You know what I find particularly cringe-inducing? Flipping around the channels on, say, a Saturday or Sunday afternoon (usually WGN, USA or TBS will be the culprits here) and seeing some movie from the 80's that, when it came out we all thought was cool, funny, etc.
But you watch it now and...ugh.
There was the big trend in 80's movies set in NYC to show secretaries with bobbed haircuts, HUGE damn eyeglasses and, while walking to work, wearing tennis shoes with their business clothes.
So many bad offshoots from that whole "Wall Street" pool, focusing on NYC, office workers, the Stock Exchange, etc. ("Working Girl", "Secret of My Success", "Bonfire of the Vanities", etc.). Just completely horrible to watch now. So dated, so cheesy.
Rivaled only by movies that came out that had a rock band in them, since MTV was new and anything remotely tagging onto that network was seen as "cool" and "cutting edge". That movie where Demi Moore played a rocker chick (can't remember the name), "Purple Rain", "Light of Day" (mmm...Joan Jett!
) and "St. Elmo's Fire": total mullet and/or Jheri curl city, and long dangling earrings, sleeveless shirts and an overly self-conscious "Check me out, I'm a rocker!" vibe. And at some point, the hero of the movie would get his/her chance to shine and sing The Big Song at The Club (aka The Big Break He/She Has Been Seeking). And someone in the band would have a bleached mohawk - which all us small-town teenagers would just freak out over and secretly covet) and be playing a Roland synth. And someone even goofier-looking (perhaps with blue spiked hair) would be playing a heavily chorused, over-processed Les Paul and posing ferociously with rock star faces. ALWAYS. And the crowd would LOVE the song, and all dance together.
Ewwww.
