I just finished watching "The Last American Virgin" on MGMHD and now I know why I seldom watch this flick. I will say that the soundtrack is a classic and was booming with tunes like "Whip It", "Shake It Up", "Since You're Gone", "I Know What Boys Like", "Open Arms", and "Just Once" to name a few.
But that ending is just painful to watch. Don't get me wrong, Gary almost came off as a stalker in regard to his love for Karen, but nobody deserves that ending. Of course, many will say that is what makes the movie so good, the end wasn't sugar coated and welcome to real life Gary!
Every time I watch this movie, I come away feeling dirty in some regards. I really don't like the characters and the raunchy sex scenes were too raw and uncomfortable. Just as the director planned I'm sure.
Overall, "The Last American Virgin" is a very good movie, but not on my 80's feel good list by any means.
Oh and it was cool to see Kimmy Robertson who I enjoyed in "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead" who was ironically named 'Rose' in "The Last American Virgin".
"I'm on top of that Rose."
[ 02. January 2010, 18:17: Message edited by: Valley ]
Posts: 7845 | From: Smiling and glancing in awe in the back of a limo | Registered: Mar 2003 | Site Updates: 22
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posted
that ending is what made me fall in love with this movie. and the soundtrack didn't hurt either.
*****kinda sorta spoilers if you have never watched this movie before********
back when my parents were "borrowing" pay cable, only the movie channel showed r rated flicks all day long. during the summer of '83 or '84, i happened to come across this gem while sitting at home during summer vacation. i only watched it because it was rated r and i was hoping for some gratuitous nudity. i had never heard of this movie before watching it here. so i'm watching this movie and loving it, pulling for gary the whole time. then the great scene during the party at the end of the movie happened. so i'm watching this and i see gary leave and get in the car and drive off tearfully. i'm eagerly waiting to see what happens next, then, much to my amazement, the credits start rolling. and i literally sat there with my mouth open, stunned. i thought this had to be a joke. i had never really up to that point in my life watched a movie end that way. at least not a t-n-a flick. i could not believe the credits were rolling. in all the t-n-a movies i'd watched before, there was always a happy ending. the good guy always won at the end. but this one didn't. and not only did he not get the girl, he ran off crying and that's how they ended the movie. and i could not get this movie out of my mind all day long. and because this movie dared to be different like that, i always considered it one of the great teen movies of the 80's.
i rate this movie up there with fast times, raunchy sex scenes and all.
i need this movie on dvd asap.
Posts: 675 | From: Miskatonic University | Registered: Jul 2008 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
I watched this movie alot back in the 80s, because it was always on late at night...either paired up with Valley Girl or Fast Times...and I love the soundtrack.
The song "Teen Angel Eyes" by Tommy Tutone is such a great song.
But...the sex stuff was so gross....when they went to the prostitute, and Gary threw up afterwards-I thought how sad that was, that they would do "that" with someone like that. That is just totally gross to the max. She was so nasty.
I can't believe what Karen did to him either. After he hocked all his stereo equiptment and everything. I was shocked how they ended it too.
I have this movie on DVD, but it's one that I find hard to watch now too.
Posts: 13484 | Registered: Aug 2003 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
I remember how valuable the VHS of this was at some point, before it became easily available on DVD. I found some scenes in the movie fun, but like others, the ending was such a downer. It was pretty raunchy too, it had hard lessons, but it didn't have that silver lining like Fast Times did. Wow, there needs to be a special edition DVD of this, if there ever a movie besides Pretty in Pink or Night of the Creeps that had an alternative ending, this would have to be it.
Posts: 4413 | From: Where the streets have no name | Registered: Oct 2002 | Site Updates: 0
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quote:Originally posted by Riptide: I remember how valuable the VHS of this was at some point, before it became easily available on DVD. I found some scenes in the movie fun, but like others, the ending was such a downer. It was pretty raunchy too, it had hard lessons, but it didn't have that silver lining like Fast Times did. Wow, there needs to be a special edition DVD of this, if there ever a movie besides Pretty in Pink or Night of the Creeps that had an alternative ending, this would have to be it.
i couldn't disagree more. if they changed the ending, the entire feel of the movie would change. the ending is what seperated this movie from other t-n-a flicks.
i really can't believe you guys didn't like the ending.
sometimes life sucks, no matter how good you are, and that's what this movie showed you. plus, we're talking teenage love here, not puppies and bunnies getting killed.
isis, the point of the scene with the prostitute was to be gross. they didn't want to have a whore who looked like phoebe cates. what would be the point in that? same with that spanish lady. they weren't supposed to be lookers, these were just young teenage boys trying to get laid. diane franklin was the looker in this flick.
Posts: 675 | From: Miskatonic University | Registered: Jul 2008 | Site Updates: 0
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Valley Dated Julie From 'Valley Girl' (allegedly!)
Member # 1322
posted
xchazx, I never said I didn't like the ending, but just that it was painful to watch. Also, the abrupt ending with the credits rolling was kind of shocking....it left you wanting to know more. Like is that really the end....they didn't just do that!
Posts: 7845 | From: Smiling and glancing in awe in the back of a limo | Registered: Mar 2003 | Site Updates: 22
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posted
I always loved the ending because it seemed se realistic to me. Life doesn't always have that fairy-tale ending. I agree with Valley that Gary was pretty much a stalker but what really got me was he was all worked up over Karen who always seemed like a B to me.
Posts: 4742 | From: Cell Block 6 | Registered: Aug 2004 | Site Updates: 0
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I understand why they did the sex stuff the way that they did....but that's what is so gross...not caring what or who you "do it" with...not caring how many cooties they have. I don't know what it is about that whole deal and men...because you never see movies with women running around on the street corners looking for a nasty dude for $20-unless they are a hooker.
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Valley Dated Julie From 'Valley Girl' (allegedly!)
Member # 1322
posted
I think the real question is.....who is the girl on the cover of the dvd and where's her deleted scenes or alternate ending. ha
Posts: 7845 | From: Smiling and glancing in awe in the back of a limo | Registered: Mar 2003 | Site Updates: 22
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posted
i've always thought the ending was appropriate. the guy doesn't get the girl. the dumb girl turns around and goes back to the guy who treated her like crap. it happens in life. same thing with pretty in pink.. i thought that ending was right. duckie wasn't the one she loved...at least, not in that way. she gets her dream guy in the end. he was an idiot at first but then realized what he did.
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Valley Dated Julie From 'Valley Girl' (allegedly!)
Member # 1322
posted
Great analysis Ronnie. Of course, the "Pretty In Pink" ending was extremely debatable to the point that they reshot the ending and Hughes was so anguished that he made Paul's favorite movie to make up for it.
But xchazx and you are absolutely correct that the ending to "The Last American Virgin" has more parallels to real life situations than most of my "he went from totally geek to totally chic" endings.
One difference between "Pretty In Pink" and this movie is the fact that Hughes gave the appliance named Blaine's character some form of redemption for his mistake, but "The Last American Virgin" leaves us thinking Rick is jerk that went off on a ski trip with another girl while Karen and Gary dealt with an unpleasant situation.
Posts: 7845 | From: Smiling and glancing in awe in the back of a limo | Registered: Mar 2003 | Site Updates: 22
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80'sRocked Play it Loud, Play it Proud
Member # 6979
quote:Originally posted by Valley: Of course, the "Pretty In Pink" ending was extremely debatable to the point that they reshot the ending and Hughes was so anguished that he made Paul's favorite movie to make up for it.
Is that right Valley? He made Some Kind of Wonderful because of that? I never heard that story before. Or are you just joking around?
Posts: 3614 | From: Caught Somewhere in Time.... | Registered: May 2008 | Site Updates: 101
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mamamiasweetpeaches
She's with you, but she's thinking of Jake Ryan....
Member # 1715
posted
I think thats true - the SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL story. itw as a way of paying back everyone who had wanted to see Ducky win in PIP.
I agree that if LAST AMERICAN VIRGIN had a HAPPY ending we wouldntr emember it as well as we do (although it IS a funny movie, much funnier than most T N A flicks).
has anyone seen LEMON POPSICAL, the Foreign film LAST AMERICAN VIRGIN was based on?
Posts: 4913 | From: New York | Registered: Jul 2003 | Site Updates: 0
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80'sRocked Play it Loud, Play it Proud
Member # 6979
posted
Neither have I, I've just realised that though I've seen a lot of 80s films, I tend to watch the same ones a few times over. May have to rent this one, sounds like 'American Pie' on prozac made a few years too late (the serious ending would've been ideal 70s fare).
Posts: 2041 | From: The Ice Planet Hoth | Registered: Jul 2001 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
I've always thought the ending was crap. I had something like this happen to me when I was 16 and it really stayed with me for a while. I agree with Ronnie though:
"i've always thought the ending was appropriate. the guy doesn't get the girl. the dumb girl turns around and goes back to the guy who treated her like crap. it happens in life."
Very true! Posts: 2729 | From: Kansas City, MO "At the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance" | Registered: Apr 2007 | Site Updates: 9
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posted
I was quite young when I first saw this film...so I didn't really understand what was going on in it. And the T&A wasn't so "tromatizing" for me either because around the same time..I somehow was able to come across a little gem of a "Tromaville" movie called: "The First Turn-On."
(http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1800065656/info).
Yeah, that film makes the T&A in "The Last American Virgin" look "G" rated. But, anyway, I was able to see this movie again recently now that I'm older and, although a bit too cheesy with horrible acting for my taste, it was still an ok film. The ending was pretty heart-wrenching though.
Posts: 1802 | From: Planet Druidia | Registered: Jan 2009 | Site Updates: 3
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posted
"The Last American Virgin".... My Favorite movie of the 80's.
mamamiasweetpeaches Wrote: "I agree that if LAST AMERICAN VIRGIN had a HAPPY ending we wouldnt remember it as well as we do"....
I couldn't agree more. There is a saying that goes....You do everything right and noone remembers, you do one thing wrong and noone forgets.
Think about it. If Gary would have gotten the girl then it would have been just another movie. It's great that the producers threw caution to the wind and went with something, (even though hard to believe), more realistic.
That's what makes so good.
Posts: 14 | From: Elizabeth, NJ | Registered: Jan 2009 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
If I knew the Gary character in this movie in real life I'd slap him silly though for not going after Kimmy Robertson's Character Rose. She's 10 times hotter than Karen is in the film and she was clearly into him. What a Fool!
[ 10. January 2009, 23:42: Message edited by: Pyromantic ]
Posts: 1802 | From: Planet Druidia | Registered: Jan 2009 | Site Updates: 3
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Valley Dated Julie From 'Valley Girl' (allegedly!)
Member # 1322
posted
Some discussion about this movie tonight...I still struggle to watch it even though I think it is a good movie. That ending is just brutal!
Posts: 7845 | From: Smiling and glancing in awe in the back of a limo | Registered: Mar 2003 | Site Updates: 22
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aTomiK
.... has green eyes as well....
Member # 6575
posted
Thanks for bumping this Valley! I always think about watching this movie, but then I think about that ending and decide not to. It's definitely a movie that leaves you feeling cold...Maybe I'll just start turning it off before that last scene!
Posts: 731 | From: Racine, WI | Registered: Dec 2003 | Site Updates: 0
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But yeah, it is a sad ending. Probably more realistic than a happily ever after ending though, imho.
Posts: 929 | From: Deb to Tone | Registered: Dec 2004 | Site Updates: 37
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posted
It may not be the feel-good ending everybody wanted, but it was the most realistic. I mean, seriously, what sounds more like real life: the girl suddenly decides she's in love with the sensitive, emotionally-needy nerd - or she stays attracted to the supremely self-centered jerk? I have friends of both sorts and guess which ones are constantly replete with female companionship? Girls love stories where the lovable loser gets the girl, but that scenario doesn't play out very often in the real world. In the real world they're all too busy trying to get Rick to commit...
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