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Back to the '80's: Movie of the Week - The Pick-Up Artist (1987)
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Friday, June 19, 2009

Movie of the Week - The Pick-Up Artist (1987)



With Molly Ringwald being the Actor of the Week, it would have been very easy to choose Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink or The Breakfast Club as Movie of the week. Instead I want try choosing Movies of the Week you may not have seen.

Coming off three big hits in each of the past three years, Molly Ringwald had top billing in this movie. And, deservedly so, considering her co-star was coming off a small role as one of the pretty girls' boyfriends in Weird Science and a failed stint on Saturday Night Live.

Even though Robert Downey Jr. had limited success up to this point in his career, he was the actor who owned every scene he was in. In my mind, this was Robert Downey Jr's true platform to his future success. Some will point to his very next movie, Less Than Zero, also released in '87, as his real star vehicle. Although, I agree he was terrific in that movie also, it was this movie you really started to see his acting chops.

Downey Jr. was the Pick-Up Artist in this movie. He was constantly using these great lines to try and get dates, which I tried myself on more than a few occasions with limited success. I just didn't seem to be quite as smooth as RDJ's character. Go figure.

The plot of the movie is built around Downey Jr's character trying, with no success, to pick up Molly Ringwald. What he doesn't know is Molly's father (Dennis Hopper) is in a bit of a jam with the mob, so Molly's mind is definitely elsewhere.

Figuring this is a good place to get his foot in the door with her, he offers to help. He ends up getting more than he bargained for, which leads to some good movie watching. Will he end up winning her over? Watch it and see.

The cast had quite a few people who were already pretty big or was going to be stars in the near future. Here is a list of actors you may recognize, including the stars, who were in this movie.

Robert Downey Jr.
Molly Ringwald
Dennis Hopper
Danny Aiello
Harvey Keitel
Vanessa Williams
Lorraine Bracco
Victoria Jackson
Christine Baranski

I'll be typin' at ya later,
Bob the Blogger


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