In the 1980s, Martha Coolidge’s
films were a welcome antidote to the dominance of John Hughes’ output.
On the surface, her films appear to be quite similar but whereas
Hughes’ films ultimately play it safe and are conservative in nature
(i.e. the status quo is preserved), Coolidge’s films champion the
outsider in society – for example, Nicolas Cage’s punk rocker hooks up
with Deborah Foreman’s Valley girl despite societal pressure in Valley Girl (1983). Real Genius (1985) appears to be just another mindless college comedy like Revenge of the Nerds (1984) but whereas that film had its outsiders ultimately become part of accepted mainstream society, the nerds in Real Genius rebel against it and are proud to be different.
Click here to read the full article at Radiator Heaven.
 2009-12-03
"Real Genius"
J.D. from The Radiator Heaven Blog artfully defines some of Martha's best work.
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