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Simply Perfect

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

In a suffocating upper middle class suburb, an angry teen's pirate radio station offers a clarion call to his peers: Everything is terrible, and we should do ... something!The movie doesn't really explain too clearly what's terrible, beyond parents and a bit of corruption introduced late in the movie just to prove the DJ is right, but that doesn't matter, because angsty teens don't need proof that parents suck and the school is a mind-killing fascist state.You could dismiss this as a movie about privileged white teens throwing a tantrum, but the movie is so compelling that you probably won't. With Christian Slater perfect as an angry DJ by night and a shy kid by day, the movie runs on passion and a great soundtrack (with songs ranging from Everybody Knows to Dad I'm in Jail), and you totally believe every unlikely second, as kids consistently outwit remarkably stupid and cartoonish adults and start a movement to ...It's unclear what the agenda is, beyond free speech and being true to yourself, but it doesn't really matter. Even if it's unclear what the revolution is, this movie makes you want to sign up.

Interesting to watch this movie 24 years after it was released. It really 'spoke' to me when I was a teenager. What I found interesting watching it as an adult was how much I agreed with Mark (Christian Slater) about how strange it is to live in Arizona. He keeps telling his parents: 'People are weird here, I can't talk to anyone, they don't understand me.' I'm sure it was only a way to make him seem at odds with his classmates. But so peculiar that I feel the same way as an adult living in Arizona and coming from the mid-west. People in Arizona are strange, and very different...definitely not easy to get along with. Nobody gets me here...this was an unexpected feeling as I watched this again and was able to connect to the main character on a different level than as a teenager.

Wow is all i can say to this movie - this will most likely be the only review I will ever write, after being a long time user of IMDb.This movie is my favorite for the basic fact that I saw it when I was a teenager, being 17 years old it spoke to me - In a little less dramatic way than that of the movie. The attitude of defining normal, in a society where conforming is forced. He becomes the voice he was himself searching for, touching the hearts and minds of his peers. And in doing so he goes from a quite, shy, confused out of place teenager to a strong bold lay it all on the line young adult.Slater has a reserved place in my retro nostalgic memories and I salute him and Mathis for the performance that will forever remind me how awesome young love was and the hope I have that all will experience it in whatever form at at whatever age. And forever reminding me that everyone has a voice, but take care - you are responsible for what you say, because you cant take it back once the words have left your lips.Peace.

Christian Slater plays Mark Hunter, a shy teenager who has just moved from the East coast to Arizona. His parents give him a short wave radio set that he turns into a pirate radio station where his shyness evaporates, and instead he uses the handle "Hard Harry", where he vents his frustrations and confusions to his fellow teenagers, who it turns out are very receptive to this message, and "Hard Harry" finds himself the most popular and influential person in town, much to his high school principal's consternation. Things take a dark turn when a troubled teenage listener commits suicide, and the authorities become eager to shut down his illegal broadcasts.Smart and appealing film has a fine performance from Christian Slater, that really speaks to the hearts and minds of teenagers, and still rings true. Dramatically uneven, but will resonate strongly with people who like to listen to talk radio.