I remember being deeply and emotionally moved by this film (I know that’s a-lot-o-adverbs.  Sometimes you gotta).

There is so much to this movie that the effect it has had on me as a viewer has lasted my lifetime presently.  I do get pulled into movies a little too much maybe, but there will be no changing that.

Foremost, it is about a character that I relate to more than any other story or movie that I have ever heard, read or seen.  He is a young sophomore in high school that meets the new girl in town on summer break and is immediately drawn to her (both visually and eventually interpersonally as well).  He has the best summer of his life so far, hanging out with her…and then…school starts; things change.

“Lucas” is short, he wears very thick glasses, is the smartest kid in school (probably the town), is a member of the high school band, and is about to learn that you cannot control who you love; and those that do not love you back.

On summer break, Lucas is Maggie’s best friend.  She is a new girl in a small town and he is her only friend for a couple of reasons: 1) Lucas is a loner and he allows her to participate in his world, which has only room for two that summer.  2) Spending all of your time with a loner does not expose you to more people to meet.  That is why when school starts, Maggie is able to branch out and immediately join clubs and meet people that are closer to her “clique”.

There was not a greater time for the perfect casting of Kerri Green as Maggie.  She was fresh off her role as Andy from “The Goonies.”  Having watched that and developed a decent crush on her, I crushed major–just like Lucas–when I watched this film.  If she could kiss Mikey and his braces, why couldn’t she kiss Lucas?  If she could kiss a guy like Lucas (she doesn’t, I was just hoping), then she could totally kiss me…right?

Anyways….

Great casting.

As school continues, Maggie is exposed to all of the different clubs (cheerleading, football, etc.) and meets Lucas‘ older brother figure, Cappie (captain of the football team).  We learn that Lucas–just because he is a good person–had helped Cappie pass a difficult class a while back.  Cappie has returned the favor by watching out for him (with school bullies) and by being a rare social presence in Lucas‘ life.

After making the cheer team and spending time with Cappie, of course Maggie starts to fall for the handsome jock, much to the chagrin of Lucas (AND ME QUITE FRANKLY!).

I don’t think that this film has become a cult classic or has been viewed by many people out of the “Growing Up 80s” era.  So I am going to contain myself from giving away more of the story and encourage others to watch it.  I will say you will see a very young Charlie Sheen as Cappie and Wynona Ryder makes her first appearance on film, I believe, as well.

Where you will see the movie, I do not know.  I don’t think you can stream it anywhere and rental stores are hard to find these days.  I will probably have to buy it to see it again.  Worth it to me, probably not you.

The important thing I gathered from this film is that it is not always about winning, but learning from your experiences (the bad ones mostly). They help you grow and hopefully help you make better choices.

I’m still learning.

***

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Prior to this film, cartoons for me were what we watched when we got home from school, on Saturday mornings or the Disney Channel.

Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, G.I. Joe, The Transformers, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck….

When I watched this film there was something different.  It was animated, but it didn’t feel like those other “cartoons” to me.  I heard a few “damns” and “hells” as I saw my mother flinch and gasp as we watched it together (Uptight).

The story starts off innocently enough with two hunters talking about never being able to kill game in this forest.  That must mean there is magic afoot.  An enchanted forest?

Our heroine is a horse, but not just any horse (I know it sounds strange, just stick with me).  She finds herself listening to the hunters and then has an annoying conversation with a butterfly that everyone watching wishes would just flutter by…..

The conversation–annoying as it is–sets her off on a quest to find others like her.

See, to this point, she thinks that she is the last…unicorn.

I told you not just any horse.

The things that I remember are the amazing visuals and the dialogue.  It is very well written for an animated fantasy tale and as a young kid, I had to watch it quite a few times to catch a lot of what the story was trying to say.  I really did have great parents who were patient with me and my questions about what the story was.

Basically, our heroine sets out to find where the rest of the unicorns have all gone.  Along the way she meets a magician, a maid, a talking cat (of course), a prince, a king, a wizard, a dead talking skeleton called Skull, and THE RED BULL.  Talk about a villain.  The Red Bull used to give me nightmares.  For those of you that only know red bull as a sweet energy drink, be aware that one of the possible inspirations was anything but sweet.

Along the way there is adventure, action, running, spells, love, lost love, and redemption.  I know that sounds pretty simple, but what can you expect from a fantasy yarn?

I discovered recently that the film does hold up over time as well.  I have a six year old nephew that started watching it with my sister and me one night.  He was focused as my sister and I talked and reminisced during the film (about the film).  He hushed us a couple of times and later, he was quite distraught and full of questions when we had to shut it off early and attend a different event.  I felt bad for the little guy.  He was so absorbed.  I really hope he had an opportunity to see it again, uninterrupted.  Or, we could have an uncle-nephew night and watch it together.  It’s been a while.

One thing I learned…adults can like “cartoons” too if they’re the right ones.

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