Episode Details

Nerds, Fringe, and the $1,000 Question: Can't Buy Me Love Gets Its Day in CourtWelcome to this episode of The Most Excellent 80s Movies Show. Hosts Krissy Lenz and Nathan Blackwell are joined by special guest Grace Campbell of Adventures in Collide Podcast to dig into Can't Buy Me Love (1987)—a Patrick Dempsey gem perpetually swallowed up by the John Hughes canon that deserves its moment.Krissy comes in as the episode's Sherpa, having loved the film for years, while both Grace and Nathan are first-timers. That dynamic creates a wonderful push and pull: does the premise hold its sweetness, or does the "boy rents girl" setup curdle under grown-up eyes? The hosts wrestle with how quickly Ronald transforms from pure-hearted dork to full douche canoe—and whether the film earns its warm, everyone-finds-their-humanity ending or just magically wills it into existence.Along the way: the iconic severe suede outfit (yes, that's a real quote), tiny baby Seth Green as fart-adjacent chaos agent, Paula Abdul's surprise choreography credit, the Columbus Day dance and its layers of "very 1987," and why outfits—not Ronald, not Cindy—are the true villain of this film.The conversation lands somewhere warm and a little surprised by its own sincerity, which feels right for a movie that sneaks up on you the same way. Spoiler-light, premise-level—no twists, no endings, just the good stuff that makes you want to press play.TruStory FM | Membership (early, ad-free access + bonus content): Join | Socials: Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky | Learn more about the hosts: Neighborhood Comedy Theatre | Squishy StudiosIf you could pay someone a thousand dollars to change your social life for one month, what would you actually spend that money on instead?
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