Rather fun slice of 80s corn has a (surprisingly) colorless Jon Cryer, a teenage photography prodigy, falling head-over-heels for a struggling club singer, Demi Moore (very attractive, but Woof, still not much of an actress). Cryer pines for her while trying to help her achieve career stardom through the use of his camera and photographic skill
and the $6 grand he's had saved up for a trip. There's an amazing cast in supporting parts like Cheers' George Wendt as the club owner Moore frequently sings, Peter Frechette as Cryer's supportive big brother, Elizabeth Daily (Pee Wee's Big Adventure & Valley Girl) as Frechette's fiancé, Jeffrey Tambor (yes, of The Larry Sanders Show) as "Uncle" Ken (married to Cryer's mom, played by Ann Wedgeworth), Tim Robbins (get a load of him as a sex-obsessed high schooler, so tall he towers over the rest of his classmates!; he is one of those dimbulb goofs you cackle at), and a barely recognizable Jennifer Tilly as a fellow classmate of Cryer's who could be a future love interest of his. Demi's "rocking out" (obviously not her singing) and Cryer's discomfort with matters relating to sex (like his "hooker incident" with the stag party prostitute) are moments certain to either make you cringe and giggle (or both). There's good use of San Francisco throughout as a backdrop for Cryer's attempts at wooing Moore, but this was still a few years before he really perfected his self-deprecating persona so memorable on the show, Two and a Half Men. He was still about two years away from the delightful, scene-stealing part as Ducky on "Pretty in Pink" and the critically-maligned (but not as bad as they insist, to me anyway) Morgan Stewart's Coming Home (an HBO comedy I remember quite popular among my pals back in the day), and these films would express his gifts at comedy and endearing charm (despite the "loser" stigma that seems to define most of his characters). The statutory illegal relationship between Moore and Cryer's characters (especially the ending when she takes his virginity) might give cause to squirm, but it identifies the pent-up yearnings held by teenage boys for slightly older girls. Moore has a hard time with performing aching and frustration and Cryer just seems rather uncomfortable and a bit nervy: for some reason, it all entertained me regardless. His sacrifices might be considered worth it after rolling under the sheets with babe Moore; I had a nice chuckle at the use of Moore's image (which enrages her), Cryer meaning well, on taxi-cabs (to get her "noticed"), as an attempt to advertise her, misconstrued as invites for sexual favors, a phone call underneath a provocative pose. Surprisingly, this bit of fluff for the teenage/young adult crowd, was directed by Jerry Schatzberg (Panic in Needle Park & Scarecrow (both starring a young Al Pacino)). Despite being rated R, the only real reason No Small Affair might be seen as too adult for the intended crowd is some nudity (tits) and mature themes (handled with a bit of care, such as Moore's admission at offering herself to Wendt to keep her singing gig, and Cryer unable to "seal the deal" with the hooker, he later just wants to hug(!)).
Review of No Small Affair
