Just One of the Guys is celebrating its 35th anniversary with a special 2K Blu-ray remaster release. The teen comedy is an 80s classic, which is loosely based on William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. While it received mixed reviews from critics upon its release, the movie has since become a cult classic. The project was directed by Lisa Gottlieb and co-written by Dennis Feldman and Jeff Franklin, though according to Gottlieb, she also co-wrote the screenplay with Mitch Giannunzio, but he was denied writing credit by the studio. The Blu-ray edition will be available to purchase on April 28th.
Just One of the Guys centers on Terri (Joyce Hyser), who blames sexism when her journalism teacher refuses to enter her article in a competition to win a summer internship at the local newspaper. With the help of her kid brother, Buddy (Billy Jacoby), she masquerades as a guy at a rival school and enters the contest there. During her charade, “Terry the Boy” tangles with a vicious bully, Greg (William Zabka), and fends off an amorous classmate, Sandy (Sherilyn Fenn). But when she falls for a handsome loner, Rick (Clayton Rohner), our hero/heroine must find a way to convince him that she’s not Just One of the Guys.
The special Blu-ray release contains audio commentary featuring Lisa Gottlieb, Arye Gross, Joyce Hyser, Clayton Rohner, Toni Hudson, and John Apicella. While Just One of the Guys is a teen comedy, it ended up having a deeper meaning for a lot of viewers, says Gottlieb. “I would say the most interesting and surprising thing I learned about Just One of the Guys is the huge influence it had on young gay and transgender women,” says the director. She took part in a live Q&A session that lasted quite a long time due to women sharing with the director. “For hours, women posted their stories and I was genuinely moved,” says Gottlieb.
When it came down to figure out the casting, The Karate Kid‘s Ralph Macchio was a big inspiration. “We based Terry the guy on Ralph Macchio,” says Gottlieb. When Just One of the Guys was in production, Macchio was a big star as his teen action movie continued to get bigger. This is reflected in the comedy when Sherilyn Fenn’s character says, “Dresses like Elvis Costello, looks like the Karate Kid… I’m gonna get him.”
Just One of the Guys could end up with a sequel at some point down the line. In 2014 Lisa Gottlieb said that she and Joyce Hyser had gotten together. “She pitched me a hilarious idea for a sequel,” says Gottlieb. “So far we haven’t sold it, but we also haven’t tried that hard. We need a producer. But we would love to do it. It’s a hoot!” While it’s been six years since those comments, the new Blu-ray could get people talking about the movie all over again. The Blu-ray release information comes to us from Sony Pictures.
