My favourite movie from Grade 10, when I discovered it, to early university when I discovered Princess Bride, was a little feel-good movie called Lucas. It's the story of a Grade 9 boy named Lucas who is picked on; a screaming nerd that becomes friends with the most popular girl in school. He falls in love with her, she falls in love with a football player (Charlie Sheen) and that sets him on a path of almost self-destruction as he tries to prove himself as strong and cool as the rest of the football team. It's a wonderful story of being yourself, of defending the underdog, of accepting people for who they are.
The movie starred Corey Haim as Lucas. I loved, loved, loved Corey Haim. I watched his performance as Lucas on my VHS tape, taped off our local Fox station by a friend (Adam Ingrao) for me, and he became my favourite star of the 1980s.
When the news reported this week that Corey Haim died at the age of 38 (I'll be 38 this May), my memories of him (to me he'll always be Lucas) stayed with me for the week. He had a tragic life but it seemed he had the heart that I suspected - he was taking care of his mother when he died. I also learned he was Canadian.
Lucas was a big part of my teenage years and I'm sorry that Corey Haim's story ended this way but however corny it sounds (and it sounds very corny), he'll stay a part of my growing up and the lessons of Lucas did indeed round out what for me as a typical teenager was the most selfish part of my life.
Thanks, Lucas.
3 comments:
Love that movie. Forgot how many people were in it! For me it will always be the two Coreys in Lost Boys. Those Corey boys had really tough lives, didn't they.
I thought of you when I heard that he had died. You loved that movie. I remember you staunchly defending it more than once.
Damn right, I staunchly defended it. I was ridiculed regularly. I still would go tooth and nail against anyone who had negative things to say about the movie!
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