No Small Affair

source: No Small Affair

Jon Cryer plays Charles a teenager more into photography than dating per say or things more "normal" teenagers are interested in. Until one day a beautiful very young Demi Moore happens to set in front of his lens for a picture and our hero falls in love and develops a big crush upon first site. What actually interested me at first to check this film out was flipping channels I thought the young Demi Moore was Jennifer Connelly at first. I still kept watching the film out of curiosity and immediately liked it though. Pre social media and what not. It's a very cute coming of age film. I really liked Charles and actually Demi's character of Laura as well. Charles kind of reminded of myself in a lot of ways. Its rare nowadays to see likeable movie characters.

Maybe I've begun to appreciate movies from the 70, 80, and 90's. It's probably they seem more emotionally realistic. In a time today high school aged children are often depicted as mature with all the answers. It wasn't true then and it isn't now. It's nice to see a movie where the intricacies of a relationship overwhelm someone that doesn't have the life experience to understand. Truly it takes a very long time and an ability to forgive and subordinate to each other at times. John Cryer really nails his role and Demi is terrific. Even though Cryer's character in some respects is far more mature than his peers, he still has the excitement and awkwardness of a first love. You never forget your first love.

"No Small Affair" is a pleasant little coming of age romance set in the pre cell phone era of 1984. Charles Cummings (Jon Cryer in his first film) is a high school junior who is an amateur photographer on the side. One day while taking pictures on a pier, he accidently photographs a young girl, Laura (Demi Moore) who it turns out is an "older woman". When he develops the film Charles becomes enamored of her and tries to track her down unsuccessfully.. Charles' mother Joan (Ann Wedgeworth) and her live in boy friend "Uncle" Ken try to understand the teenager. Brother Leonard (Peter Frechette) and his fiance Susan (Elizabeth Daily) arrive to prepare for their upcoming wedding. They take young Charles out on the town and go into a small bar called "Jakes" looking for strippers but find Laura singing in a band on stage. Charles whips out his camera and starts taking pictures of her much to the chagrin of sleazy bar owner Jake (George Wendt). Charles approaches Laura and offers to take promotional photos of her to aid in her career. In the meantime her lead guitarist quits the band and Laura winds up getting fired. Charles sees an ad on a cab and gets an idea. He goes to the cab company with his life savings and purchases a poster of Laura with her phone number to displayed on 175 cabs. The idea backfires when Laura begins to receive lewd phone calls because her poster had been taken the wrong way. Laura is furious with Charles and tells him so. Charles despondent slinks away. Later Laura learns of the sacrifice that Charles had to make in buying the taxi signs and forgives him. They begin making the rounds with Laura's photographs without success. Jake tries to entice Laura back with an offer of "companionship". One night broke and hungry they crash a wedding reception where Laura is forced to sing to pay for their meal. Later at Leonard's stag party, He gets the attendees to go to "Jake's" and call out "We want Laura" which is a success. Laura patches things up with Jake and he brings in a record executive to hear her sing. Laura is signed to a record deal and informs the naive Charles that she must go to Los Angeles to pursue her career. Now she must shoot down the love sick teen but first.............................................................................................. I though Cryer was excellent in his first film as was Moore playing the apple of his eye. Watch for Tim Robbins and Hamilton Camp as Charles' class mates and the be-speckled tight jeaned Mona who has her eye on Charles.

I'm so surprised to just discover this one now on amazon prime! The movie is charming and with some really nice bits in dialog too. It's refreshingly nonjudgmental about the characters supposed age difference. Ironically this type of movie wouldn't be made now in a supposedly more progressive time. Demi Moore does an amazing job. I'm a bit disappointed that they don't let her sing, but I guess the story does call for somewhat undisputedly amazing voice, so they had her lip syncing. But yes, even though it's one of her very first major roles you can see a star in her already. And John Cryer is still fresh and not annoying at all. He actually comes off as handsome and full of life guy. It's now, 35 years later, he seems to be stuck in the cliche rolls after decades of that silly show he's been on. Surprising bits of casting are that both Jenifer Tilley and Tim Robinson are older than Demi but play highschoolers. John Cryer is only 2 years younger than her but he does have a baby face in this still so 6 years difference is kind of believable. No wonder him and Demi have a great chemistry in this since they dated while filming. The only somewhat annoying scenes are the family scenes, the brother is totally misogynistic, mother and her lover are just stupid, I guess those are unavoidable 80s cliches and it was funny then. If you disregard that part, the story between Laura and Charles (Moore and Cryer) is actually quite timeless and endlessly charming. Though I've noticed some of the earlier reviewers here said that the dialog was corny, boy it's nothing comparing to what the dialogs have become in the movies now, actually the dialog apart from family bits is good and has meaning in a classic way.

Charles Cummings (Jon Cryer) is a 16 year old amateur photographer in San Francisco. His brother Leonard brings home his latest fiancée Susan. He considers Leonard his mother's favorite. His mother's boyfriend Ken (Jeffrey Tambor) urges him to be normal. He takes a picture of Laura Victor (Demi Moore) and becomes infatuated with her photo. He searches everywhere for her. Leonard and Susan take the underage Charles out to a club run by Jake (George Wendt). Charles is surprised to find Laura singing. She's struggling with her band and her faltering career. After initially dismissing the younger Charles, she has a fun day out with him taking pictures. The wedding crashers get found out and Laura has to sing for their supper. Charles spends all his money for his Milan trip to advertise Laura on 150 taxis but it's so vague that people assume she's an escort or it's a phone sex line. This is Jon Cryer's movie debut. He delivers a great puppy love very much in the vein of Duckie. Demi Moore has her star quality in a struggling artist character. The story is a meandering teen rom-com. Maybe it's the presence of Duckie but this does have a faded sense of a John Hughes movie. It's not quite at a high level but the two leads are magnetic and compelling. It's a cheesy little romance with two terrific future stars.

I've been trying to get my paws on this one for years now but they don't ever give it on TV .ill have to get the DVD whenever i got the cash.this has everything i love about movies-it is a child from the eighties,its got jon cryer-an icon of teen pictures of the decade-it is a sweet love story,the one you-well,i-wish could happen in real life.demi moore would never be sweeter. well,maybe in One Crazy Summer. at the time i watched it-hell,even now as i write-i had gone thru my first crush on an older woman(in my case,my ninth grade math teacher-she was 23 and i fifteen)and i felt i was the only one who though of that kind of relationships,so when i saw a Hollywood movie dealing with it in such a great way i fell for it all the way.it will remain one of my all time favorites until the day i die,a throwback to an era full of possibilities,however practically unattainable.

WTF is this? How did this get made? How did Jon Cryer get a career after this? Bad writing to the MAXX... Whiny unlikeable doof as the lead is nauseating! Mixed with tone-deaf singing as the music-star played by Demi Moore... Who is cute, but agreed to be in this film, so Can't be too intelligent !@#$Ugh. Glad I never found this growing up, it might have scared me. Q: Why did his mother walk into his room without knocking later at night? A: For Comedy Gold! Barf.

Nice romantic comedy about a 16 year old guy (Jon Cryer), who likes taking pictures more as he likes girls, but that is going to change when he discovers a pretty girl on the pictures he shot in the harbor. He than falls in love and wants to find this girl, who sings in a rockband, and after some adventures they get an affair, till the point that she has to go to LA for her career, something he helped her with for the price of $6000 (I believe).... Liked the performances of Jon Cryer, Demi Moore and also George Wendt. Although this movie is not that special, I always enjoy it when it's broadcasted.

"No Small Affair" was a movie made at the height of the Brat Pack popularity. John Cryer and Demi Moore, two of the most prominent members of the group are showcased in this whimsical comedy about obsession. Jerry Schatzberg directed the film, which has a San Francisco setting. The movie is in a way, the coming of age of Charles Cummings, a young amateur photographer who one day discovers a beautiful young woman while taking pictures at one of the piers. He will do anything in order to meet Laura, who at the beginning doesn't feel anything for him, but who is intrigued by his obsession, especially when he spends all his savings to have her face, and telephone number, plastered all over the tops of taxis. He was only trying to get Laura exposed to possible offers for a recording career, but the plan backfires and all she gets are sexual propositions. John Cryer as Charles Cummings is charming. Demi Moore does good work as Laura. George Wendt, Peter Frechette, Ann Wedgeworth, Jeffrey Tambor, Jeniffer Tilly and Tim Robbings are seen in supporting roles. The film is an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours.