DVD: Five Non-John Hughes '80s Teen Comedies That Are Still a Bajillion Times Better Than Take Me Home Tonight

So not only does Take Me Home Tonight get the small details wrong -- someone makes a Rain Man reference even though TMHT is set during Labor Day Weekend 1988 and Rain Man wouldn't be seen for a few more months -- it also fails to capture the charm and the laughs that we think of when we recall the great teen flicks of the 1980s. And even taking the great John Hughes out of the equation (and seriously, TMHT, how very DARE you have sent your characters to "Shermer High"? Blasphemy!), there are plenty of actual '80s movies that will bring you far more joy this weekend on DVD than this crappy new comedy. Ahead, five better options.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High: The Mean Streets of teen movies -- this one's not so much about plot as it is about characters hanging out and trying to figure out who they are and what they're going to do next. Budding scenarist Cameron Crowe and director Amy Heckerling take on a broad range of material -- from the stoner yuks of Sean Penn's Spicoli to the heartbreaking romantic travails of Jennifer Jason Leigh's Stacy -- and it all works.

The Sure Thing: Here's proof that you can borrow plot ideas from a classic and make them fresh and fun in a new context. College students John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga can't stand each other, but when they get stuck hitchhiking cross-country (à la It Happened One Night), they see through each other's defenses and wind up falling in love. When Rob Reiner followed up This is Spinal Tap with this as his second film, it seemed like he could do no wrong as a director. Heh.

My Tutor: OK, yes, this one gets lumped in with a lot of skeevy Reagan-era movies about teen boys losing their virginity to hungry cougars. But this one's got a charm to it, thanks mostly to leads Matt Lattanzi and Caren Kaye. And keep your eyes peeled for none other than Crispin Glover as the obligatory nerdy pal.

Revenge of the Nerds: Long before the internet made geekery cool -- and before hipsters would appropriate unfashionable eyewear as a style statement -- came this sweetly raunchy movie about collegiate outcasts getting back at the oafish frat jocks who've made their lives hell. More than 25 years later, I can still recite that damn talent-show rap song by heart.

Say Anything: Crowe's first time behind the camera teamed him with Cusack for this just-under-the-wire (1989) '80s classic. Cusack plays a sweet, average guy who makes a play for the way-out-of-his-league valedictorian hottie (Ione Skye), only to have her start seeing him in a different light. This one's got two unforgettable music moments: Yeah yeah, "In Your Eyes" and the boombox and all that, but don't forget Lili Taylor's unforgettable "Joe Lies."