This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Really Surprised!

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

I have great memories of this show when I was in junior high and then I bought the DVD collection thinking that memories would then glide into sweet nostalgia, like when I watch old episodes of other great shows. But this very well might be the worst show ever made. The characters are awful, and the premise is built of sand not stone. We are supposed to believe that these girls are unpopular, meanwhile they have more confidence, and are better looking, than the popular set. Amy Linker's eyes alone would cause guys to fall down and beg her for a date, no matter that they added pillows to make her fat and braces. I remembered the Lenny and Squiggy of the show, Johnny Slash and Marshall, the geeky guy sidekicks, but what I didn't remember is that they aren't funny. If you want to go down memory lane, I would avoid this avenue altogether. The show is clumsily written, poorly acted, and just plain stinks.

Square Pegs was one of my favorite TV shows, mostly because it was so off-beat. There were frequent references to the new style of music that was just about to break through to mainstream media at the time the show began. i.e. a bulletin board in one classroom had notices for the "Tom Tom Club" (a real band formed by two members of the Talking Heads) as if it was some organization for building school spirit. And the theme song was written specifically for the show by another unique and fantastic early 80s band, the Waitresses.Quirky in delivery but right on in concept, the show was far and away ahead of its time. Perhaps the only recent program on TV it can be compared with would be "Malcolm in the Middle". Although not as sophisticated as MITM, and with many silly, sophomoric jokes, those of us who were aware of the changes bubbling below the crusty American cultural landscape of the time sensed that this was the first breaker of the "New Wave".The characters on the show were about as broad-stroked as they could be, yet the characterizations were unlike anything I'd seen before. Patty and Lauren were two high school freshman desperate to be admitted to the "in" crowd, but were often spared of making fools of themselves like the kids who considered themselves too good for our heroines. It didn't hurt that "the skinny one" was played by a young actress that would go on to fame and fortune in one of the most popular TV series of the upcoming century. And to marry Matthew Broderick! SJP did bring much heart and honesty to this very small role, as did her co-star Amy Linker, and that was part of what endeared the Square Pegs to us.The only friend the two could count on in the show was played with goofy panache by Merritt Butrick. The actor managed to stretch his career out through the end of the decade (and possibly longer; the last I remember seeing him was on Hollywood Squares, probably in the 90s), but his portrayal of the eccentric yet somehow cool Johnny Slash landed him the short-lived program's one catch phrase, "Totally." More success would come to the actresses who played "the pretty one" (Tracy Nelson, who went on to star in "Father Dowling Mysteries", and is still acting today); and the incredibly uptight and driven one with the unforgettable name of Muffy Tepperman (Jami Gurtz, the lead actress in a number of movies over the ensuing years and star of the recent hit TV show "Still Standing".) Rounding out the cast was the working class Italian hunk (Jon Caliri in an updated version of John Travolta's "Welcome Back, Kotter" character of the same name), the always angry black girl (Claudette Wells) and the nerdy schemer with another classic name, Marshall Blechtman (John Femia), who I swear I went to high school with.In the end the show didn't catch on, but it will always remain a bellwether to the energetic shift in music, fashion and attitude that was the 1980s.

One episode featured the drummer from The Doors. I've said it before and I'll say it again, there are never enough TV shows with drummers on them. Square Pegs also made a comical visual reference to Citizen Kane. No wonder it only lasted one season. The biggest weakness of the show was the premise. Every week Patty and Lauren aspired to join the popular crowd. It should have been apparent after their first attempt that a). The popular kids would never accept them, and that, b). Hanging out with Johnny Slash was way more cooler because he knew the drummer from The Doors. One final note: I thought SJP did well at finding her inner nerd.

I loved this show and remember it fondly. "Square Pegs" introduced Sarah Jessica Parker(FOOTLOOSE, SEX IN THE CITY), Jamie Gertz(QUICKSILVER, LOST BOYS, LESS THAN ZERO), and Tracie Nelson(DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS, FATHER DOWLING MYSTERIES) to the world and make stars of them. Unfortunately the show got cancelled after only a year. TV Guide had a cover story a few years later about how drugs and money had killed the show. Well that's Hollywood for you.This is probably the first show about High School that featured teenagers as the leads. Played by actual teenager actors, not twentysomethings. The show was conceived by Anne Beatts, a writer from "Saturday Night Live". The writing was top notch and the actors were funny and real. It's a classic show! Luckily I have 6 episodes saved on Video but it won't last forever. I want it on DVD please!!!!PS: Another great show of High School life in the 80's was "Fast Times". Does anybody remember that one or was I the only one watching it. That show died after 7 episodes.