The message in this story is pretty *beep* up!

I will have to admit, that this is one of the best articles that I have ever seen writted....PERIOD. Very good observation, I was thinking the same way about the movie, too. Unfortunately, that is how life is. Not the 'Revenge of the Nerds' or 'The Karate Kid' Hollywood-1980s-underdog-clichéed movie happy ending we all hoped for. Instead, with this movie, we got a bittersweet approach.

Does Lucas get the girl? NO, not in this movie

But all he got was a 'shirt'? Is that a good thing, in the long run - NO, but in the short, the 'shirt' made him feel good because he finally got accepted for attempting to defy the odds in being accepted beyond his predictable stature. Sure, he was a geeky outcast of a kid, but at least for that one moment, at the end of the movie, he no longer felt like a geeky outcast. Despite not getting the girl, I suppose the moral of the story is for Lucas to finally be accepted beyond his limitations, and perhaps he will have the 'potential' to attract better-looking and less-shallow girls in the long run - due to his enhanced self-confidence.

As far as your political parallels, I do agree, Lucas does represent the "people" and unfortunately we have to work 10x as hard the Cappies, or should I say - the Capitalists (one-percenters) - in order to get what we want, which are the Maggies, who represent the distant American Dream. It was pretty much a 1980s movie in a nutshell, and how greed was represented.


"All is fair in love and business." - Benjamin Franklin

This is such a dumb OP

You obviously have no understanding of symbolism and I'm doubting you even watched any of this movie. What, we're you texting and playing on your iPad while watching?

While I agree with some things you wrote, Cappie did not seem rich; he was simply a popular middle-class athlete. If you recall, he drove an old boat of a car. You may've assumed his wealth because he was a jock, but many high school guys into sports are not wealthy. Cappie's girlfriend, that breaks up with him later, is wealthy according to her giant 80's house, but Cappie finds the middle-income Maggie to be more his type. In the end, Lucas smiles sweetly with Winona Ryder's character (another geek) and there is a presumption that they may end up together after all. So my take is that the filmmaker seems to be saying (consciously or not) that young people generally pair up with those in their same socio-economic class, within the constraints of natural selection - as discussed by Lucas.

While Maggie will be Lucas' good friend, she will likely pair with and marry someone closer in age and within her class (a comfort-level thing). And that's a reality of society. Not just capitalist ones. While capitalism has its weaknesses, it does allow many people the potential to make their own money in order to create a future very different from that of their youth. In this way, Lucas, with his intelligence and good grades, is likely to graduate with honors and enter a respectable university mainly on scholarship. This will allow him to build a career as a scientist or some other white collar position. He will physically and emotionally grow; becoming more handsome and confident. He will likely marry and have a family, own a nice house, and become well-respected for his work. This in direct contrast to his upbringing (alcoholic father, poor, trailer); by 14 years-old Lucas was already determined to overcome his situation! He did not let it define him. After the football game scene, his friends and classmates were acknowledging his determination, bravery, and loyalty. Even if Maggie isn't his girlfriend, the bittersweet ending is a happy one when you look at the BIG picture.

Speculation to that end: Perhaps Maggie and Cappie get married right out of high school, have a bunch of kids, and struggle on a middle income salary....but overall, they are happy. Maggie occasionally sees Lucas in the media - his contributions to science and technology, his earned wealth, and his world travels with his attractive and accomplished wife. Lucas is very happy as an adult...he earned his way into success with his intelligence, strong work ethic, and using capitalism to his advantage. The American Dream. Lucas, more than Maggie and Cappie, will better appreciate his hard-earned success and never take it for granted; he does not feel entitled.

If you think I'm exaggerating with this speculation, ask anyone who's been to their 10 or 20-year high school reunion. The "geeks" are usually the most successful and happy. You made an assumption that all the teens with rich parents had happy lives, but some wealthy people are not happy at all; you can't lump everyone into a mold. There are just so many variables.

Either way, I see a happy ending because in time, Lucas will have won more that just a jacket. That ending was just the beginning of his new-found confidence and perseverance...which, ultimately, translates into his future success. :)

High school is a measly 48-month period of an entire life; it's merely a snapshot of one's true potential.



"Don't get chumpatized!" - The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)

Lucas is just as bad as everyone else because he only wants the cheerleader when there was a perfectly fine young lady (Winona Ryder's character) interested in him. Read your post through her eyes and you'll see it.

Very good observation, and unfortunately, very true.... To me, Lucas was too good for Maggie.... Maggie was a slut who deserved her a$$ beat, going after someone else's man, although Cappie didn't make any attempt to shoo her away..... Way i see it, in keeping with the realism of your way, Maggie would have to realize that if she were smooth or pathetic enough to steal Cappie from Elise, wouldn't there always be another bimbo smooth or pathetic enough to steal Cappie away from her, Maggie? And, although I cannot stand Winona Ryder, she is so much prettier than Kerri Green, IMO, especially these days, as opposed to 1986

If Cappie had just remembered to put the lid on the blender none of that would've ever happened

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