciary troubles, and young Ronald goes from "totally geek to totally chic." Patrick Dempsey is adorable in this movie, and much like Audrey Hepburn and Rachel Leigh Cook after him, it just takes a bit of hair product and chucking those glasses for the audience to realize he wasn't the horrid slob the movie characters all think he is. Dr. McDreamy may be years away, but we still see the spark of the handsome man everyone's mom loves - that effortless mop of curls is the envy of women everywhere, and that smile can just knock your socks off! Amanda Peterson is really doing some good work as well - Cindy never comes off mean-spirited or above Ronald - we leave that to the truly rotted group of popular kids. We do get some "Saved by the Bell" vibes from the movie, and sometimes the script is heavy-handed, but this movie is a 1987 time capsule if there ever was one. Every house in suburbia had that daybed, and if you owned or coveted a white convertible Volkswagen Cabriolet, you're gay now. We don't make the rules.  Thanks for listening and don't forget to subscribe, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! www.patreon.com/moviesthatmadeusgay Facebook/Instagram: @moviesthatmadeusgay Bluesky: @MTMUGPod.bsky.social Scott Youngbauer: Twitter @oscarscott / Instagram @scottyoungballer Peter Lozano: Twitter/Instagram Peterlasagna