I picked this movie up looking for some old titles with Michelle Meyrink who some might remember from such films as 'Real Genius' and 'Valley Girl.'
In Nice Girls Don't Explode, Meyrink plays April Flowers, a teenage girl who is convinced that she has pyrotechnic hormones, in that whenever she is around guys, some kind of fire breaks out, leaving her utterly embarrased and afraid to show any sort of affection towards courting boys, especially Andy (William O'Leary) (who is sometimes annoying at parts), who is sure that she is mistaken about her firestarting capabilities. He is sure that April's mother (Barbara Harris) is responsible for her daughter's mishaps, setting fires so guys won't want to go near April. But how does he expose April's mother's overboard techniques in overprotective parenting?
Meanwhile, a real pyromaniac named Ellen (Wallace Shawn), floats around in the story as a frustrated and lonely fellow looking for some human interaction. He often walks around igniting fires when his attempts to converse like a normal human being fail.
I don't think this movie is as bad as the previous reviews have stated. First of all, it is a very cheap movie. Though the fact that a mother still treats her 18 year old daughter like she's two years old (take a look at her room) is pretty disturbing, it is supposed to be an exaggerated story about a girl who's mother just can't seem to let her grow up, especially when it comes to dating. The story has to do a lot to carry interest, too, being that there are times when you wonder that in the 18 or so years of her life, April never ever seemed to suspect anything of her mother? But once again, the story is supposed to be excessively exaggerated, pushing itself along on devices of stupid comedy. That's all. It's a no brainer movie that's sure to get a few laughs out of you, no matter how stupid, particularly with Wallace Shawn's character, Ellen. I definitely recommend the movie if you want to see something with Michelle Meyrink, as she is the typical Meyrink shy, but funny girl.
