Welcome to an exciting year-long project here at The Nerdy. 1986 was an exciting year for films giving us a lot of films that would go on to be beloved favorites and cult classics. It was also the start to a major shift in cultural and societal norms, and some of those still reverberate to this day.
We’re going to pick and choose which movies we hit, but right now the list stands at nearly four dozen.
Yes, we’re insane, but 1986 was that great of a year for film.
The articles will come out – in most cases – on the same day the films hit theaters in 1986, so that it is their true 40th anniversary. We also watch all films again for these reviews, so they’re not from memory. In some cases, it truly will be the first time we’ve seen them.
This time around, it’s November 7, 1986, and we’re off to see 52 Pick-Up, Modern Girls, Sid and Nancy, Something Wild, and Tai-Pan.
52 Pick-Up
Is this the Cannon Group actually trying to do a real movie? I may need to sit down for a moment.
Harry Mitchell (Roy Scheider) is a construction magnate living in Los Angeles (we know this as it says “LOS ANGELES” across the screen at the very beginning and no location is ever given again) who has been cheating on his wife Barbara (Ann-Margret). The problem is that Harry doesn’t know that his mistress, Cini (Kelly Preston), is involved with drug dealers and pornographers who decide to blackmail Harry.
I have to say, I enjoyed it. Color me shocked. It’s far from perfect, but as a neo-noir, I had fun with it. A lot of that comes down to John Glover’s performance as the lead blackmailer, Alan Raimy. I’ve always enjoyed Glover’s work, and this one really lets him shine. You don’t like Alan, and that’s the whole point.
Not a great film, but a good time for an afternoon.
Where to watch: Available to stream.
Modern Girls
I enjoyed this movie way more ‘last year’ when it was called After Hours.
Margo (Daphne Zuniga), Kelly (Virginia Madsen), and Cece (Cynthia Gibb) are three ‘modern girls’ trying to balance their lives between work and the need to head into L.A.’s nightclubs every night. After Kelly forgets she had a date with Clifford (Clayton Rohner), he ends up running all over the city that night with Margo and Cece, getting into one bizarre circumstance after another.
This film isn’t bad, it’s just insanely bland. Everything about this film feels staged and designed to within an inch of its life. From the clothes to the girls ‘wacky’ apartment. Everything feels like it came from the central prop house of a studio. The world never feels real or lived in, it’s just a sad copy of reality.
Where to watch: Available to stream.
Sid and Nancy
In case you were wondering, Sid and Nancy did all of the drugs.
All of them.
The film opens with an ending, as Sid (Gary Oldman) is questioned about Nancy’s (Chloe Webb) death. We then travel back through the history of what became one of rock’s most famous, and toxic, relationships.
Oldman and Webb both deserve a lot of credit for incredible performances, but the issue is that these people/characters are so unpleasant you don’t want to spend time with them. When even other punks don’t want to associate with them, you know they’re just too far off the rails to be dealt with.
My other issue with the film is the ending. I don’t want to spoil it, but it just feels far too romanticized for everything you just witnessed. The ending is a choice I could have certainly lived without.
An interesting work, but plan to be uncomfortable throughout.
Where to watch: Available to stream.
Something Wild
Oh good, here we go with another film of lets root for the unlikable people.
Charlie Driggs (Jeff Daniels) is an investment banker with a ‘wild side’ in that he sometimes does petty crime to feel live. When he leaves a restaurant without paying, he’s spotted by Lulu (Melanie Griffith) who somehow determines that she wants to hook up with him a hotel and then take him to her 10 year high school reunion. Things go sideways from there.
Over the course of this film we see Lulu commit multiple crimes including robbing a liquor store, but, as per the creed of 1980s cinema, that means she’s lovable and we should root for her. And trust me, I’m not excusing Charlie’s petty crimes.
From nearly the jump of this film I didn’t care for the characters and that carried throughout the film.
It was very much not for me.
Where to watch: Available to stream.
Tai-Pan
If ever a movie cried out to be a miniseries, this is it.
Set in 1842, the film primarily follows Dirk Struan (Bryan Brown) as he tries to build Hong Kong into Asia’s leading port. Along the way, he must quell infighting, the British Crown, and his slave/wife.
Based on the novel by James Clavell, it’s clear that this was an attempt to cash in on the massive success that had arrived a few years earlier with Shōgun on TV. The difference, however, is that it was a mini-series with time to breathe, while Tai Pan feels rushed in the most annoying ways.
It is extremely clear that there is a lot of story left off the screen, including a lot of character motivations.
It is clear that a lot of work was put into the film, and it had tremendous potential, but film was simply not the correct outlet for this project.
Where to watch: Available to stream.
1986 Movie Reviews will continue on Nov. 14, 2026, with Quiet Cool, Heat, Every Time We Say Goodbye, Hoosiers, and Streets of Gold.
