Even though I’ve seen a metric ton of flicks from the 80s, there are a lot that I’ve never seen. One of the cool aspects of catching up with these movies is getting to see some established actors before they were huge, and in some cases seeing them in roles that give me a whole new appreciation for them. A couple years ago I did just that when I saw Laura Dern as a young post-punk rock star in Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains. It totally changed my outlook on Mrs. Dern and it’s sort of given me a taste for redefining my outlook on some stars that maybe I don’t give enough credit. Well this past weekend I curled up next to my girlfriend Jaime while she introduced me to the campy 80s dance flick Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and at about four minutes in I found an entirely new appreciation for one Mrs. Helen Hunt!
Literally, Jaime and I were about five minutes into the flick when I did a spit take (well, would have had I been drinking anything at the time) and freaked out after noticing Hunt wearing a very awesome piece of jewelery that I myself sported back in the 80s. Her character, Lynne Stone, is sort of a Cyndi Lauper lite, free spirited, takes crap from no one, and has a wickedly fun fashion sense. Though the film focuses mainly on Sarah Jessica Parker’s character Janey, I kind of immediately fell in love with Lynne and I’m basically already writing the fan-fiction sequel flick in tandem with this article. Also, since I’ve sort of been locked in a mode of finding all sorts of fun junk in the background of movies I thought it would be fun to point out the six aspects that make Hunt’s Lynne Stone such a rad character…
#6: Her Crush on C. Thomas Howell
But then again, didn’t we all have a crush on C. Thomas Howell?
#5: Her Transforming Catholic School Uniform
The scene where Lynne rips off her school outfit and flips it to form an entirely new outfit is pretty cool, as is her line: “Velcro. Next to the Walkman and Tab it’s the coolest invention of the 20th century!”
#4: Her Awesome Headgear
Giant grasshoppers, 50’s coonskin caps, and Dinosaur barrettes are just a smattering of the awesome things you’ll see on Lynne’s head throughout the flick.
#3: Her Babysitting Technique
Get to job, put on Dance TV, place baby in pizza box, take absolutely no messages for her employer. That’s the way to do it.
#2: Her Taste in Lunchboxes
I have to say that the 8 year-old me who was carrying a Masters of the Universe lunchbox to school, if he’d crossed paths with a teenaged Helen Hunt with the same lunchbox, well, he (I) would have fallen in love and then fainted. Seriously, I love that she’s carrying that lunchbox!
#1: Her Amazing Taste in Kronoform Watches!
Not only did I have the same lunchbox as Lynne, I also had that same knockoff red Kronoform transforming robot watch!!! (Also, note the rad dinosaur headgear…)
Seriously, I might have to consider knocking one of my 80s crushes off my list because I think Lynne Stone/Helen Hunt deserves to be on it…