The Ultimate History of the '80s Teen Movie cover art

The Ultimate History of the '80s Teen Movie

Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Sixteen Candles, Revenge of the Nerds, The Karate Kid, The Breakfast Club, Dead Poets Society, and Everything in Between

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The Ultimate History of the '80s Teen Movie

By: James King
Narrated by: Mike Cooper
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About this listen

A trip back to the era of troubled teens and awesome soundtracks; of Reagan, rap, and Ridgemont High; of MTV, VHS, and "Axel F"; of outsiders, lost boys, and dead poets; of Bill and Ted, Brooke Shields, and the Brat Pack; of three Porky's flicks, two Coreys, and one summer when "Baby" refused to be put in a corner.

The Ultimate History of the '80s Teen Movie goes behind the scenes of a genre where cult hits mingled with studio blockbusters, where giants like Spielberg and Coppola rubbed shoulders with baby-faced first-timers, and where future superstars Sean, Demi, and Tom all got their big break. Music, comedy, and politics all play a part in the surprisingly complex history of the '80s teen movie. And while the films might have been aimed primarily at adolescents, the best tackle universal issues and remain relevant to all ages.

From a late '70s Hollywood influx to an early '90s indie scene that gave youth cinema a timely reboot, film expert James King highlights the personal struggles, the social changes, and the boardroom shake-ups that produced an iconic time in movie history.

©2019 James King (P)2022 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books Entertainment & Performing Arts Film & TV History & Criticism Social Sciences Film History

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Very well-written and narrated. Thorough in its coverage; for example, we spend a good hour or two in the 1970s with events like Animal House and Saturday Night Fever (just as a serious student of Socrates will spend some time on the pre-Socratics). Occasionally, however, it spends a lot of time on something and I don't see the point (the romantic relationship between Madonna and Sean Penn, for example).

I've discovered new films through this audiobook. There are some cool facts, such as Crispin Glover's dislike of Back to the Future's ending; and the seriousness of the acting process of Nicholas Cage.
I might have liked a bit more discussion of the themes of the films, but that's okay; it says it's a "history", not a "multi-discipline analysis". Plus, discussions of themes are certainly not non-existent. We do get them, to a degree.

Further, I'd have liked more discussion of teen horror in the 1980s. I appreciate, however, that those films are within the broad horror genre. An exhaustive exploration of these would have tripled the book's size and probably made a mess.

Still, this is an excellent work and just the kind of book I like. It's fun, well-written, and well-narrated. If you're considering it because it appeals in some way, then chances are good that you'll like it.

"Your kids are gonna love it."

Thorough & entertaining.

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Interesting, informative and thorough analysis of cinema. However the title is misleading as it is not about 80's teen movies, with long stretches of nary a mention whilst the author talks about everything but, from Scorcese and avant-garde filmmaking to Alan Parker, Ridley Scott and Adrian Lyne's 'Ad-men' revolution and whole chapters devoted to non-teenagers like Tim Hutton amd John Travolta. There are also curious ommisions, including a dearth of teen horror coverage, a genre for which surely the 80's is most famous! Also, knowing the author's voice and persona well from his radio and TV work, I found the choice of (older and grizzlier sounding) narrator a little jarring. still, mis-branding and narrating aside, as a film buff this is still a must-listen, with a deluge of fascinating factoids from the movie biz of the day.

There are 80's teen movies in here somewhere

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Generally well researched and covered most of the films I'd expected HOWEVER there is no mention of 1989s Teen Witch staring Robin Lively despite the word TEEN being in the title!! It was even a return to a musical film because it was originally written for theatre! It seems ridiculous in light of the fact that he even mentions Pulp fiction which is neither 80s not teen movie and spent too much time talking about John Travolta at the beginning of the book. Tut tut James King!

Thoroughly researched but with one big omission

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