I remember seeing Reckless when I was in middle school. It was an incredibly racy movie for the time--even though it pales in comparison to what teenagers see today. It was also the movie where I developed a lifelong crush on Aidan Quinn.
I just re-watched this movie (3 times, actually) for the first time in more than 20 years. It holds up. There is no question that some of the dialogue/delivery is flat out cheesy: "Tracey, I love you", "You're the coach" and anything the coach actually says. But there are some golden moments in this film that I could watch over and over again. It has been mentioned before, but the dance scene is superb--the circling of the camera, the quintessential 80s bounce-dance, and Aidan Quinn's amazing, punk moves--not to mention the song by Romeo Void. It is one of the first times we actually see the character Tracey really smile. The "Kids in America" scene...awkward and sexy and a little bit odd but utterly perfect in the way the sexual tension builds. The sex scenes were realistic and erotic--especially the way they were filmed without accompanying background music. The movie has a quick pace, although it still feels like there is something missing at times.
Daryl Hannah has always bugged me a bit as an actress, but she generates a lot of heat with Aidan Quinn, though I'm not sure if this was his doing or theirs together. Because with the exception of a few moments, she can be very wooden. Still, it didn't really diminish the movie for me as I think her character was meant to be icy until she began to interact with Johnny.
Which brings me back to Aidan Quinn. In the beginning of the film, he makes your heart break for Johnny's loneliness. Everyone celebrates after the football game, which he basically won, and he goes to sit on the overlook, cold and alone. Quinn's facial expressions are 75% of his acting--and I mean that as a good thing. When Tracey undresses by the pool...and he gives his half smile. When they are making love in her parents' bed and his face radiates his happiness. When they are making love in the boiler room, his expressions make you understand why she wants him so badly. When he sees her at the funeral and he realizes that she cares. When he walks by her at school after they fight and he can't bear to look at her. When he is trying initially to de-escalate the confrontation with his coach when he is late for practice. This scene, by the way, makes my hear hurt for the way some kids/students are treated by those who have no idea what they go through outside of school.
I love 80s movies--but I find it funny that the most underrated ones made the most impression on me: Reckless and Fire with Fire. Neither are going to win any Oscars, but that's not why I watch them.
When I watch this movie, I feel like a teenager all over again.
I just re-watched this movie (3 times, actually) for the first time in more than 20 years. It holds up. There is no question that some of the dialogue/delivery is flat out cheesy: "Tracey, I love you", "You're the coach" and anything the coach actually says. But there are some golden moments in this film that I could watch over and over again. It has been mentioned before, but the dance scene is superb--the circling of the camera, the quintessential 80s bounce-dance, and Aidan Quinn's amazing, punk moves--not to mention the song by Romeo Void. It is one of the first times we actually see the character Tracey really smile. The "Kids in America" scene...awkward and sexy and a little bit odd but utterly perfect in the way the sexual tension builds. The sex scenes were realistic and erotic--especially the way they were filmed without accompanying background music. The movie has a quick pace, although it still feels like there is something missing at times.
Daryl Hannah has always bugged me a bit as an actress, but she generates a lot of heat with Aidan Quinn, though I'm not sure if this was his doing or theirs together. Because with the exception of a few moments, she can be very wooden. Still, it didn't really diminish the movie for me as I think her character was meant to be icy until she began to interact with Johnny.
Which brings me back to Aidan Quinn. In the beginning of the film, he makes your heart break for Johnny's loneliness. Everyone celebrates after the football game, which he basically won, and he goes to sit on the overlook, cold and alone. Quinn's facial expressions are 75% of his acting--and I mean that as a good thing. When Tracey undresses by the pool...and he gives his half smile. When they are making love in her parents' bed and his face radiates his happiness. When they are making love in the boiler room, his expressions make you understand why she wants him so badly. When he sees her at the funeral and he realizes that she cares. When he walks by her at school after they fight and he can't bear to look at her. When he is trying initially to de-escalate the confrontation with his coach when he is late for practice. This scene, by the way, makes my hear hurt for the way some kids/students are treated by those who have no idea what they go through outside of school.
I love 80s movies--but I find it funny that the most underrated ones made the most impression on me: Reckless and Fire with Fire. Neither are going to win any Oscars, but that's not why I watch them.
When I watch this movie, I feel like a teenager all over again.