Can't Buy Me Love

Ronald Miller is a bright but socially awkward high schooler who learns that popularity can feel like power. When Cindy Mancini, a resourceful cheerleader, accidentally ruins her mother's designer outfit, Ronald offers to cover the cost on one condition: they act like a couple for an entire month. What follows is a social experiment that blurs money, status, and affection. Cindy discovers she can enjoy new attention, while Ronald is drawn into circles he once avoided. As the arrangement deepens, friendships shift and rivalries flare, and both teens must reckon with what genuine connection requires beyond clever schemes and surface charm. The plan reveals that people respond to honesty more than calculated appearances. Their choices carry consequences for friends too.

Directed by Steve Rash, the film stems from an original screenplay by Michael Swerdlick. Released in 1987 by Touchstone Pictures, it blends teen romance with light comedy and highlights Patrick Dempsey's breakout energy opposite Amanda Peterson, becoming a late 80s favorite.

Can't Buy Me Love earned solid box office for a mid 80s teen comedy, grossing around 31.6 million worldwide on a modest budget. Its earnings reflected its broad appeal and enduring popularity on home video and cable re-runs and beyond.

As a quintessential 80s teen romp, the film helped cement the era's trope of the nerd who wins social acceptance through a fake relationship. It also gave Patrick Dempsey one of his early screen showcases, contributing to the shift toward brainy romance leads in later comedies that truly followed.

Critics commonly noted its brisk pacing and light touch, balancing humor with affection. The film centers on the tension between image and authenticity, portraying popularity as a social experiment rather than a measure of worth, and it rewards sincerity over charm. The jokes land when characters misread signals in crowds.