Just One of the Guys

     JUST ONE OF THE GUYS is classic 80's teen b-movie, kids. This is one funny little flick, as silly as it is. Basically TOOTSIE reversed, it tells the story of Terri Griffith, winningly played by Joyce Hyser. Terri has it all- she's gorgeous, popular, and has the #1 hunk of high school as her guy (Leigh McCloskey).

     Terri wants desperately to be a journalist, and submits an article for a summer intern at the local newspaper.  Much to her dismay though- her article isn't picked.  Convinced sexism is at play here, Terri decides to risk it all and transfer to another school as a guy to prove if she could get her previously unpublished article published as a male.

     Somehow, she's able to just slip into another nearby school while her parents are out of town and live as a boy. Of course with that comes all sorts of problems. The high school gym, for one. On top of all that, Terry finds herself falling for quiet Rick, played by Clayton Rohner), who has a crush on Deborah, played by Deborah Goodrich, who's dating school bully Greg, played by William Zabka! Seem complicated? It is. Throw in Toni Hudson as Terri's best friend, Billy Jayne as Terri's horny little brother, and Sherilyn Fenn as a girl in love with Terence, the male version of Terri and you get one zany 80's sex comedy! Gimmicky to be sure, but it works, and has some truly funny moments sprinkled throughout.

     JUST ONE OF THE GUYS could have just relied on raunchy innuendos and sex jokes. But it also offers up a cute love story, some character developments, and a great soundtrack. Not to mention that slew of familiar 80's faces!  i mean, you've got Clayton Rohner and Deborah Goodrich  (APRIL FOOL'S DAY), Sherilyn Fenn  (TWIN PEAKS), Stu Charno (CHRISTINE, FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2), William Zabka ( BACK TO SCHOOL, THE KARATE KID), Billy Jayne (CUJO), and Toni Hudson (CRIMES OF THE HEART) all help Joyce Hyser make this little movie rise above your typical 80's sex romps.

     Now JUST ONE OF THE GUYS is not a perfect comedy. Far from it. But it is a whole helluva lot of fun to watch, and comes across as somewhat witty and inspired. With its cross-dressing theme and the time in which it was released, you would expect some cringe-inducing homophobia portrayed. Surprisingly, it's not. Terri is falling in love with Rick, as a boy though. Obviously, Rick will find out Terri's true identity at some point, and he handles it winningly and refreshingly when he finds out his new "buddy" (Terri) has a crush on him. And even more surprising is that this 80's teen sex comedy has much more male nudity than female. In fact, we only get a brief glimpse of Terri's breasts at the end. We see much more male skin. Once again. Refreshing. JUST ONE OF THE GUYS is a charming little b-movie from the mid-80's that's a hoot and a half to watch.