Main Cast: C. Thomas Howell, Lori Loughlin, Fred Ward, Kelly Preston, Dee Wallace, Cliff De Young
Release Year: 1985
Country: US
Run Time: 98 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Produced at the height of the teen sex comedy cinema craze in the mid-1980s, Secret Admirer (1985) was the directorial debut of David Greenwalt, who would later move from screwball comedy to horror with the television series The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. C. Thomas Howell stars as Michael Ryan, a high school student who receives an anonymous love note in his locker. Hoping that it's from Deborah Ann Fimple (Kelly Preston), a gorgeous but air-headed classmate who only dates college boys, Michael hatches a scheme with Toni (Lori Loughlin), who is friendly with both him and Deborah, to write her back. What Michael doesn't know, however is that the first letter was really from Toni, who has more than friendship in mind. In the meantime, the unsigned missives fall into the wrong hands, leading Michael's mother, Connie (Dee Wallace-Stone) to believe that her husband George (Cliff De Young) is having an affair with his night school teacher, Elizabeth (Leigh Taylor-Young), who is none other than Deborah's mother. George had better watch his back, however, as Elizabeth's husband is Lieutenant Lou Fimple (Fred Ward), a tough cop who's having a very bad week. As the romantic complications pile up, Toni becomes Michael's Cyrano de Bergerac, penning his letters but pining for him as he gets closer to winning Deborah over. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Leigh Taylor-Young - Elizabeth Fimple; Casey Siemaszko - Roger Despard; Scott McGinnis - Steve Powers; Geoffrey Blake - Ricardo; Rodney Pearson - Kirkpatrick; Courtney Gains - Doug; Corey Haim - Jeff; Ernie Brown - Guard; Janet Carroll - Toni's Mother; J.J. Cohen - Barry; Ken Lerner - Waiter; Doug Savant - Boy; John Terlesky - Rick; Ron Burke - Mr. Henderson; Leslie Allan - Girl; Gipsi de Young - Mrs. Henderson; Dermott Downs - Ungrateful Teen; Arvid Malnaa - Norwegian Dock Worker; Michael Menzies - Mr. Simpson; Keith Mills - Mailman; Mike Toto - Toni's Father; Michael Moore - Leon
Credit
Lynn Bigelow - Associate Producer, Mike Fenton - Casting, Jane Feinberg - Casting, M. James Kouf Jr. - Co-producer, Mary Vogt - Costume Designer, David Greenwalt - Director, Dennis Virkler - Editor, C.O. Erickson - Executive Producer, Jan Hammer - Composer (Music Score), Dan Striepeke - Makeup, Bob Thomas - Camera Operator, William J. Cassidy - Production Designer, Victor J. Kemper - Cinematographer, Stephen J. Roth - Producer, Barbara Krieger - Set Designer, Allen Hall - Special Effects, Billy Burton - Stunts, Joe Finnegan - Stunts, Hal Burton - Stunts, Gilbert Combs - Stunts, Justin Derosa - Stunts, Eddy Donno - Stunts, James M. Halty - Stunts, Scott Wilder - Stunts, Harry Wowchuk - Stunts, Ron Burke - Stunts, Janet Brady - Stunts, Steve Hulin - Stunts, Noon Orsatti - Stunts, Debbie Evans - Stunts, David Burton - Stunts, Patrick Romano - Stunts, David Greenwalt - Screenwriter, M. James Kouf Jr. - Screenwriter
Michael Ryan (Howell) is a California high school junior with a crush on class beauty Deborah Ann Fimple (Preston). His beautiful and ignored best friend is Toni Williams (Loughlin), who secretly pines for him. On the last day of class before summer break, Michael receives a love letter in his locker from a secret admirer. His best friend, Roger (Siemaszko), convinces him that the letter is from Deborah Ann. Michael writes Deborah Ann an anonymous love letter in return, and asks Toni to give it to her. Toni realizes the letter is poorly written and unromantic, so she rewrites it. Elizabeth Fimple (Taylor-Young), Deborah Ann's mother, discovers the letter. Her jealous police officer husband, Lou Fimple (Ward), sees her reading it. He steals the letter, and believes that his wife is committing adultery. He suspects one the Fimple's bridge partners, George Ryan (DeYoung). He shows the letter to George's wife, Connie (Wallace-Stone), and proposes that they expose the adulterers. Receiving no response from Deborah Ann, Michael writes a second letter, which Toni again rewrites. But the letter falls into the hands of a arrogant, vain, handsome athlete, Steve Powers (McGinnis), who is dating Deborah Ann but secretly lusts for Toni. Steve now comes to believe Toni loves him, even though she intensely dislikes him.
Michael experiences a series of wacky adventures with his friends throughout the summer. He tells Deborah Ann that he wrote the love letters, and she agrees to a date during which everything goes disastrously wrong and Michael proves that he's a shallow unromantic interested only in sex. Eventually, Lou and Connie cannot control themselves at a bridge party: Lou assaults George, and Connie breaks down in front of her friends. When Lou confronts his wife about the letter, Deborah Ann overhears him reading the words and tearfully accosts her father for reading her private mail. Steve beats up Michael, and Toni beats up Steve when he tries to flirt too aggressively with her.
Just as the fall semester is about to start, Michael realizes that Toni wrote the original love letter. He races to her home, but is told that she has left for a study abroad program aboard a ship that will keep her away for a full year. Michael rushes to the dockyard, screaming his love for Toni. He dives into the water, but cannot reach the ship. Believing Michael is drowning, Toni dives into the water, too. The lovers embrace in the water and kiss.
