his 1985 classic comedy stars a dreamy young Val Kilmer juxtaposed against an awkward and homely Gabriel Jarret. The story follows the acceptance of 15-year-old genius Mitch Taylor (Jarret) into a fancy pants science and technology school. At this school, Taylor meets what would be considered the big man on campus, Chris Knight (Kilmer). These two students are project leaders for a new kind of laser. Unbeknownst to them, this laser is being designed for military assassination purposes. The film is full of weird quirky characters and it has four delicious montages draped in the warm, familiar blanket of ‘80s pop music. Kilmer’s performance is evidence of why he became the star he did in later years – he’s full of energy and conviction. Of course, I would say that any film that ends with a Tears for Fears song deserves an Oscar. Unfortunately, this film did not get one.