Can't Buy Me Love

Can't Buy Me Love is a teen romantic comedy film about a social outcast who pays a popular girl to be his girlfriend for one month. Hopelessly nerdy Ronald Miller has been pining after his neighbor Cindy Mancini for ages. Being a cheerleader and one of the popular girls, she doesn't even notice him. Luck lands Ronald's way when Cindy appears in the mall desperate to return one of her mother's outfits, which she has borrowed without permission and has stained in the process. It will cost one thousand dollars to replace the clothes, money that Cindy doesn't have. One thousand dollars does happen to be the amount Ronald had saved for a telescope. Ronald offers to help Cindy by purchasing a new outfit, and in return she'll pretend to date him for one month. Ronald figures he's on his way to a girlfriend and to finally being one of the popular kids.

Before any dating can begin, Cindy decides that she can't be seen with someone as nerdy as Ronald. This begins a classic makeover, ending with Ronald in a suave attitude and a confident new persona. Ronald joins the ranks of the popular kids, hanging out with cheerleaders and football players. As he dives deeper into this clique he loses sight of his goals. He leaves behind his fellow outcast friends, and even starts considering Cindy not cool enough. Ronald is faced with a choice-- continue the lie to keep his popular status, or leave his goals and values behind with his unfashionable clothes.

Patrick Dempsey played the nerdy Ronald Miller, and Amanda Peterson was the cheerleader Cindy Mancini. Seth Green makes an early film appearance as Ronald's younger brother. The film was directed by Steve Rash, and was originally titled "Boy Rents Girl". It was released in 1987.