No Small Affair (1984)

Charles Cummings (Jon Cryer) is a 16 year old amateur photographer in San Francisco. His brother Leonard brings home his latest fiancée Susan. He considers Leonard his mother's favorite. His mother's boyfriend Ken (Jeffrey Tambor) urges him to be normal. He takes a picture of Laura Victor (Demi Moore) and becomes infatuated with her photo. He searches everywhere for her. Leonard and Susan take the underage Charles out to a club run by Jake (George Wendt). Charles is surprised to find Laura singing. She's struggling with her band and her faltering career. After initially dismissing the younger Charles, she has a fun day out with him taking pictures. The wedding crashers get found out and Laura has to sing for their supper. Charles spends all his money for his Milan trip to advertise Laura on 150 taxis but it's so vague that people assume she's an escort or it's a phone sex line.This is Jon Cryer's movie debut. He delivers a great puppy love very much in the vein of Duckie. Demi Moore has her star quality in a struggling artist character. The story is a meandering teen rom-com. Maybe it's the presence of Duckie but this does have a faded sense of a John Hughes movie. It's not quite at a high level but the two leads are magnetic and compelling. It's a cheesy little romance with two terrific future stars.

This is a movie to insanely love.The story is about "the first love". This naive and dreamy moment in the life of almost everyone of us. However, while choosing not the happy end, the movie doesn't go to make it a massacre of a romance or a sad love story; it showcases an unsuccessful first love that maybe we wanted for ourselves.The treatment gave us the boyish sentimental talented photographer idiot, his victory as a nerdy nerd who kisses the ultimately sexy chick (in fact it's the other way around) right in front of his bully bulls, helping this one-sided love to success in her career, then winning her somehow eventually (at least as a friend), having the hottest innocent separation ever portrayed on screen WITH a smart reference to his next, maybe real, love affair. Can the hardy first love be more lovely ? It's the most successful unsuccessful love story you'll ever see !(Jon Cryer) is utterly believable and most of all funny. With good script he captured the essence of his character, making it a fresh lead more than another stereotype; that might hint about the movie's makers as maybe old geeks who showed themselves as distinct human beings more than a Hollywood easy laughingstock. This characterization had to be a big reason why the movie is respectable for every geek out there, assuring the solid romantic side in them with much verity and love. For opposite instance; in later movie, Napoleon Dynamite, the character is exploited horribly just for the sake of some cheap laughs! Back then (Demi Moore) was SEXY SEXY SEXY (I can go forever !). And the irony between herself and her co-star (age, charisma, way of talking,..) was one of a kind. Thank god that they didn't cast (Sally Field) as it was first intended, the sexual thing would have been totally missed, and the matter shrunken into a mother-son relationship. Enough to recall moments that have her : cursing the French teacher in English-French way, running in the street half naked with only a long coat (searching for that boy who put her on all the city's cabs), and undoubtedly the one when she wakes up to answer the telephone with only blue shirt AND bare legs; this moment is one of the most unforgettable moments in the history of cinema, and those legs represent a part of the best things I saw in my life !The Jazzy songs worked brilliantly. I have them on tape; they're priceless. The My Funny Valentine performance can't be more perfect. Truly aside from being as husky as Demi's, (Chrissy Faith)'s voice is wow. Add to that factors like the wedding's crises, (Jeffrey Tambor)'s delivering, line like (she took my pen!), the catchy cinematography,… I believe the good parts are simply the whole movie; it has a sweet spirit all over it. This is the favorite story of every adolescent with desperate one-side amour, a dream of a doomed first love, and it has inspiring core too; as if the dilemma of that first / from one-side love is just a fair preparation for the real love after, therefore it's wholly no small affair. You have to admire this theory; where being disappointed in love isn't disappointing at all, and the unfinished love already finishes with a next yet complete one. This is extremely optimistic. Rare to watch a movie of this sort nowadays. The 1980s were dreamy enough to comprise these delicate stories.So, with wonderful story, acting, singing, kisses, and legs…I find no bad thing to say. God, even Jennifer Tilly's performance was great !

"No Small Affair" was a movie made at the height of the Brat Pack popularity. John Cryer and Demi Moore, two of the most prominent members of the group are showcased in this whimsical comedy about obsession. Jerry Schatzberg directed the film, which has a San Francisco setting.The movie is in a way, the coming of age of Charles Cummings, a young amateur photographer who one day discovers a beautiful young woman while taking pictures at one of the piers. He will do anything in order to meet Laura, who at the beginning doesn't feel anything for him, but who is intrigued by his obsession, especially when he spends all his savings to have her face, and telephone number, plastered all over the tops of taxis. He was only trying to get Laura exposed to possible offers for a recording career, but the plan backfires and all she gets are sexual propositions.John Cryer as Charles Cummings is charming. Demi Moore does good work as Laura. George Wendt, Peter Frechette, Ann Wedgeworth, Jeffrey Tambor, Jeniffer Tilly and Tim Robbings are seen in supporting roles.The film is an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours.

I've been trying to get my paws on this one for years now but they don't ever give it on TV .ill have to get the DVD whenever i got the cash.this has everything i love about movies-it is a child from the eighties,its got jon cryer-an icon of teen pictures of the decade-it is a sweet love story,the one you-well,i-wish could happen in real life.demi moore would never be sweeter. well,maybe in One Crazy Summer. at the time i watched it-hell,even now as i write-i had gone thru my first crush on an older woman(in my case,my ninth grade math teacher-she was 23 and i fifteen)and i felt i was the only one who though of that kind of relationships,so when i saw a Hollywood movie dealing with it in such a great way i fell for it all the way.it will remain one of my all time favorites until the day i die,a throwback to an era full of possibilities,however practically unattainable.