jcbutthead86 Lucas is a one of the best Teen films ever made that is funny and dramatic. Filled with wonderful direction,a great cast,well-written screenplay and a beautiful score,Lucas is a timeless classic of Teen films and Coming Of Age films.Lucas tells the story of Lucas Bly(Corey Haim),a smart and intelligent 14-year-old who while on Summer vacation meets the new girl in town Maggie(Kerri Green)an older girl that Lucas befriends over the Summer. But when school starts,Lucas and Maggie relationship becomes troubled when Maggie falls for Lucas' friend Cappie(Charlie Sheen),a football jock and older brother type that protects Lucas. Feeling rejected,Lucas takes a drastic Action and joins the Football team which leads to funny and dramatic turn of events.Released in 1986,Lucas was an excellent Teen film that got lost in the shuffle because it wasn't a Brat Pack movie that didn't have big names and was overshadowed by two other Teen classics released that same year in John Hughes' films Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Pretty In Pink. Thankfully,Lucas is now seen as a Teen and High School classic and is one of the best Teen films that John Hughes never made. One of the reasons Lucas is one of the best Teen films ever made is because it's one of the most realistic Teen films that is basically a simple story that is funny but in an honest and truthful that feels real but Lucas greatly balances out Comedy and Drama without going over the top or over dramatic You feel like the characters and feel of High School and how it real was:complex and confusing. Lucas is honest in the way it deals with love and friendship between Lucas,Maggie and Cappie. Because unlike most love triangles and friendships in films the three main characters don't hate each other when things start to go bad like when Cappie and Maggie fall for each other the two are not mean or hateful towards and Lucas despite being mad at Cappie and Maggie and being betrayed he doesn't hate the two of them and still consider them his friends. There is no backstabbing or viciousness between the three characters and that's one of the great things about this film. Lucas while a Teen film is also a great character study of the main character Lucas as most of the film is seen from his point of view and as we watch the film we see Lucas deal with love and his Teenage adolescence as well as dealing with bullies and also being socially awkward because while Lucas is smart and intelligent and knows things,he doesn't always know how to deal with relationships and people which makes Lucas an easy target for bullies. Lucas is a character that most of us can relate to because we were like him dealing the harshness of being a teenager. Lucas is such a classic character of Teen movies and Coming Of Age films and the character is timeless because he can exist in anytime or place and will always be relevant. The powerful screenplay by Writer-Director David Seltzer is great and well-written giving most of the characters great dialog which is sometimes really funny,memorable and insightful and makes the three main characters very complex. The three main characters in the film Lucas,Maggie and Cappie are great characters because while the three characters are in a Teen film they are not brought down by stereotypes and silly cartoon like actions because the characters feel and act like they can exist in the real world. Lucas,Maggie and Cappie are are flawed but likable characters that you can relate to in many and different ways. The ending of Lucas is a great ending that will give you an optimistic feeling and it will have you clapping at the screen and put a smile on your face.The whole cast does great jobs in their roles. Corey Haim is brilliant and gave the best performance of his career as Lucas,with Haim bringing depth,sympathy and likability to the role. A powerful performance. RIP Haim you and your acting talent will be sadly missed. Kerri Green is wonderful and beautiful as Maggie,bringing great range and depth to the performance. Charlie Sheen is great as Cappie,Lucas' friend and Maggie's love interest. Courtney Thorne-Smith does a good job as Alise,Cappie's beautiful and jealous girlfriend. Winona Ryder(in her film debut)is fantastic as Rina,Lucas' friend who has an unrequited crush on Lucas. Tom Hodges gives a good performance as Hodges,a football jock that bullies Lucas. Guy Boyd is funny in his role as the High school football coach. Ciro Poppiti(Ben)and Garrett M. Brown(Mr. Kaiser)give good performances as well. Also,lookout for an early role appearance from Jeremy Piven(Spike)in the film.The direction by David Seltzer is simple yet great and effective with Seltzer occasionally moving the camera when he can and giving the film a good atmosphere. Wonderful direction by Seltzer.The score by Dave Grusin is excellent,beautiful and very innocent and definitely goes well with the tone of film and it's a great score you won't forget. A powerful score by Grusin and one of his best scores.In final word,if you love Teen films or Coming Of Age films,I highly suggest you see Lucas,a film that is one of the best films of the Teen genre and a powerful classic that is well worth your time. Highly Recommended. 10/10.

Steve Pulaski Lucas is not only a marvelous high school film, but a brilliant Corey Haim film as well. I don't recall cheering in too many teenager movies for the protagonist to accomplish a certain goal, but I couldn't help myself. This is the kind of movie that is one I'll remember for years to come. It's nothing shy of it's expectations, and puts other movies of it's kind to shame. It's so polished and witty, I'm surprised John Hughes didn't have his name on this gem.I bring that up because it's a good point. John Hughes was always doing movies that revolved around "the underdog" or someone who was an unlikely hero. In Weird Science, the premise was centered around a couple of geeky kids, Career Opportunities is centered around a Target slacker, and Sixteen Candles was when the geeky kid gets the girl. So it looks like someone beat John Hughes to his own game making a film about the nerd and the dream girl. Still, no disrespect to the God of teen films.Lucas (Haim) is a nerdy fourteen year old who meets and quickly falls in "love" with a girl named Maggie (Green). Maggie is a new girl, and Lucas wants her all to himself. Who could blame him? Maggie is a gorgeous individual. Id want her all to myself as well. If I went to the high school Lucas was in, it'd be "The Battle of the Nerds".Like many would guess, Lucas' nerdy ways and foul mouth get him into all kinds of trouble. The main bullies are ones on the football, but due to their high appeal of being "men", Maggie is attracted to Cappie (Sheen). Cappie is a football player who sticks up for Lucas because he fears his mouth will get him hurt. Maggie and Cappie become close friends, which drives Lucas nuts. Lucas begins to become more and more distant from Maggie.The film captures what many teen movies ignore, or don't focus on too much; the first love. I'm going to kind of follow Roger Ebert and say your first love isn't because of beauty, it's because the other person is perfect in their own way. I remember my first "love" way back in first grade. I invited her over to my house countless times. During the second grade, she went to a Catholic school and I never saw her again.Thankfully, I found her on Facebook this past year. She lives out of state, and we talk every now and then. By "now and then" I mean once every six months. It hurts because I know we'll never be close like we used to. I was nuts about her, and talking to her not too long ago she said she even knew I was head over heals, but never told me. I was so shocked.I got over it like anyone would, but I think about her a lot from time to time. She was perfect, but chances are I'll never see her again. She was one who made me think about marriage at age six! Thats an accomplishment. Thats what makes her on my "unforgettable people list".Going back to the film, I can say with a straight face I saw myself inside Lucas. The way he was picked on and mocked, to be loved and cherished at the end is how I see myself sometimes. I can be ridiculed at points in life, but I'm also loved by lots of people. I'm extremely grateful for that in every possible way.Lucas is one of the many teen movies that is worth watching, but only one of the handful that deserve the title of "coming-of-age". Lucas himself shows you that it's okay to live life on the sidelines and to stand up for what you believe. He shows you it's okay to be different. And most importantly, he delivers one of the simplistic but satisfying lines in a film; "Keep an open mind." You go, Lucas! Starring: Corey Haim, Kerri Green, Charlie Sheen, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Winona Ryder, Tom Hodges, and Jeremy Piven. Directed by: David Seltzer.

tedg Here is an ordinary film, ordinary high school stereotypes and adolescent redemption.But it is worth looking at model of the girls, because it is all about getting the girl.You have two guys, the head of the football team played by Charlie Sheen, and a wimpy smart smaller and younger kid.You have three girls. The jock is paired with the blond shapely head cheerleader of course.Then an appealing, athletic redhead moves to town. She brings a story about her randy father that hints that she could in time not be ass innocent and sweet as she is when we meet her. She befriends the small, genuinely appealing guy, who develops a crush. But in time she dates the jock. Both continue to be principled friends. An event occurs where the kid. Lucas, goes from being bullied to celebrated, and the third girl who has been admiring in the wings is set up to be his real love.As I said, the cheerleader is tall, buxom and blond. The contested new girl is fair, redheaded, less shapely and average height. The third girl is smaller yet, black haired, not sexy at all.Now why this is remarkable is because each of these girls is played by an actress who is clearly directed to be as appealing as they can. Almost surely, they each are using traits that are close to their real beings. The blond is the least talented actress and though she has the sexy equipment, and plenty of cheerleading scenes, we are ready to not focus on her.The redhead is played by Kerri Green, who had a run as a child actress playing the appealing, perky redhead. She made her impressive debut as "the girl" in "The Goonies." She is the center of attention for most of the movie, for us, the writers and the two boys. Things are pleasant enough.We don't see the third girl until much later in the film. But when she comes on, she shines and so completely overwhelms every other character, you know from the first moment that she will be the real prize. We end up learning nothing at all about her. We just see her face, and hear a few unimportant lines. This was Winona Ryder's film debut, and it really underscores why she rose so fast — and probably suggests why her career stalled when she outgrew what we would accept from this presentation.This isn't a John Hughes movie where you play with the notion of stereotypes. That's what made the man an interesting filmmaker. It is instead just taking the stereotypes and moving them around like game pieces. But wow, Winona does charm. No wonder Johnny Depp ended up with her name tattooed.Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

Danny Blankenship "Lucas" when I first saw this teen film in 1986 I said this is a winner, I was right as the film continues to get airings on basic and premium cable! This is an emotional drama-comedy film that as you watch it you remember back to your high school days, and you remember the times you can relate to with people being different having nerds and bullies and the need for social acceptance. Corey Haim plays the Lucas character perfect he's just fine as a thoughtful geek who's smart all brains and no brawn who just wants to impress the social crowd. Most all of us remember kids like these in high school who are picked upon and bullied you feel sorry for them and at the same time you want to cheer them for the inspiration they bring by trying for social acceptance. This film never has a dull moment the acting, lines, and adventures the Lucas character have are memorable. The supporting cast is just great, my man Charlie Sheen is great as the football stud, who tries to help Lucas thru his tough journey and the film features Winona Ryder in one of her earliest roles. Courtney Thorne-Smith plays the high school beauty queen who's snobbish this was well before her fame, and last but not least the best friend of Lucas is played by a bright vibrant cute red head Kerri Green, but Kerri where art thou now? Overall this is a classic 80's teen film that reminds us of the typical nerd-jock theme that centers around cliques and social acceptance. The movie ends on a happy note the way you want it, but remember it's always good just to be yourself.