Mischief (1985 film)

Mischief is a 1985 American teen comedy film starring Doug McKeon, Chris Nash, Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelly Preston. The film was directed by Mel Damski and written by Noel Black. The original music score was composed by Barry De Vorzon.

Set in Nelsonville, Ohio, in 1956, its soundtrack features many popular songs from the era.

Plot summary
In Nelsonville, Ohio, in 1956, the relationship between the introverted, clumsy Jonathan Bellah and the nonconformist, extroverted Eugene "Gene" Harbrough develops. Jonathan's main objective is to win over the sexy Marilyn McCauley, in spite of his shyness, while Gene has his own love life to maintain with his crush, Bunny Miller, who reciprocates his feelings, as well as counseling Jonathan on how to attract women. Gene also has to defend Jonathan and himself from the wealthy class bully, Kenny, Bunny's jealous jock boyfriend, while trying to work out a borderline relationship with his widowed father, who has zero tolerance for his often wild escapades.

Cast

 * Doug McKeon as Jonathan Bellah
 * Chris Nash as Eugene "Gene" Harbrough
 * Catherine Mary Stewart as Bunny Miller
 * Kelly Preston as Marilyn McCauley
 * D.W. Brown as Kenny Brubaker
 * Jami Gertz as Rosalie Hewitt
 * Margaret Blye as Claire Miller
 * Graham Jarvis as Mr. Miller
 * Terry O'Quinn as Claude Harbrough

Production
Doug McKeon later called the film the most enjoyable he worked on. He said this was because "I turned 18 during the making of the film, and thus I was an “adult” for the first time in my career and didn’t need a guardian with me anymore. Moreover, all the actors on that film (Chris Nash, Kelly Preston, Catharine Mary Stewart, and Jami Gertz) were so much fun to be around. Furthermore, the film took place in the 1950s, and driving the old cars, listening to that era’s music, wearing the clothes, etc. It was really enjoyable."

Reception
The film holds a 60% "Fresh" rating at the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on five reviews.

The Boston Globe said the film "falls out somewhere in the middle of the nostalgia pile. It's not as bad as the worst, not as good as the best. It's likable, but it's stolen by its props. They're more specific than the characters, starting with the locale. The filmmakers were lucky to find the real-life town of Nelsonville, Ohio, for their look back at high school life in 1956. "

The Los Angeles Times said "Neither terrible nor outstanding, it's the kind of middle-of-the-road picture that's hard to remember a week after seeing it. "

The New York Times said "if Norman Rockwell had wanted to make Porky's he might have come up with something like Mischief a small-town fable about a sex-obsessed teen-ager. With its summery settings, pretty costumes and pastel hues, Mischief is nostalgic and then some; it has the quality of something remembered in especially flattering light. "