Lucas

PG-13

Released Mar 28, 1986

1h 40m

Comedy

Drama

List

73%

22 Reviews

Tomatometer

70%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Lucas (Corey Haim) is an unusually bright teenager whose nerdy looks and meek demeanor make him a favorite target for bullies. His life at school seems to improve when he befriends Maggie (Kerri Green), a cute new girl whose love interest, Cappie (Charlie Sheen), protects him from harassment. However, despite his friend Rina's (Winona Ryder) clear affection for him, Lucas falls for Maggie, and in a final effort to impress her, joins the high school football team.

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Clint A

it's a great film, very well done. One of my favorites.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/04/23

Full Review

steve d

Corey Haim couldn't pull it off.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

ayedatboy

extremely forgetable and genaric its not bad but not good

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/20/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Great 80's nostalgia and the acting is better than most. Fun and brings back the best memories.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

jon c

There's a little Lucas in us all. Nobody can make us quit the passions we normally wouldn't want to pursue. Corey Haim, Charlie Sheen, Kerri Green, and Winona Ryder and directed by David Seltzer. Lucas is a socially inept 14 year old boy. He experiences heartbreak, a love for sports, bullying but has a hobby for collecting insects. Mainly he has a fascination with locusts (sounds like his name too). His folks are according to him stuck in the system of being workaholics, high class society socialites plus they have Lucas adhere to strict social conventions. This girl named Maggie moves into town. Her folks split up since her father left her mom for a younger woman. He nicknames her 'Magpie'. She peaks his interest but she already has a boyfriend Cappie. At least he protects Lucas from being hounded at school. Lucas' best friend Rina is actually in love with him yet he's so oblivious to the fact. He figures the best way to win Maggie's affection is to become a football player. But since Lucas doesn't have the physical stature and is labeled as a bookworm everyone believes he should give up. This movie is about one boy willing to prove he can go further beyond his high school status. Nobody can make anyone quit just because they say so, just because you're smart doesn't mean you're not capable, it's true too that the journey from childhood to young adulthood is fraught with exactly the same perils, the self-doubt, the need for validation, the hunger to be appreciated in the way that you need to be, just because other people have fun doesn't make them superficial The film has terrific themes of bullying, first lives, the need to fit in as well as a committed performance by Haim himself. He perfectly molds into the typical adolescent young man who's just trying to become more than what others have always viewed him as. Lucas also has the advantage of breaking away from other flashier teen flicks that dominated the cinema mainstream filled with sex, drugs, rock n roll, drinking and debauchery. It even launched the early careers of many of its actors for days to come. Even a teenager deemed as meek and nerdy can change the attitude of an entire student body. Haim's performance shines, the music is effectively emotional, the relationships are nicely woven together, and message is universally relatable. High school is a treacherous battlefield to fit in but also to stand out. 'Lucas' is such a lovable watch that it will appeal to all the ones who grew up much like him. This is an effective character study that's sweet and personal.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

euler n

Touching, but boring and sad. Not a comedy in anyway. Not a surprise that it was not a hit.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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David Seltzer

Director

Corey Haim

Lucas

Kerri Green

Maggie

Charlie Sheen

Cappie

Courtney Thorne-Smith

Alise

Winona Ryder

Rina

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Paul Attanasio

Washington Post

... director David Seltzer has kept it low-key, sweet and personal -- it's like a nice "Afterschool Special."

Jan 3, 2018

Full Review

Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

Lucas is as irresistible as its slight, brilliant, bespectacled 14-year-old hero (Corey Haim).

Aug 23, 2016

Full Review

Rick Kogan

Chicago Tribune

Having carefully and sensitively drawn an interesting character and put him in an interesting place, the filmmakers start painting with their fingers and ultimately provide a very familiar picture.

Rated: 2.5/4

Aug 23, 2016

Full Review

Gena Radcliffe

The Spool

The kids in Lucas are remarkably normal, like people you'd have seen rooting around in the locker next to yours in high school.

Mar 31, 2021

Full Review

Christopher Lloyd

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

It's hard to think of another movie where so many young performers have so forcefully announced themselves to the world.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jan 31, 2011

Full Review

Randy White

Common Sense Media

A realistic look at a teen's coming-of-age.

Rated: 5/5

Jan 2, 2011

Full Review

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Synopsis

Lucas (Corey Haim) is an unusually bright teenager whose nerdy looks and meek demeanor make him a favorite target for bullies. His life at school seems to improve when he befriends Maggie (Kerri Green), a cute new girl whose love interest, Cappie (Charlie Sheen), protects him from harassment. However, despite his friend Rina's (Winona Ryder) clear affection for him, Lucas falls for Maggie, and in a final effort to impress her, joins the high school football team.

Director: David Seltzer
Screenwriter: David Seltzer
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 28, 1986, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 3, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.9M
Runtime: 1h 40m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo