The Shermer High Alumni Association

Space Camp (1986)

SpaceCamp turns 40 this year, and Kristin, Jeannine, and Carole are rewatching the 1986 film that sent five teenagers and one very unprepared flight instructor into actual orbit because a robot had a feelings problem. Jeannine is back from Ireland with thoughts on roundabouts and fizzy water. Kristin attended real Space Camp in 1989, had a boyfriend there, and a Ponderosa manager stole her flight jacket, and she will never be over it. Also: Roger Ebert had a lot to say, Jeannine looked up what actually happens to your body when you run out of oxygen and that Space Camp is still a thing you can do for $800. Did it age well? Would they watch it again?

Footloose (1984)

Footloose turns 42 this year, and Kristin and Carole are recording in person from Olmsted Falls, Ohio, while Jeannine is somewhere in Ireland living her best life. Jeannine would have sung every word of the soundtrack, and they both know it. This week's movie is the 1984 Kevin Bacon classic where rock music and dancing are banned in a small Utah town, a Chicago kid named Ren shows up with a cassette collection and an attitude, and somehow changes everything. They get into Ariel's ongoing death wish, Willard as the Neville Longbottom of Footloose, the council meeting scene that is genuinely good teenage activism, and why the critics in 1984 completely missed what this movie was actually about. Also: Kevin Bacon hates when DJs play Footloose at weddings, and the soundtrack might be in the same conversation as Top Gun. Did it age well? It's a Hall of Fame contender. Check back when Jeannine lands.

ENCORE EPISODE: Pretty in Pink (1986)

Today, we're rewinding to 1986 to revisit a movie that defined teen relationships and gave us a soundtrack that slaps. From thrift store prom dresses to love triangles that still spark debate decades later, this John Hughes classic asked the big questions: Is Ducky actually the best guy? Was Andy's dress iconic or just aggressively pink? And how did Blaine manage to look confused for the entire film? So grab your cassettes, don your best Jessica McClintock, and get ready as we break down the style, the soundtrack, and the swoon-worthy and sometimes cringey moments of Pretty in Pink. #prettyinpink #80spod #podcast #movierewatch #mollyringwald #joncryer #andrewmccarthy #jamesspader

Heathers (1988)

Heathers turns 36 this year, and Kristin, Jeannine, and Carole are diving headfirst into one of the darkest, funniest, and most quoted teen movies ever made. A $3 million budget, a five-week box office run that grossed $1.1 million, and somehow a cult classic — go figure. They break down: * Veronica's diary * The Heathers' color-coded power structure * JD's red flags * Corn Nuts * Why this movie could never be made today * The mineral water "evidence" * ... and the eternal question of whether Ed McMahon ever had anything to do with Publishers Clearing House. * ALSO: Surprise bonus content Did it age well? Not at all. But if it comes on, some of us aren't changing the channel.

Top Gun (1986)

It's the one-year anniversary of The Shermer High Alumni Association, and the girls are celebrating with one of the biggest movies of 1986: Top Gun. Kristin, Jeannine, and Carole revisit Maverick, Goose, Iceman, and Charlie for the film's birthday week, and it turns out Jeannine has never actually seen it, because she thought she wasn't allowed. They cover the glycerin sweat that defies physics, volleyball in jeans, a sex scene folded up like a middle school note, and the homoerotic undertones the internet won't stop talking about. Did it age well? It's not really cringe. Would they watch it again? The soundtrack might be enough. Danger zone, indeed.