For Keeps is a 1988 movie starring Molly Ringwald and Randall Batinkoff as Darcy and Stan, two high school seniors in love. Complications ensue when Darcy becomes pregnant just before graduation and decides to keep her baby. This movie is noted for being Ringwald's final "teen" movie, and is cited as one of her most mature performances, particularly in a scene where Darcy is suffering from post partum depression after the birth of her child.
Plot
In Kenosha, Wisconsin, Darcy, editor at her high school paper, and her long-term boyfriend Stan are in their final year of high school and already have been accepted at good colleges; before Darcy goes to college to study journalism, she'll go on a trip to Paris with her mother for her graduation present, while Stan will go to Caltech to study architecture. With the help of Darcy's best friend Lila (Sharon Brown), they spend a weekend together, where they sleep together and Darcy becomes pregnant. They announce the news at Thanksgiving, and neither Darcy's mother Donna (Flynn), who was abandoned by her husband and brought up Darcy alone, nor Stan's Catholic parents (Mars and Ferrell) are very supportive. Respectively, they urge the young couple to have an abortion or give up the baby for adoption. Darcy plans to have the abortion, but doesn't go through with it, to Stan's relief.
At Christmas, the kids announce their plans to keep the baby, causing a break between them and their parents. They rent a decrepit apartment and get married to the cheers of their friends. On the advice of her guidance counselor, Darcy drops out of high school but works toward her GED. Prom is interrupted by Darcy's water breaking; although baby Thea is healthy, Darcy suffers from post-partum depression, refusing even to hold her daughter, and Stan struggles to pay the bills on a part-time job salary. Only when Darcy hears an intruder (who turns out to be Stan's father) and picks up her baby protectively, does she break from her depression.
Without telling Darcy, Stan sacrifices his Caltech scholarship because there is no married housing. Although Stan takes a second, dead-end job, the bills pile up and the couple finally moves in with Donna, which alienates Stan and Darcy, and causing Stan to start drinking heavily. Local vixen Michaela (Michelle Downey) informs Darcy of the scholarship deception so she enlists Stan's best friend Chris (John Zarchan) in a plan to ensure he take the scholarship and go to college after all. Unfortunately, the plan entails throwing out Stan and annulling the wedding. Stan reconciles with his parents, but is heartbroken over the split with Darcy.
At Darcy's night school graduation, Stan arrives to inform Darcy he has applied for scholarships to University of Wisconsin–Madison for them both. Darcy lets slip her role in the Caltech deception with Chris and Stan chases after her as she drives away. Darcy realizes her mother's own insecurities have influenced her too much and she returns to the empty school looking for Stan. They reconcile, remarking Thea will have a very early curfew.
Production
The film is set in Kenosha, Wisconsin and was partially filmed there. Primary location work took place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
The film had a number of titles while in production, possibilities including "Maybe, Baby" (by which it is known in some overseas territories) and "For Keeps?", before settling on the final question mark-less version.
This movie marks the film debut of Pauly Shore, who appears in a small role as a friend of Stan.
The musical score features a lullaby-like version of the song "Be My Baby", sung by composer Ellie Greenwich.
Reception
The film earned a disappointing $14.7 million and met with generally negative reviews. Rotten Tomatoes.com's aggregate score gives the film a 22% rotten rating, although user reviews are generally much higher. Typical critic comments include "feature-length after-school-special nothingness" and "the start of Ringwald's slide"[1] Roger Ebert is a notable exception, giving the film three stars and while acknowledging the film "is probably a good deal more pleasant than the average American teenage girl could look forward to" and the ending "contrived", he found it has a "feel for plausible dialogue and scenes that reveal personalities" particularly in scenes involving the young passion of Ringwald and the "sweet" Batinkoff.[2]
References
- ^ Rotten Tomatoes.com
- ^ Roger Ebert.com
External links
