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FILM: 'WEIRD SCIENCE,' YOUTH FANTASY By Janet Maslin John Hughes proved he could get inside the vocabulary, and perhaps the mind, of the American teen-ager. With ''The Breakfast Club,'' Mr. Hughes demonstrated his understanding of the most self-important kind of adolescent solipsism. Now, with ''Weird Science,'' which opens today at Loews Astor Plaza and other theaters, Mr. Hughes shows that he can share the kind of dumb joke that only a 14-year-old boy could love. There are enough moviegoing 14-year-old boys to make a hit out of ''Weird Science,'' of course, but for the rest of the population, its pandering is strenuous enough to be cause for alarm. ''Weird Science'' tells what happens when a couple of boys use their computer to build the perfect woman, with specifications derived mostly from skin magazines and a few other considerations taken into account (''Should we give her a brain?'' ''Yeah, we can play chess with her''). They get Kelly LeBrock, as a gorgeous and compliant creature they name Lisa. Really, she ought to be enough. But Mr. Hughes, who wrote and directed the film, insists on satisfying his young heroes' every whim. So ''Weird Science'' also provides them with sports cars, pretty young girlfriends with whom they fall instantaneously in love, and a means of getting even with any and all relatives who interfere with their plans. It also throws in menacing motorcyclists, ostentatious special effects and a Pershing missile, as further evidence that the director has no idea where to stop. Mr. Hughes still has his gift for finding talented young actors: Anthony Michael Hall, who starred in two of his earlier films, again makes a likable misfit with a shrewd sense of humor. He is well teamed with Ilan Mitchell-Smith, as the bashful computer wizard, and Miss LeBrock is as spirited as she is eye-catching. Mr. Hughes also comes up with a few funny turnabouts, like Mr. Hall's sudden affectation of a bluesy ghetto argot, or the transformation of Mr. Mitchell-Smith's obnoxious brother into a fat, slimy troll. However, most of ''Weird Science,'' for all its repetitive vulgarity and its wide array of gimmicks, is essentially much too calculating and cautious. Even 14-year-old boys may find it heavy sledding. ''Weird Science'' is rated PG-13 (Special Parental Guidance for those younger than 13). It contains a lot of smutty conversation. Young Frankensteins WEIRD SCIENCE, direction and screenplay by John Hughes; director of photography, Matthew F. Leonetti; edited by Mark Warner, Christopher Lebenzon and Scott Wallace; music by Ira Newborn; produced by Joel Silver; released by Universal Pictures. At Loews Astor Plaza, Broadway at 44th Street; Loews New York Twin, Second Avenue at 67th Street; Loews 34th Street Showplace, 238 East 34th Street, and other theaters. Running time: 91 minutes. This film is rated PG-13. GaryAnthony Michael Hall LisaKelly LeBrock WyattIlan Mitchell-Smith ChetBill Paxton DebSuzanne Snyder HillyJudie Aronson IanRobert Downey MaxRobert Rusler Lord GeneralVernon Wells AlBritt Leach LucyBarbara Lang Mutant BikerMichael Berryman HenryIvor Barry CarmenAnne Bernadette Coyle GymnastSuzy J. Kellems |