“Hey, who do you think you are? Tootsie?”
On the surface, 1985’s Just One Of The Guys seems like just another light teen 80’s comedy. When you dig deeper, however, you see that the film is about the imbalance between the sexes (both ways), the social hierarchy of high schools in the 1980’s (and beyond), and the ways that deception can break down relationships. It works well as both of those types of films.
Terri Griffith (Joyce Hyser) believes the only reason that her article was rejected by her journalism teacher for an internship at the local newspaper was because she’s a pretty girl. When a conversation overheard at the school somewhat confirms her theory, she decides to disguise herself as a boy, attend another school, and turn in her article there to prove that she’s right. She battles bullies, avoids getting dressed in gym class, and gets a taste of life as a boy at the new school. She also attracts unwanted attention from a girl and befriends one of the school’s outsiders, determined to get him a date for the prom.
In the end she discovers that her original article just wasn’t that good and decides to write a new article about her experiences as a boy. She also falls for the outsider, loses her boyfriend, and has to deal with her oversexed brother.
The film reveals that we are all judged (often unfairly) to some degree by our looks, our interests, and our friends. It also shows that even the pretty, popular girl will experience rejection because sometimes she’s actually not the best at something. The film also covers standing up to bullies, young love, and heartbreak. It does all of this with plenty of humor and a ton of heart.
Joyce Hyser carries the film as Terri. While her “Terry” male character is a bit hard to accept as completely blending in as a male, she does an excellent job as “Terri.” Clayton Rohner portrays Rick, a James Brown-addicted outsider that Terri takes under her wing and attempts to find him a date. She ultimately falls in love with him. Billy Jacoby portrays Terri’s little brother, Buddy. He provides most of the film’s funniest moments. Toni Hudson plays Denise, Terri’s best friend. Leigh McCloskey appears in the film as Terri’s jilted boyfriend, Kevin. Sherilyn Fenn has a small role (one of her earliest) as Sandy, a young lady that is attracted to Terry. She references The Karate Kid early in the film, stating that Terry looks like Ralph Macchio’s titular character from that film. The funny thing is that William Zabka, who portrays the school’s top bully, Greg, also tortured Macchio’s character in The Karate Kid. As attractive as Hyser is, she definitely does look a little like Daniel LaRusso.
Of course I can’t talk about this film without mentioning that moment in the movie. The moment that I am referring to is the point in the film where Terri declares her love for a very confused Rick and then rips her shirt open to reveal her breasts. The PG-13 rating was was still in its infancy at the time. Red Dawn, released in August of 1984, was the first PG-13 film. Just One Of The Guys was released less than a year later in April of 1985. Prior to 1984, there were quite a few films with nude scenes in them that received a PG rating, but most of them featured non-sexual nudity. While the “reveal” scene wasn’t necessarily sexual, it was surprising and shocked quite a few filmgoers. Hyser, director Lisa Gottlieb, and Clayton Rohner all agreed that the reveal definitely sent home the message of the moment, but Hyser has said on many occasions that she would not have done the seen if she knew that it would end up on numerous porn sites on the internet (which didn’t exist in 1985).
I definitely recommend checking out this film if you missed it when it was first released. It’s currently available on demand on Pluto TV for free. It’s also available on a number of other streaming services. Outside of the breast reveal scene, there are a ton of photos from Playboy Magazine plastered on the walls of Buddy’s room. There are quite a few male bottoms in view during a shower sequence as well. There are also a few scenes with teens making moves on one another. The language is surprisingly tame. Violence is relegated to a few bullying and light fight scenes.
Thanks for reading my review. Hyser does a great job as both the “beautiful and popular girl” and the “new kid” that attracts both positive and negative attention. It’s definitely worth checking out on a rainy day or a slow weekday evening.
Ken's Alternate Universe! 